The Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science congratulates its December 2025 graduates, as they embark on the next phase of their lives. Our graduates have left an indelible mark on the college and university as a whole, pursuing challenging leadership opportunities, conducting remarkable research, and engaging in incredible extracurricular experiences. Here is what some of the graduates had to say about their time at Cornell.
Antoinette Torres, Computer Science
What clubs, organizations, or activities were you involved with during your time at Cornell?
During my time at Cornell, I was deeply involved in Cornell AppDev, a project team that builds apps for the campus community while teaching students how to design and develop them. I first became involved in AppDev during my freshman fall semester through the Intro to iOS Development course, where I learned the value of experiential learning by applying concepts directly to real, tangible products.
After the course, I applied to and was accepted onto the iOS subteam, where I worked on Eatery, one of AppDev’s most widely used apps with over 11,000 student users. Over time, AppDev became a space where I could grow both technically and personally, and I was grateful for the opportunity to take on increasing leadership roles, including pod lead, product lead, and now president.
AppDev has been truly transformative for me. It helped me discover what excites me professionally, pushed me to become more resilient and creative, and taught me how to show up as a thoughtful teammate and leader. Even more meaningfully, it gave me a strong sense of belonging. Through AppDev, I found some of my closest friends, including the people I now live with, and these relationships and experiences have shaped my college life in ways I will always be grateful for.
What was your favorite Bowers class?
My favorite class inside of Bowers was INFO 4240: Designing Technologies for Social Impact. As a computer science major, I'm more used to courses focused on theory or learning new programming languages, so this class stood out for its hands-on, design-centered approach. We explored frameworks such as speculative, persuasive, critical, and participatory design, which encouraged me to think more thoughtfully about what technology should do and who it should serve.
What I loved most about the course was how creative and reflective the work felt. I was pushed to ideate unconventional designs while grounding them in real social contexts, which made learning genuinely enjoyable. As someone who aspires to create technology for good, I know this perspective will stay with me and continue to shape how I think about building meaningful products.
Reya Babu, Information Science
What is your main extracurricular and why is it important to you?
I leaned into business right away and joined a lot of clubs, ending up in leadership positions in the International Business Consulting club and in the Cornell Marketing Club. I also model every year for the Cornell Fashion Collective. I’m most happy about my undergraduate research in information science, where I’ve studied algorithmic bias in AI in the health care industry.
What Cornell memory will you treasure the most?
I joined a sorority my sophomore year and those are the people I’m closest to. Having such a good group of friends makes me love school so much. My mom never worries about me. I also worked as a student career advisor last year in A&S Career Development and it was so mind-blowing to hear during networking sessions with alumni what they’ve accomplished, to be able to sit and learn from them.
Eric Marchetti, Computer Science
What clubs, organizations, or activities were you involved with during your time at Cornell?
Being a member of the Cornell Electric Vehicles engineering project team was a great experience. I was on the software team, and we focused on autonomous driving for our vehicle. I really enjoyed working with team members to delve deep into learning about various machine learning concepts and apply them in a real-world setting.
What's next for you?
While I was finishing my bachelor’s degree in computer science, I concurrently began my Masters of Engineering degree (also in computer science). I plan to finish my M.Eng. in May, and I start at Apple as a software engineer in August.
April Collamore, Computer Science
What was your favorite Bowers class?
CS 2110 is, without a doubt, my favorite class at Cornell. I took CS 2110 my freshman spring and have TAed it ever since. Even as an entry-level CS course, it has been the most useful class in my professional career (yes, I’ve drawn object diagrams while coding at Apple). More importantly, my experience as a CS 2110 TA has shaped my time at Cornell in ways I never could have imagined. I’m incredibly grateful for the genuine care, dedication, and support my TAs showed me throughout my time at Cornell. Being a TA for CS 2110 has given me the opportunity to give back to the CIS community by supporting students in the same way my TAs supported me, all while befriending students, professors, and fellow TAs along the way.
Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
Maya Deen, a fellow CIS student and one of my closest friends, is someone I will be forever grateful for. I met Maya on the first day of CS 1110 our freshman year, and we have worked together on every partner-allowed CS project since. From customizing planetoids in CS 1110, to implementing Dijkstra’s algorithm for McDiver in CS 2110, to struggling through algo psets, to reimplementing “Deep Networks with Stochastic Depth” in DL, to most recently submitting our final OS prac assignment together, she transformed CS projects into memories, shaping my academic path at Cornell. I actually entered as a BME major, but the genuine enjoyment I found in working through CS 1110 assignments together led me to switch to CS; to this day, I wonder whether I would have made that transition had we not been assignment partners. I attribute much of my success at Cornell to the opportunity to learn and grow alongside Maya, something I will forever miss post-graduation.
Riley Coogan, Computer Science
What clubs, organizations, or activities were you involved with during your time at Cornell?
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities that Cornell offers to explore many different fields. I was able to work directly with Cornell startup founders through Life Changing Labs at eHub, gain teaching experience through TAing three Bowers courses, engage in research at a Cornell robotics lab, become a project manager servicing data science solutions to real professional clients through Cornell Business Analytics, and rush a fraternity freshman spring, joining a house where I made some of my best memories at Cornell. As someone who came to college without a strict vision laid out for myself, I think that the breadth of these experiences was integral to shaping the initial direction of my postgraduate career today.
What's next for you?
After graduation, I’m going to be returning as a quantitative trader at Susquehanna International Group after a great experience interning there this summer. But before that, I am going to spend a couple months traveling internationally. After Cornell granted me the opportunity to get a taste for traveling in my semester abroad during my junior spring, I have been very excited to see more of the world and experience as many cultures as possible.
Anjali Kesari, Computer Science
What is your all-time favorite Cornell memory?
My all-time favorite Cornell memory is from a spontaneous day during the last spring semester when my friend and I decided to explore all the parts of campus we had never visited before. We started in Collegetown and walked to the Dairy Bar to see the ice cream processing plant. Then, we eventually made it to the Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn to see all of the cows, and this experience made me appreciate the beauty and uniqueness that Cornell has to offer!
What's next for you?
Next year, I’ll be joining PwC as a technology consulting associate, where I’ll work with clients on customer experience and digital transformation initiatives. I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned at Cornell to real-world problems and continuing to build my expertise in AI-driven solutions!
Armita Jamshidi, Computer Science
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
Coming into Cornell, I had little idea of what I wanted to do, and my interests changed drastically along the way. What I’m most proud of is staying true to myself through those changes: letting my curiosity lead me, even when that meant taking a path that didn’t look like everyone else’s. At a big place like Cornell, especially within Bowers, it can feel isolating to do something different. But I learned that I felt far more alone pursuing something that didn’t excite me than I ever did following a path that actually fit who I am.
What advice do you have for current or incoming Cornellians?
Cornell is an incredible place, and naturally it attracts bright and driven people. It’s easy to feel like an imposter and even easier to respond by trying to prove yourself to everyone around you. But the truth is that you don’t have anything to prove. Your education (and life) is yours, and the only path you need to honor is your own.
With that same reminder of our shared humanity comes humility. You worked hard to be here, and so did thousands of other students around the world who didn't have the same opportunities. Getting into Cornell isn't a badge that makes you more important than anyone else; it's an opportunity – a door you and I were fortunate enough to walk through.
Everyone you meet, whether it's the president of the university, facilities staff in your dorm, or the customer service associate at GreenStar, deserves the exact same respect and kindness. No title, no GPA, no resume line makes one person more worthy than another. If anything, being a Cornell student should remind you to stay grounded and grateful.
Allie Gorti, Computer Science
What clubs, organizations, or activities were you involved with during your time at Cornell?
