The spring semester might be over, but St. Joseph’s University, New York — Brooklyn Campus students Abhishek Pokharel and Christopher Stewart are amping up their studies.
The two mathematics and computer science double majors started the intense eight-week Microsoft Data Science Summer School (DS3) program this month, where they are immersing themselves in data science coursework and group research projects taught by leading scientists at Microsoft.
They join an exceptional cohort of St. Joseph’s alumni who have taken part in the prestigious program since its inception in 2014, including Franky Rodriguez, Glenda Ascencio, Adnan Hoq, Naomi Moreira, Roymil Terrero, Rajiv Basnet and Sambhav Shrestha.
David Seppala-Holtzman, Ph.D., said he looks forward to seeing his students’ accomplishments in the program this summer.
“Abhishek and Christopher join a distinguished list of superb St. Joseph’s University students who have participated in DS3,” Dr. Seppala-Holtzman said. They are very intelligent, focused and hard-working and I am certain they will do very well in this program. In addition, I am sure they will get a great deal out of the experience.”
Meet the Brooklyn Campus Students Studying in the Prestigious Microsoft D23 Program
Abhishek Pokharel ’23
Major: Mathematics and Computer Science
Hometown: Nepal, South Asia
Campus Club(s): Student Government Association, SJC Squared, International Student Union
Thoughts going into the program: “I’m kind of nervous but excited at the same time. It’s going to be a whole new curriculum for me. I’m done with my semester, so I am going to begin studying to get prepared for Microsoft because going in there without knowing anything is something that I don’t want to do.”
Future goals: Become a data scientist. He hopes to develop a software where people in marginalized communities — especially in third-world countries like Nepal — can access an application that requires low internet bandwidth to learn online for free.
Christopher Stewart ’23
Major: Mathematics and Computer Science
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Campus Club(s): SJC Squared
Thoughts going into the program: “The most exciting thing I look forward to about the program is being able to see the environment of what the software industry is like and how groups of people work toward a common goal using a software solution … The program aligns greatly with my career goals because it gives me an amazing opportunity to discover how research combined with industry knowledge can produce great results. The program gives me a good taste of what grad school research could possibly be like and what it’s like to work on a team in the computer science industry.”
Future goals: Use the Microsoft D23 program to decide if he’d prefer to continue his academics in grad school or head into the industry after graduation.
