Jasper is a rising senior in the BSI program. Jasper transferred from Grand Rapids Community College where he originally planned on pursuing Cyber Security at Ferris State University before ultimately choosing Information Analysis at U-M School of Information. While this is his first year as a CCSI staff member, he attended CCSI 2021 as a participant. You can talk to him about being first-generation at UM, low-income at U-M, or the transition from a community college to U-M. In addition, you can speak to him about a few other clubs/organizations that he is in such as optiMize or WolvSec!

Sylvie is a recent AMDP graduate receiving her MSI in Human-Computer Interaction. This is her second year as a CCSI staff member, and she also served as a Peer Coach for SI 300 (Career & Internship Studio). When she’s not in class you can find her spending time outdoors, hiking, biking, or paddle boarding. Feel free to ask her about the internship and job search, working in the public sector, participating in research at UM, studying abroad, and fun spots around campus.

Fardowsa is a rising second-year Master in Heath Informatics student interested in the public health sector of health informatics. She is a first-generation college student who started her higher education career at a local community college. During her first semester at U of M, she joined the East African Student Association, a student organization that meets the academic, social, and cultural needs of East African students at the University of Michigan. During her free time, she enjoys exploring all that Michigan offers.

Sandra Lopez is the DEI Outreach Coordinator at the School of Information at the University of Michigan. In her role, she works to increase awareness of the field of information science in K-12 schools and community colleges. Before joining the University of Michigan, Sandra worked as Director of College Success at IDEA Public Schools in Texas. She provided college counseling services to underrepresented and first-generation college students and their families to ensure that 100% of them had the necessary resources to matriculate into college after graduation. She enjoys taking road trips and watching 4th of July fireworks.

Devon Keen is the Director of Inclusion, Equity, and Outreach at the University of Michigan School of Information. A first-generation and non-traditional college student, she received her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Michigan and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Higher Education at the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Post-Secondary Education (CSHPE). Devon is deeply committed to developing and promoting initiatives centered on increasing educational access and student success. Throughout her 18+ years at the University of Michigan, she has spear-headed collaborations and programs focused on those goals and in 2020, was an honored recipient of the Washtenaw Community College Equity in Action award.

Daniel Romero is an Associate Professor of Information, Complex Systems, and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He received his Ph.D at the Cornell University Center for Applied Mathematics (CAM) in 2012, and he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems (NICO) from 2012-2014. His main research interest is the empirical and theoretical analysis of Social and Information Networks, with a particular interest in understanding the mechanisms involved in network evolution, information diffusion, and interactions among people on the Web and in complex organizations.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

• The Cube "Endover" (see link)

Paramveer is an Assistant Professor at the School of Information at the University of Michigan. His research aims to develop robust and efficient techniques that draw from machine learning, data mining, statistics, and causal inference toolboxes for mining complex online user interaction patterns. Paramveer received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Pennsylvania and teaches course on Data Mining and Machine Learning in different UMSI programs.

Favorite Spots on Campus:

• Frita Batidos

• University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA)

Dr. Bobby Madamanchi is a Lecturer III In the University of Michigan School of Information (UMSI). He teaches courses on Data Visualization, Data Science, Business Analytics, and Intermediate Programming. His academic interests are in computational workforce development and broadening participation in data science.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

• Jamaican Jerk Pit

Aadarsh Padiyath (he/him) is a PhD Student at UMSI. He works in computing education, specializing in critical and ethics integration in introductory CS education.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

• Comet Coffee- They have amazing pour-over coffees with cool flavor notes!

I am passionate about supporting students as they navigate their unique career pathways and postgraduate plans here at UMSI! My role combines career advising, helping students earn credit for information-related internships, and instructing career prep courses. I identify with the first-gen student experience and am always happy to talk about navigating the many resources Michigan provides. I'm also a new mom to my wonderful 9-month-old son. Before working at UMSI, I was a high school teacher in Michigan and North Carolina. I grew up in Southeast Michigan and always love visiting Detroit and anywhere along Lake Michigan.

Favorite Spots on Campus:

• I love the Arb! The Nichols Arboretum is such a beautiful place to take a hike, sit by the river, and take a break.

• Also, there are so many places in Ann Arbor to get bubble tea- it's one of my favorite treats to get when I'm on campus.

LeAnna has worked as the Recruitment and Student Success Manager in University of Michigan’s School of Information since 2021. Here she serves transfer students in several capacities including but not limited to: recruitment, admissions, student success coaching, and programing. LeAnna is also tasked with advocating for transfer students and working to create initiatives that best serve this unique population. Prior to coming to UMSI, LeAnna worked as an academic advisor and retention specialist at Indiana University for a program dedicated to supporting degree attainment for first-generation and underrepresented students. As a first generation college student, LeAnna is passionate about access to higher education.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

• The Nickels Arcade

• The Cube

I lead the strategic direction and operations of the UMSI Career Development Office. I manage an innovative, high-impact career development team who is committed to building an inclusive environment for all students to feel welcome, supported and empowered to reach their dreams.

I am passionate about working with students to help them discover and utilize their strengths to reach their fullest potential. I teach career courses, conduct career education workshops, and provide career counseling to alumni as well as PhD students seeking industry careers. I work closely with many innovative and diverse employers across all industries and around the world who want to recruit our students. A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is a core principle of our team and our work.

Favorite Spot on Campus:

• Diag

• Law library

• North quad courtyard

• Student union

• Big house!