During my time at Cornell, I had the privilege of being part of Cornell Business Analytics, Cornell Alternative Investments, Big Red Raas, and SFL. Through my professional clubs, I learned how to lead teams, balance commitments, and work with real clients, professors, and recruiters. And through my dance team, I traveled across the country competing and performing. These organizations shaped my Cornell experience in completely different ways, but each gave me people and memories I’ll carry with me long after graduation.
Who or what influenced your Cornell education the most?
Studying abroad in Madrid influenced my Cornell education more than anything else. Those five months were some of the best of my life; I met lifelong friends, traveled constantly, and finally had the space to slow down and reflect. Stepping away from Cornell helped me understand just how much I had grown there. Being abroad gave me a renewed appreciation for the rigor of Cornell’s computer science program and the career opportunities that come with it. Experiencing another academic culture made it clear how deeply Cornell Bowers had challenged me, supported me, and opened doors that I hadn’t fully realized until I viewed them from the outside.
Marian Caballo, Information Science and Cognitive Science
Why did you choose Cornell?
I got an email from the Milstein Program during my senior year in high school, signed by the director Austin Bunn, who’s a filmmaker, and I thought, "that’s what I want to do." I want to combine storytelling and technology and I was able to come here and do all of those things and more.
What advice would you give a first-year student about to start their Cornell journey?
Now is your chance to try anything. Just shoot your shot because you never know. And don’t be afraid to explore all of Cornell. My first weeks here, I logged 50,000 steps with my friends because I wanted to see everything.
Mericel Tao, Computer Science
What was your favorite Bowers class?
CS 4670 (Introduction to Computer Vision) had a profound impact on me. I was fascinated by the ways geometry and machine learning are used to help computers interpret images, and the course inspired me to explore my own personal projects. I also took CS 5672 (Frontiers of Computer Vision) this semester to learn even more about cutting-edge CV techniques!
What is your all-time favorite Cornell memory?
While it’s not a specific moment, I’ll always cherish the time I’ve spent living in Collegetown with my roommates. From cooking dinner together to playing games, bingeing our favorite shows, or hosting a Taylor Swift album release party, everyday moments with my friends are what I’ll always treasure.
Sreya Jonnalagadda, Computer Science
What was your favorite Bowers class?
My favorite class inside of Bowers was on the material ethics of computing (Computing on Earth), which I later had the opportunity to TA. The course challenged me to think beyond software and consider how computing intersects with sustainability, equity, and global communities, from resource extraction and energy use to waste and repair.
What was your favorite class outside of Bowers?
ASL! Learning ASL was truly such a fun experience! It pushed me to rethink what communication and accessibility look like. Learning a visual language sharpened my awareness of clarity, intention, and human-centered design, principles that also directly connect to my major in computer science. Overall, the course deepened my appreciation for Deaf culture and inclusive design, and I hope to continue learning!
Michael Glenn, Computer Science
What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?
One of the accomplishments I am most proud of at Cornell is the path I took to get here and what I built along the way. As a first-generation college student transitioning from the Army, I entered Cornell without a clear understanding of what it meant to excel academically, but I was determined to learn. While still in the military, I began teaching myself core computing concepts by working through the information science curriculum on my own, which eventually helped me land my dream internship at Facebook during my freshman year. Beyond academics, serving as an outreach peer counselor for veteran admissions was especially meaningful. I was able to help other veterans navigate the same transition I once faced and watch applicants turn into classmates, friends, and members of our community.
What is your all-time favorite Cornell memory?
One of my favorite Cornell memories comes from my first year, when I lived in an old fraternity house that brought together a diverse group of students, from undergraduates to Ph.D. candidates. Many Friday nights ended with submitting problem sets and then sitting around a campfire in the backyard overlooking the lake, talking, and unwinding together. I remember one evening in particular when it was snowing heavily while the fire kept us warm. The contrast between the cold air and the warmth of the fire felt oddly satisfying. In those moments, sitting by the fire and talking late into the night with friends, I found clarity in thinking about the kind of life I wanted to build and the steps I needed to take to get there. Moments like that made Cornell feel less like a campus and more like a home.
