Pathways To Success: Meet Our NVF High School Program Graduates & Interns who will be attending the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities
Meet our NVF former student, Hanna Mooge. As an incoming second year student at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, she previously completed our C++ course at NVF while attending Rochester STEM Academy. Hanna share’s her experience with us below.
What concepts did you learn in the course?
In the C++ NVF course, I learned the fundamentals of the C++ programming language, including syntax, data types, control structures, object-oriented programming concepts, and memory management.
Can you describe your overall experience?
It was very positive. I found the material challenging yet rewarding, and the hands-on programming assignments helped solidify my understanding of the concepts. My instructor was very kind and helpful. The structure of the course really allowed for students to feel comfortable asking questions and promoted a sense of community.
Is there anything you learned in the course that you can apply to your CS degree? The course was beneficial for my degree preparation. It helped me gain confidence in my programming abilities and provided a head start on some of the core concepts I will encounter in my courses at the U of M. Understanding C++ provides a solid foundation for learning other programming languages, and object-oriented programming principles which are directly relevant to my CS major.
What are your career plans? I am pursuing a career in software engineering, with a particular interest in developing applications that have a positive impact on people's lives. My inspiration to pursue tech comes from a strong desire to make a positive impact, ensuring that the needs and well-being of minorities and other marginalized communities are taken into consideration and prioritized in the development of technological solutions.
Muhsin Mohamed, a former Social Media Intern will be attending his first year at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities shares his NVF internship experience and how it prepared him for his transition to college.
How would you define our company culture? The company culture is super open and especially for youth my age it made me feel like I wasn’t out of place. The company really lives by its mission of helping youth and providing them a space to learn and grow. It was a nice atmosphere to be in.
What was your overall experience in your internship? It’s served its purpose as a training for the real world and has given me the tools that I can take with me into any future job. Along with the professional experience I have gained from this internship, it helped me grow a lot as a person, which I will be forever grateful for. You guys pushed me to reach my full potential and inspired me to go into the IT field. I had doubts prior to the internship about joining tech but my internship and taking the python course at NVF provided me some clarity to pursue a tech career. It also really helped with my college application, as universities saw that I had experience in an internship setting before college, which not many high schoolers can claim.
What college will you be attending this fall? What are your career plans? I will be attending University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. I plan to major in Computer Science. I took my first coding class through New Vision Foundation last summer during my internship. It was a fantastic experience and after completing the class, I decided to make my decision to major in computer science. I gained some needed grounding in coding thanks to the course, and I continue to take programming classes through my college and outside on my own time.
How do you feel about the transition from high school to college? I feel really prepared, in part thanks to this internship opportunity and I did two years of full-time PSEO at Century College. That experience has really helped me get a feel of college life, and how independent you become with your time and classes. I think the number one stumbling block for people heading into college is the realization of just how “alone” you are when it comes to going to classes, scheduling your time for studying and homework, etc. As you do not have high school teachers guiding you through anymore. I think I am fully equipped to handle this change.
Do you think the internship helped you prepare for your transition to college? The internship has helped prepare me to excel in a college setting, especially learning to manage my tasks more efficiently. NVF also aided me in my journey to learning Python as my first coding language. I was also able to substantially improve my professional and real-world skills and experience.
Idiris Muumin, our former Training & Development Intern will be attending his first year at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. He shares his NVF internship experience and how it prepared him for his transition to college.
How would you define our company culture? Very welcoming, and the staff is amazing. The company’s growth mindset allowed me to feel more empowered and capable of reaching my goals. The company culture really displayed its values of engaging, motivating, and inspiring us to do our very best in our work.
What was your overall experience in your internship? I got a taste of what it feels like to work in a professional environment and it was a very enriching and valuable experience. The opportunity allowed me to apply and enhance my technical skills while gaining practical knowledge in a professional setting. I was challenged to do my best every day and will take my experience and build upon it.
What college will you be attending this fall? What are your career plans? I will be attending the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and plan to major in Computer Science. I chose this career field because of my interest in software and the growing area of technology that has become an integral part of the world we live in today.
How do you feel about the transition from high school to college?I think the transition will be smooth since I’ve already completed PSEO. PSEO has really catapulted me ahead, as I have already completed a full year of college credits. I am more excited than anything to start this new chapter.
Do you think the internship helped prepare you for your transition to college? Yes, it helped me develop my skills further and identify the things I needed to work on. The internship gave me real life experience of being in a professional environment outside of high school. I was able to get out of my comfort zone and become better at working with others and effectively managing my time.
