Interview w/ Kavita Krishnaswamy, @UMBC Computer Scientist, Ambassador for Disability & STEM

Watch Kavita Krishnaswamy: Peer Mentor for graduate studentsm computer scientist, inspiration!

It is my pleasure to be one of the many mentors for Kavita Krishnaswamy, a graduate student in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at UMBC. Kavita’s doctoral advisor is Dr. Tim Oates. (Other stories about Kavita can be found on the CSEE website, here: http://www.csee.umbc.edu/?s=kavita). Kavita has participated in many programs that have been sponsored by the National Science Foundation, including NSF GRFP, ACCESS STEM, LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate, CMU/Pitt Quality of Life Technology Center – Engineering Research Center, and the PROMISE AGEP.

I’ve been working with Kavita for several years, through classes, her proposal, her internship, etc. Kavita is a joy. In a post a few years ago, I wrote, about how Kavita doesn’t let Spinal Muscular Atrophy stop her. She says, “I can, I will.” https://renettatull.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/grad-student-with-spinal-muscular-atrophy-excels-kavitas-story/. In Kavita’s world, she doesn’t accept, “I can’t.” Kavita talks about Spinal Muscular Atrophy, and…