Dr. Sarah Harris is an Associate Professor at UNLV in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department, and she leads the Las Vegas Scholars Program. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. at Stanford University and has worked at Hewlett Packard, Nvidia, and the Technical University of Darmstadt. Before joining the UNLV faculty in 2014, she was a faculty member at Harvey Mudd College for ten years. Her research interests include embedded systems, biomedical engineering, and robotics.
Dr. Christine Clark is a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction, Senior Scholar for Multicultural Education, and Founding Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at UNLV. She coordinates masters and doctoral level specialization programs in multicultural education and co-leads (with Dr. Marrun) the Las Vegas Scholars Program's educational research.
Dr. Norma A. Marrun is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching & Learning, and she co-leads (with Dr. Clark) the Las Vegas Scholars Program's educational research. Her research interests include Latina/o education, diversity and equity in the K-16 educational pipeline, immigration policies, and culturally responsive pedagogy, with an emphasis on college access and completion. Central to her research is privileging students' lived experiences, family, and community knowledge.
Dr. Ed Jorgensen is a Professor in Residence of Computer Science (CS) at UNLV, and he co-leads the Las Vegas Scholars Program. He is also the CS Department's Undergraduate Coordinator. He has taught at UNLV since 2012 and his research interests include cybersecurity, database tracking, and flipped classrooms.
Dr. Yingtao Jiang is the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and the former Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He co-leads the Las Vegas Scholars Program. His research interests include algorithms, VLSI architectures, circuit level techniques, DSP design, and computer architecture.
Ever since Datino Dixon first stepped foot into his grandpa’s computer shop, he’s been fascinated by computers. Datino went to CSN High School (east campus) and is an entering freshman studying computer engineering at UNLV. He loves going to the gym, building computers, and hanging out with friends. He is proud to be a part of this program and hopes to really make a change in the world – like how this program has changed his.
Marco Infantado is a student at UNLV studying computer science. He was the salutatorian in his high school, East Career and Technical Academy. He was part of the Information Technology Program and became an intern technician for the school. It was in his sophomore year of high school, when he took AP computer science and game design, that he realized how much he enjoyed programming.
Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Robert Lonasco had recently discovered his passion for computers upon building his own PC, back in the summer of 2018. Robert graduated from CSNHS (South) in spring 2019 with nearly 40 college credits under his name. He is now majoring in Computer Engineering at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Robert’s favorite pastimes include swimming, video games, watching hockey, and hanging with his friends on discord. In the future after getting his education, Robert seeks to work in an innovative field such as defense, space exploration, video game design, or the electric car industry.
Daniel Montoya is an entering freshman studying computer engineering at the UNLV. In high school, he was a member of the Student Organization of Latinos (SOL), where he participated in events to help the community, such as food drives, toy drives, and other volunteering activities. Having done this for over two years, he was able to proudly wear the SOL stole during graduation. Daniel traveled most of Europe during the summer after graduating from high school, and he is now excited to begin his studies at UNLV to become a computer engineer.
Kevyn Solano graduated from Chaparral High School in 2019. He is majoring in computer engineering at UNLV. He chose this major because he has always loved computers and wants to deepen his understanding of how they work so that he can expand the ways that he can apply them to solve problems. He believes that computing has a sea of possibilities that have not yet been exploited. He is excited about embarking on his university career, and he looks forward to graduating, after which he hopes to work for a large company such as Google or Microsoft.
Kyla Sannadan is an undergraduate currently majoring in Computer Science and Graphic Design at UNLV. She graduated from Nevada State High School, serving in leadership roles for various extra-curricular activities such as being her zoned school's Navy JROTC Academic Team Commander and being part of both the Unarmed Drill Team and Chamber Orchestra. Kyla eventually plans to go further into graphic design after graduating from college, aiming for a career that utilizes knowledge from both majors that she is currently studying in.
Sam Vinh is an ambitious undergraduate studying Computer Science at UNLV. In parallel with his education, he has been in positions as a Mathnasium lead instructor and as a UNLV undergraduate teaching assistant. He conducted research on machine learning at UNLV in the course of a six-week program partnering with the U.S. Department of Defense. Currently, he works as a cybersecurity software engineer developing distributed system applications integrated with IBM Z mainframes. Outside of his work, he loves burying himself into a book both to relax and to further his pursuit of knowledge.
