Major: Electro-Mechanical Technology
When she was in the 10th grade, Asma Parveen saw the artificial intelligence movie “Enthiran (The Robot)” in her native India and was intrigued by it.
“I was quite fascinated by the fact that machines can be programmed to do sophisticated tasks,” she said. “Ever since then, I wanted to get into the automation field.”
Asma studied mathematics in college but knew it wasn’t the right field for her. Having grown up thinking America was a “dream land,” she pursued a one-semester exchange with an American university and worked hard to be named one of the five finalists. Unfortunately, she was not selected and thought her one opportunity to come to the U.S. had passed.
Community College Initiative Program
Then Asma found out about the U.S. State Department’s Community College Initiative Program. Administered by Northern Virginia Community College, the CCI Program provides underserved and underrepresented students from around the world with full scholarships for one academic year of study at one of nine community colleges across the country.“This time I was not just competing with the students from my college but youngsters from all over India,” she said. “I knew it would not be easy, but I promised myself that I would do my best.”
COD was the place where I was able to associate my interests to the right field of study.
Asma Parveen Majeeth
With hard work and dedication, Asma passed the interviews and exams, securing first place among all of the students in India who competed. She was placed at College of DuPage in the Electro-Mechanical Technology program because of her interest in robots and automation and earned certificates in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) and Mechatronics Technology
“The main goal of COD’s program is to prepare students to face the real-world work environment. The labs are set up with equipment that is being used in the industries,” she said. “COD was the place where I was able to associate my interests to the right field of study. Academic advisers at COD also played an important role in that.”
After enjoying her time in the U.S., Asma returned to India and became a motivational speaker for women to pursue their dreams.
“While this is very uncommon in India, to my surprise even in the U.S. I happened to be the only girl in most of the classes I took,” she said. “I believe women are smart enough to get into the technical field and succeed. I am really happy that I took an interest in this field, and I want other women to experience the same.”
Because of her positive experience at COD, Asma wanted to return to pursue a degree, and her mom helped her realize that dream. In 2019, she earned her Associate in Applied Science in Electro-Mechanical Technology and graduated with high honors. She also was named one of the College’s Outstanding Graduate finalists.
Asma continued her education at Purdue University Northwest, earning a bachelor’s degree in mechatronics engineering technology and a minor in industrial robotics.
“The transfer was not a struggle. I was able to fit right in the classes at the university because COD had prepared me that well,” she said.
A few months before graduation, Asma was offered a job as an associate application controls engineer with Signode, a position referred to her by her COD professor Andreas Vrettos.
She is making the most of her opportunities and believes COD is the best place to start.
“COD laid a strong foundation for everything I am doing right now,” she said. “If Professor Vrettos had not identified my potential and encouraged me to come back and have a career in the engineering field, none of this would have happened. All of my instructors at COD were not just teachers but mentors, who shaped me and set me in the right direction. Years after graduating, COD is still making a huge positive impact in my life and career! I think this is amazing and I am very grateful for it.”
Learn more about the Electro-Mechanical Technology program at College of DuPage