Grad profile: Tech dreams take flight

This article is part of a series focusing on the grads of the 鲍鱼tv Class of 2025. Spring Convocation takes place May 30 and from June 9-19 in Halifax and Truro. Read all our profiles聽here in one place聽as they are published.

Shreya Sharma's childhood dream of being a pilot morphed into even loftier aspirations of going to space when she met Chris Hadfield, the famed Canadian astronaut. She enrolled in some coding classes in high school after finding out computer science could serve as a gateway in her journey to space.聽

But then she learned about space toilets and all that changed.

鈥淚 saw what the toilets on spacecraft look like and I was like, 鈥楴o, I don鈥檛 want any of that,鈥欌�� she says, laughing. (Hint: They're loud, awkward to use, and offer almost no privacy). 鈥淧lus, I get motion sickness, so I decided to just focus on computer science.鈥�

Sharma says although she fell into computer science a bit by accident, she has discovered a passion for the discipline. She's hoping her experience will help motivate other young women to seek out an education in tech since it can take them in myriad directions.

鈥淎s a field, it鈥檚 actually very vast and encompasses so many things,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ecause I have the certificate in cybersecurity, I鈥檓 going to give that a try first, but I plan to just explore and see what I like. This is just the start.鈥�

Making a mark

Up until Grade 12, Sharma says she wasn鈥檛 really involved in student societies or clubs. But when she came to Dal, she felt compelled to at least try.聽

鈥淭hese four years won鈥檛 ever come back, so I wanted to push myself. What if I never get a chance to explore and fail again?鈥� she says. 鈥淭his is the time to experiment and learn.鈥澛�

These four years won鈥檛 ever come back, so I wanted to push myself

She joined the Women in Technology Society (WiTS) in her first year and says the support she found there was invaluable. 鈥淛oining WiTS was a way to join a community and create a small space to encourage each other. Because we do have our own accomplishments and our own passion. We want to show each other that we do belong here.鈥澛犅�

Sharma took that sense of belonging a step further, and this year, helped organize and pull off the faculty鈥檚 first-ever Women鈥檚 Excellence Gala.聽

鈥淚鈥檓 happy to leave that behind as a tradition,鈥� she says.

Finding comfort outside of your comfort zone

Sharma grew professionally and personally at Dal, gaining confidence and leadership skills through programs like the high-performance leadership tier in Dal鈥檚 Student Leadership Academy.聽

She says the Shreya who entered Dal four years ago and the one graduating this week are two totally different people. She remembers attending her first networking event and being stressed about how she would introduce herself and what she would say.聽

Now, her confidence radiates 鈥� not in a boastful way, but in a way that鈥檚 earned.聽

鈥淵ou might not have known who I was in my first year, but now...you鈥檙e reaching out and asking to profile me,鈥� she says with a grin. 鈥淵ou know about me.鈥�

Sharma is quick to point out that the growth is at least in part due to the environment at FCS. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just me coming out of my comfort zone,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he profs, the staff, my friends, they supported me and made an environment that I felt comfortable in, so I鈥檓 grateful for that.鈥澛�

The start of a dream

Just before Spring Convocation, Sharma started working at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) as a developer. She鈥檚 most excited about the feeling of uncertainty that has accompanied the opportunity.聽

鈥淎nything could happen,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 could become an astronaut! I don鈥檛 even know what kind of opportunities I鈥檓 going to encounter or what kind of new people I鈥檓 going to get connected with.鈥�

This much she knows, though: 鈥淚 want to be a leader in the tech field. And this is the start of that dream.鈥