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I will remember the University of New Haven very fondly with the emotions we commonly associate with wonderful memories.

Hailing from an underdeveloped city of an underdeveloped country, I knew I faced many challenges. Although I had big dreams, I had little confidence they'd turn into reality. As a Pakistani and a first-generation international student, I had limited guidance, but connecting with Professor Baggili made the process easier. After I was accepted to the University of New Haven, I gained a lot more confidence, and I don't hesitate to dream big anymore.

During the pandemic, I was homesick at times, and I felt drained at others, but it was all worth it. How the University managed to conduct weekly labs, assignments, and assessments to ensure that our learning wasn't disrupted during the pandemic is commendable.

Working closely with my professors equipped me with practical knowledge and social skills that proved very beneficial during my recent interview at . I am proud to say that I landed the internship!

‘The University has opened a door to amazing possibilities’

As a member of the University’s Experiential Graduate Assistantship Program (EGAP), I worked on a microservices forensics project from the start of the program. I also helped build a COVID-19 tracker app last summer with Professor Baggili and several of my classmates. The work I did helped me in my Tesla interview. Some of the courses I took at the University, such as web database application development, were very much related to the test I took at Tesla.

The EGAP assistantship greatly helped me financially, and it enabled me to improve my research and writing skills.

Now in Palo Alto, CA, I am working with the Fleetnet team that is responsible for the connection of all Tesla cars – millions of them – with the Tesla servers. The team is also responsible for over-the-air (OTA) updates of car and mobile-car communication.

I was grateful and excited as I signed my offer letter from Tesla. The University has opened a door to amazing possibilities, and I'm not holding back!

Ali Azlan ’21 M.S. is a graduate of the University of New Haven’s master’s degree program in computer science.