Aggie Engineer Participates in Google Tech Exchange Program

Aggie Engineer Participates in Google Tech Exchange Program

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 21, 2020) – Oluchi Chukwunyere, a junior majoring in computer science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, is the first Aggie selected to participate in Google’s most recent effort to increase diversity in the classroom and the workplace.

“I’m thrilled about this new opportunity to grow and I know the rigor of the exchange program will take me to new heights as a software engineer,” said Chukwunyere.

The domestic exchange pilot program with Howard University began in 2017, and has since strategically expanded its partnership to 11 historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions in 2018.

Tech Exchange invites college juniors to spend the spring semester at Google’s Sunnyvale campus in California to take applied computer science courses. Students can choose from up to five courses, each worth three credit hours, and are paired with a Google mentor.

“I’m looking forward to taking courses like applied data structures and algorithms, machine learning and product management from leading Google engineers,” said Chukwunyere. “I hope to pass the knowledge I’ll obtain through this program to my peers and other Aggies, and encourage them to apply.”

Rising juniors must have a 3.0 cumulative GPA, a 3.2 GPA in a computer science or computing-related major and must have basic programming concepts and introductory data structures mastered in order to apply.

During Phase I, universities review resumes, personal statements and transcripts before inviting students to an in-person interview and coding assessment. After universities select students to advance to Phase II, Google requests finalists submit the solution to a coding problem and participate in phone interviews.

Upon acceptance, students will pay tuition to their respective institutions and Google will provide funding for each student to cover costs for housing, etc.