Computer Science Major Grateful for BVU Alumni, Opportunities
Internships with the Department of Defense and Global Atlantic Financial Group key experiential-learning opportunities for Vanessa Hamlett, who starts her career with RFA Engineering in Dubuque.
As Vanessa Hamlett ’23 begins her career as an Embedded Systems Display Engineer at RFA Engineering in Dubuque, she’s looking back with pride on the experiences she had as a Buena Vista University student-athlete.
In addition to being a three-year starter in basketball, Hamlett served as a tutor in the Center for Academic Excellence, a member of the Orientation Team, BVU’s Robotics Club, and the Association of Computing Machinery.
She also served as an intern with the U.S. Department of Defense in Maryland in 2021, then did an internship with Global Atlantic Financial Group in Des Moines in 2022. In each case, a BVU alum helped Hamlett secure the internship experience; Christie (Shuster) Hochstein ’02 helped connect her to the Department of Defense opportunity, while Tony Royster ’00 supervised Hamlett as she worked for Global Atlantic Financial Group.
“I was part of a team doing work for the Department of Defense but was on my own for some of my responsibilities,” Hamlett says. “I made friends from all over the U.S. and had the chance to see different sites all over the nation’s capital and the East Coast.”
“My work at Global Atlantic Financial Group was incredibly rewarding and being in Des Moines allowed me the chance to stay close to friends in my last summer as a college undergraduate,” she says.
During her time as a BVU student, Hamlett earned the Clifford A. Rae Academic Achievement Award three years. That scholarship, and a host of grants and scholarships funded in part by BVU friends and alumni, allowed her to graduate from BVU without debt.
“I had great financial aid and incredible experiences all throughout my BVU experience,” she says. “Coming to Buena Vista was the best decision I made because of all the opportunities here.”
Interestingly, Hamlett was intent on majoring in secondary education. She changed her mind after taking a general education class taught by Dr. Jason Shepherd ’99, Professor of Computer Science.
“Dr. Karin Strohmyer (Associate Professor of Education, Special Education), set an appointment for me to speak with Dr. Shepherd during my freshman year,” Hamlett says. “He’d seen my work and noticed my participation in class. He also had a sense for how my mind methodically worked through problem-solving. He and Dr. Strohmyer thought I might enjoy computer science.”
Hamlett, a native of Aurora, would go on to serve as an Academic Assistant for Dr. Nathan Backman, Associate Professor of Computer Science, and a Peer Leader for Shepherd, the faculty member who connected her with the BVU alumni who helped make her internship opportunities come to fruition.
“I can’t say enough about Drs. (Shawn) Stone (Professor of Physics and Computer Science), Backman, and Shepherd,” Hamlett says. “Computer science, as a major, wasn’t on my radar when I arrived as a freshman. Now, I’m doing software development for an engineering firm in Iowa.”
She’s also continuing her education in the field, having been accepted for admission into the graduate program in analytics at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“That’s the master’s program I really wanted,” she says. “I’ll be able to work fulltime while attending classes online and a couple of nights per week.”