Student: Nimra Javed

During a well-earned winter break, you’ll likely find Nimra Javed at home, curled up in a blanket watching Hallmark movies.

Except she’ll also be doing some programming, reading up on the latest about computer science and planning a project with a Raspberry Pi.

The East Carolina University junior, who is majoring in computer science with a minor in history, said the movies she watches fall in two categories: something she gets to learn from, or one to help turn off her brain, and “the more cringe it is the better. And that’s what the Christmastime Hallmark movies are.

“After the semester I’ve had I will ABSOLUTELY be watching ALLLL the Hallmark movies with some hot chocolate next to the fire, of course,” she said.

She doesn’t really watch movies that often. “I think as I’m getting older, there’s just so much to do that watching a movie for one and a half hours, I just don’t have the patience for; however, once in a while, if it’s with friends and family, then yes.”

Family is one reason she’s at ECU. “I have a family legacy at ECU, and I saw how much the university provided for my other family members and I knew I wanted that for myself,” Javed said.

Nimra Javed, right, participates in a robotics meeting with the Association of Technology, Management and Applied Engineering. (Contributed photo)

Her sister, who is 10 years older and an ECU alumna with a degree in computer science, introduced her to the subject. Javed also took computer science classes in high school, which piqued her interest.

“I remember the first (programming) language I played around with was Visual Basic and I totally fell in love with the idea of problem-solving,” she said.

“I think there is something so intriguing about the amount of damage that as programmers we can cause just with one laptop. I also love the fact that this field knows no bounds. It’s like a black hole and there is just so much to discover.”

At ECU, Javed has been involved in Women in Technology and the Association for Computing Machinery, where she serves as vice chair. She said she has learned from Amelia Hernandez, chair of ACM and a software engineering major, and many others. “The best way to learn is by learning from the people around you, and getting involved in clubs and extracurriculars gave me the opportunity to do that.”

Nimra Javed, second from right, winner of a scholarship endowed by Robert and Betty Hill, on each side of Javed, stand with College of Engineering and Technology Dean Harry Ploehn, left. (Photo by Ken Buday)

Off campus, Javed has been interning with MetLife as a software developer. She started as a summer intern and was asked to stay on for the year.

“This internship has taught me so much about people and working in teams,” she said. “The experience is so different from school and every single day I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to work in a real-life environment and learn from all of my amazing co-workers at such a great company and really be able to look at the bigger picture outside of grades and GPA.”

Earlier this year, Javed was awarded the Robert and Betty Hill Scholarship in the College of Engineering and Technology. “Winning the scholarship was absolutely unexpected. It motivated me so much knowing that there are people that I do not even know that believe in me and are investing themselves into my future,” she said.

She was able to meet the Hills at a luncheon, something she will always remember. “I hope to follow in their footsteps and give back to Pirate Nation just like them when I’m older and established,” Javed said.

Following graduation in 2023, Javed hopes to find a job that she’s passionate about in the technology field.

“I want to use my skills and passion for technology to serve my community around me,” she said. “I believe that you should be a lifelong learner so I will probably go and do my master’s as well and keep learning and researching on my own. I would love to teach after retirement and possibly get involved in research and publish.”

STATISTICS

Name: Nimra Javed

College: College of Engineering and Technology

Major: Computer Science

Age: 21

Classification/Year: Junior

Hometown: Morrisville

Hobbies/interests: History, religion, spending time with my friends and family, traveling, reading

Clubs and Organizations: Association for Computing Machinery, Women in Technology

FAVORITES

Favorite hangout: Traveling with my sisters

Favorite place on campus: The mall

Favorite place to eat: Red Bowl in Raleigh

Favorite class: Discrete I and II

Professor who influenced you the most: Karl Abrahamson

Favorite TV show: “Madmen”                      

Favorite band/musician: COIN

Favorite movie: “The Professor and the Madman”

Favorite website: I find myself looking up new recipes to try on Pinterest way too often.

MOTIVATIONS

Dream job: In the C-suite at a company

Role model: My sisters and my parents

Your words to live by: “If there is no wind, row.”

What advice do you have for other students? My biggest piece of advice that I have for students is to step outside of your comfort zone. If you want to grow you have to get outside of your little bubble and doing that can be so scary and daunting, but there is no growth in comfort. The worst that can happen is that you fail and, in that case, you get back up and try again or move onto something else and that’s totally fine. If I had a penny for every time I was scared or had anxiety about something I would never have to work again, but I know that when you’re scared that is where growth is and that is when it’s most important to push your horizons.

What is something cool about ECU that you wish you knew during your first year? I wish I knew about the labs in Austin. That building has become my second home now and those labs are my favorite place to go study and do assignments.