“At NOVA, I’ve found a community where I feel I belong, one that has supported my academic and personal growth and helped me step into opportunities I never imagined.”

The student spotlight this month shines on NOVA Computer Science major Lina Chimasuque, who has gone above and beyond at NOVA, not just in academics - where she is also pursuing an engineering associate’s degree - but also through her involvement and success in programs such as the Product Design Incubator, NOVA CORE, and Women in Tech, which she founded during her first semester at the college. We caught up with her in an insightful Q & A session:

How did you end up at NOVA, and why did you choose it?

After high school, I knew I wanted to continue my education, but life did not unfold the way I imagined. As a first-generation student, I did not have the financial resources to enter college right away, so I went into the workforce. I started as a cashier at a smoothie shop and eventually became the general manager.

Those years taught me responsibility, empathy, and how to lead with kindness. I cared deeply for my team, and helping others grow shaped the person I was becoming. But even with all that growth, a part of me missed learning and imagining a future bigger than the one in front of me.

Coming to NOVA felt like giving myself a fresh start, a real chance to return to the dream I had held quietly for a long time.

What programs at NOVA have you participated in, and how have they shaped your path?

During my first semester, I created the Women in Tech Club. It was small, just a few friends sharing similar interests, but it reminded me how quickly community can form when people support each other.

Soon after, I joined the Product Design Incubator, and that became one of the most transformative moments of my journey. Through the incubator, my team and I developed Sifted, a nutrition-focused AI search tool that uses Retrieval Augmented Generation and vector embeddings to make scientific information easier to understand. Instead of digging through pages of research, users can ask simple questions and receive clear explanations backed by real sources.

Seeing classmates, parents, and even younger students use Sifted showed me how powerful it is when technology makes knowledge feel reachable. It reminded me that accessibility is not just about convenience, it is about giving people the confidence to learn and understand their world.

Sifted led me to the National Science Foundation ATE Principal Investigators Conference in Washington, D.C., where I saw how student ideas can make a real impact. Later, I presented at the Virginia Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges, sharing how concepts like vectors, cosine similarity, and embeddings shaped Sifted’s design.

I also joined NOVA CORE, which became another meaningful part of my story. Beyond the scholarship support, NOVA CORE gave me opportunities to meet researchers, connect with other STEM students, and learn from people doing the kind of work I hope to do one day. Those experiences made science feel alive and reachable.

A career fair eventually opened the door to an internship at Micron, a semiconductor memory company in Manassas, where I joined the diffusion team. I arrived with no semiconductor background, but adaptability became my strength. I asked questions constantly, learned from the engineers and technicians around me, and did my own research every night to keep up. Being inside the fab, watching wafers move through each step, made engineering feel real in a completely new way.

Right now, I am part of the SkillsUSA Engineering Technology Design team, working with my group to create a solution to improve our campus. And honestly, what stays with me is not the list of experiences but the mentors, teammates, and those quiet moments where I realized I was growing.

NOVA did not only bring me back to school, it helped shape the person, engineer, and leader I am becoming.

How has the Computer Science Program at NOVA prepared you to move forward in your educational and career pathway?

It’s been a really good program. The curriculum is solid, and the professors do a great job. I feel prepared to transfer next year, especially since I’ve spent extra time reviewing and practicing on my own. The classes push you to think critically and apply what you learn to real situations, which is something I’ve really enjoyed.

Which professors or staff at NOVA have inspired you?

My Calculus III professor, Zeinab Bandpey, has had one of the biggest impacts on me. She teaches math with patience, joy, and a level of rigor that makes everything feel possible. She encouraged me to pursue research and helped me see math not as something intimidating but as a language for understanding the world. Her calm, thoughtful approach is how I hope to face future challenges with confidence and clarity.

What advice do you have for NOVA students?

You do not need to have everything figured out on day one. I definitely did not. What changed my path was trying things, joining programs, building projects, and saying yes even when I felt unsure. Every experience taught me something about where I wanted to go.

Your path will feel blurry sometimes, and discouragement is normal. What matters is staying curious and surrounding yourself with people who believe in you. Clarity comes from doing, not waiting.

What are your immediate plans after NOVA?

I plan to transfer to a four-year university, pursue graduate school, and continue gaining experience through internships and hands-on projects.

What career path do you want to follow, and what is your dream job?

My dream job is where service and innovation meet, where the things I build genuinely help people. I am especially drawn to machine learning, deep learning, and robotics because they blend creativity, logic, and real-world impact, and because I truly enjoy working on projects in those areas.

Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?

I see myself with a graduate degree, industry experience, and hopefully building my own company. I want to keep learning, keep growing, and keep expanding the circle of people I can help.

What are your interests outside of academics?

I love spending time with my family, staying active through walking, lifting, or calisthenics, playing with my cat, and reading about random topics that spark my curiosity.

Anything we missed? Any activities, awards, or achievements we should know about?

Throughout my life, I have faced many challenges that tested me and taught me resilience, but the most important lesson I have learned is that you do not have to face everything alone. Asking for help, reaching out to mentors, and leaning on friends takes courage, but it builds strength too.

That is why NOVA means so much to me. Here, I found a community where I feel I belong, one that has supported my academic and personal growth and helped me step into opportunities I never imagined.