With a lifetime passion for computer programming, Cameron Keokolo Tabion is attending UNLV as a computer science major. At his highschool, Advanced Technologies Academy, Cameron cultivated his skills as a programmer through a variety of classes. Enrolled in both the computer science and web design majors at A-Tech, he built a strong foundation of knowledge within these two fields. Currently, Cameron works as a research assistant in the DataX Lab at UNLV under Dr. Mingon Kang. Cameron plans to continue his education and pursue a career in the field of computer science.
Britney Dang is majoring in computer science. In high school, she was involved in a lot of different electives like orchestra and studio art where she played viola and painted for different art shows. She was also in various clubs such as National Honors Society (NHS), Japanese club, and the Vietnamese youth group, Thieu Nhi Thanh The (TNTT). She is still currently active in TNTT, where she volunteers to help the elderly and the church she goes to. She loves volunteering in various Asian festivals like Aki Matsuri, Haru Matsuri, and Dai Hoi Thanh Mau. She is now an incoming freshman going to UNLV ready to learn all about computer science.
Jaquelin Macias Rodriguez is a first-generation student with a desire to inspire other young Hispanic females to join a field that is quite intimidating. She loves challenges and for that same reason she finds herself joining this tremendous field. Jaquelin is attending UNLV to pursue a degree in computer science. She graduated from East Career and Technical Academy in 2020. During her years at East-CTA she took multiple dual credit, honor, and AP courses to get ahead in her college credits. Jaquelin was very social and involved in multiple clubs such as BSU, STUCO, CHEER, and SOL. She was an amazing leader, as she held the position of Student Body Vice President of Service. As she enters UNLV, she hopes to continue her involvement with the community and achieve the degree she desires.
Michelle McGowan graduated from Clark High School and is majoring in computer science at UNLV. She was a member of Clark’s Student Council where she was Student Body Social Media Webmaster. Michelle loves all things Harry Potter and Marvel. She loves books, bands, and binge watching. Michelle is interested in studying CS because of the many learning experiences and opportunities it brings.
Isabella Paperno strives to be the best she can be and does everything in her power to not only bring success for herself, but her fellow peers as well. Overseeing the progress of others has helped her forge the interest in future technological advances. Isabella can easily turn an optimistic goal into a grand reality through acquired leadership skills that she has honed over the years. Her selfless deeds have given her a humble reputation in Ed W. Clark High School’s Academy of Math, Science, Arts, and Technology, where she can make a seemingly impossible task into a fun-filled activity that grants students the joys of education.
Michael Razon has been interested in programming for many years, and is excited to major in computer science at UNLV. In 2020, he graduated from Desert Oasis where he performed in his school's chamber orchestra, played in the Varsity Quiz team, and participated in several clubs. After taking a computer science course in his senior year, he is eager to learn more about the discipline. He is looking forward to his college experience and cultivating the skills to become a software engineer.
Fabrizio Valdivia graduated from East Career and Technical Academy in 2020 and is majoring in computer science at UNLV. He was a part of the Information Technology program at his high school and got involved in many extracurricular activities. He was in the Drama club and the Dance team where he got to perform in front of his school numerous times in assemblies, events, the one-act plays, and the dinner theater. He is excited to be a part of the Las Vegas Scholars Program and make good use of the amazing opportunities offered to him.
Sydney Villanueva studied Information Technology at West Career and Technical Academy. She has always been interested in computer science, and it was truly heightened when she had to do a programming project in 8th grade. Sydney wants to expand her knowledge in computer science so she can do and create amazing things in the future. Currently, she is a lifeguard and loves teaching kids how to swim and feel comfortable in the water. Her hobbies include painting and piano, as a stress reliever.
William Zielinski is a freshman at UNLV studying computer engineering. He was home-schooled until his senior year when he attended CSN for most of his classes. As a home-schooled student he participated in 4-H activities such as robotics, digital photography, cooking, rabbit showmanship, and woodworking. William has always been very interested in technology and has been taking coding classes since he was 10 years old. He is extremely excited to attend UNLV and obtain the knowledge necessary to succeed in a computer engineering career.
John Jimenez graduated from Eldorado High School in 2020. Now, he is a student at UNLV studying computer engineering. John chose to pursue a computer engineering major because one of his high school teachers introduced him to computers and robots, which he really liked programming, design, and building. John's dream job would be to work in a great company (Tesla, Google, Microsoft, etc) or even starting one.
Angel Vargas will be attending UNLV, where he plans to major in computer science. He wants to pursue a computer science degree because he realized how incredible and fascinating making websites, apps, or even games is, and plans expand his knowledge to cyber security and software engineering. Angel enjoys watching anime, playing games, and working out. He is really excited for this school year and is looking forward to meeting other students as well as professors.
