By Special Release from Morgan State University
A cohort of six Morgan State University(Morgan) students have matriculated through Google’s esteemed Tech Exchange program. The students, four juniors and two seniors—all majoring in Computer Science, spent a semester learning from Googlers and Morgan faculty and were honored during a culminating ceremony held recently at Google’s South Lake Union office in Seattle, Wash.
Google Tech Exchange serves as a pipeline program that helps prepare Black, Latino, and Native students for technical internships at Google and beyond. The 2023 cohort is made up of 180 students from select Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) in North America. Students learn applied computer science and problem-solving skills and are paired with a mentor to help with professional development and to build social capital and community. Morgan students have participated in Tech Exchange since the 2018/19 academic year; to-date, 24 students have completed the program.
The six Morgan students that participated in the program this year were Toluwanimi Ayodele (senior), Moja Williams (senior), Shane Miller (junior), Ogundiran Aramide (junior), Lerone Joyner (junior), and Daniel Oluwarotimi (junior).
“We’re thrilled to see the continued growth of Tech Exchange over the last six years. This year’s cohort is the largest and most diverse to date, with 180 students from eleven HBCUs and five HSIs represented. We aim to ensure the students feel seen, supported, and engaged by the Google community. At the end of the program, students tell us they feel more confident in their abilities as programmers and that they have developed a deeper sense of belonging in the industry.” said Ernest Holmes, Tech Exchange Technical Program Manager.
The Google Tech Exchange is a semester-long virtual academic program that teaches applied computer science and problem-solving skills, while building social capital and community among students hailing from select HBCUs and HSIs. The program’s courses are constructed to help participating students prepare for interviewing at Google, help build their knowledge, and give them access to different pathways to the tech industry. It is also designed to introduce the students to the many roles and career options that they may not be aware of or have access to such as Product Managers, UX Researchers, and Machine Learning Scientists.
“With the advent of OpenAI/ChatGPT and the advancements in data analytics, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and quantum computing, an even greater opportunity for underrepresented groups to contribute to the tech industry has been realized. At the same time, we’re transforming how we prepare our students, particularly those studying computer science, to adapt to an evolving industry,” said Paul Wang, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. “Each year, each new cohort of Google Tech Exchange students expand their knowledge by way of a cutting-edge curriculum and then applies that knowledge directly while participating in meaningful summer internships, before ultimately completing their matriculation and landing high-paying careers with some of the world’s foremost tech companies.
Since 2013, Morgan’s Computer Science program has skyrocketed in popularity and has seen its enrollment increase by more than 192 percent.
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