Students at IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering in Indianapolis are expanding their knowledge and preparing for exciting careers, thanks to scholarships that fund real-world learning.
RJE Knoll Internship Scholarships
Several Luddy Indianapolis students gained valuable internship experience as recipients of RJE Knoll Internship Scholarships during the 2023-24 school year.
These scholarships are open to undergraduate students at the Luddy School who are pursuing an internship that is not otherwise financially supported.
Alyssa Castille
A senior majoring in informatics at the Luddy School, Castille credits her RJE Knoll Scholarship with hc1 for her now being hired for a new job.
“I was just offered a job at a great company, and I know it was because of the experience I have gained from this internship,” she says.
“I will be starting my new job that is in line with the career path I want. I plan to learn all I can and see where it takes me!”
Castille interned at hc1, an Indianapolis software company specializing in management of patient information and electronic health records.
“I found this internship through my full-time position at hc1 in the Client Success Department,” she says.
“My internship is with the Integration Department at hc1. I got the opportunity to work with client data,” Castille says. “I was involved with setting up new client interface connections as well as monitoring errors in the data feed.
“I also used the skills I learned in my courses to gather and interpret client message volume to better align the company’s alerting when a client has an abnormal number of messages being sent.”
Castille ties her internship directly to her recent employment opportunity.
“This internship has given me the experience I need to back up the education I have received.”
Making a difference
Castille says a graduate’s recommendation helped her decide to earn her degree in informatics from Luddy Indianapolis.
“I chose Luddy School because my husband went there and had a great experience and learned a lot,” she says.
“I chose this major because data is so important, and I wanted to have a career where I feel fulfilled and that I am making a difference. Understanding how to work with data to benefit people and businesses is a great way to accomplish that.”
Saloni Dixon
Saloni Dixon is a senior majoring in biomedical informatics. “I chose the Luddy School because of its curriculum, the opportunity to work at the forefront of technology and health care,” she says.
Dixon’s RJE Knoll Scholarship allowed her to work as a student research assistant, focusing on Down syndrome in the lab of Randall Roper, Ph.D., a professor of genetics in the IU Indianapolis School of Science’s Department of Biology.
“I’m engaging in functional enrichment analyses, network analyses, and identifying novel genes and pathways from RNA-seq data,” says Dixon, “which align perfectly with both my academic focus and my professional aspirations.”
Dixon says her personal mission has been shaped by her early diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease. “This challenge ignited my passion for immunoinformatics, the fascinating intersection of computational biology and experimental immunology,” she says.
“A major in biomedical informatics stood out to me as the perfect blend to not only confront my health challenges head-on but to leverage cutting-edge research to make significant strides in understanding and treating autoimmune diseases like mine.”
William Kosso
After he graduates from Luddy Indianapolis, senior William Kosso, who’s majoring in informatics, knows he wants to work in web development. And the RJE Knoll Scholarship recipient credits his recent internship with moving him closer to his goal.
Kosso interned remotely with BestLogic Staffing, headquartered in Connecticut.
“This experience has helped me career-wise by giving me experience leadership skills when it comes to managing a company website and how the process goes,” he says.
“My plan after graduating is to work for a tech company that deals with web development,” Kosso says.
A focus on teamwork
“We work as a team of six where each week we pick a leader and work on designing a job search website,” he says, “using WordPress and a coding language like PHP and JavaScript to help assist with building the site.
“Currently we are working on a resume creation page where users can put in their information and download it as a PDF or Word doc after they are done with it.”
Kosso adds, “This internship has given me experience in learning how to use WordPress to design beautiful and colorful sites for the company.
“In addition, I have also gained experience in taking feedback from supervisors and working with my team to bring out the desired website, which helps improve my web development skills.”
Aqsa Shabbir
Aqsa Shabbir, a senior earning her bachelor of science in informatics at Luddy Indianapolis, knew she wanted to intern with the Environmental Protection Agency. Proactive networking, and her RJE Knoll Scholarship, helped her to achieve her goal.
For her remote internship with the EPA’s Washington, D.C., office as a data intern, Shabbir delved into the intersection of data science and environmental conservation.
“I analyzed large datasets, identified environmental trends, and contributed to safeguarding the planet” through her work at EPA, Shabbir says. Currently she’s collaborating with Stanford University, providing data for their research.
An interdisciplinary field
Shabbir says her decision to join the Luddy School was fueled by its quality programs and comprehensive curriculum, recommended by alumni as a great fit.
“The interdisciplinary nature of informatics particularly appealed to me,” she says, aligning perfectly with her career aspirations.
Opting for the online program provided her with the flexibility needed to balance academics with other commitments. “Transferring from IU-Bloomington, the Luddy Indianapolis program was a natural fit,” Shabbir noted, leveraging her previous coursework for a cohesive educational journey.
Shabbir calls her internship transformative. “It allowed me to make a meaningful impact while gaining practical skills and networking opportunities,” she says.
Looking ahead, Shabbir says, “I plan to pursue a career that combines my interests in sustainability and technology, aiming to work for a nonprofit promoting environmental stewardship.”
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
317-278-9208