Celebrating IT Student Workers Receiving Their Diploma This Spring

Several student workers and employees who work for UNLV Information Technology (IT) are earning their degree and are well-prepared to take the next step in their career. These graduates have significantly contributed to work done by our IT team and are now bringing the skills they’ve learned in IT to their future profession.

This year’s spring commencement will be held in the Thomas & Mack Center. Graduates earning their master’s and doctoral degrees will have their commencement on May 15 at 4 p.m. Commencement for undergraduates will be held on May 16 at corresponding times. 

Undergraduates earning their bachelor’s degree include: 

• Maurice Aspiras, graphic design and media
• Amy Cortez, secondary education

“Working in IT for three years played a great role in how I communicate and collaborate with others, as I was able to work with different departments and help plan the events that IT does,” Cortez said. “After graduation, I will be starting an art teaching position.”

• Michael Levine, computer science 
• Zyrrel Librodo, computer science 
• Iain Perera, information systems 

“My favorite part of the job is how hands on I am with the classroom gear. I have retrofitted at least one gear in every classroom on campus and at the medical campus as well,” Perera said. “IT played a major role in my future career by helping me grow my professional and technical experience. Without that experience, I would never be able to transition into a professional career.” 

• Samantha Poblette, journalism and media studies
• Ethan Reyes, computer engineering
• Danielle Sayarath, finance
• Thomas Schotik, electrical engineering
• Meganne Renee Stout, general science and criminal justice
• Diego Valdes Victorio, accounting 

“Being able to meet all the different people that come into the office and help them with any issues they may face has been my favorite part of working in IT,” Victorio said. “I believe IT has taught me that I like to help people while keeping everything in an organized fashion. After graduation, I'd like to go after my masters or straight into the job market.”

• Eleanor Yan, information systems

Graduate students earning their master's degree include:

• Abdulrahman Alharbi, computer science

“Working with the IT mobile team was a valuable experience for me, especially as I transition from academics into the industry,” Alharbi said. “I learned a lot about mobile testing workflows, collaboration in a development environment, and working with real-world applications through the Detox testing work. I also really appreciated the flexibility and support from the team while balancing my graduate studies and research work throughout the semester.”

• Ali Alwazani, cybersecurity 
• Rishav Bhattarai, management information systems
• Panashe Yolanda Dhegwa, management information systems

“My favorite part of working in IT has been seeing the direct impact of the work we do. Whether it was helping streamline ticket routing or building dashboards, I enjoyed knowing that these improvements made a tangible difference for both the team and the broader university community,” Dhegwa said. “My experience in IT has shown me how impactful well-managed IT systems can be, which is something I hope to carry forward into my future career.”

• Meeaud Mohammed, cybersecurity 
• Terry Robinson, business administration
• Timothy Zinwota, computer science
• Metehan Zorluoglu, electrical engineering 

“Working with such a supportive and knowledgeable team really helped me grow both technically and professionally,” Zorluoglu said. “My experience here has played a big role in shaping my career path, especially in gaining hands-on experience and building confidence in real-world projects, so after graduation I’m hoping to continue working with IT.”

These graduates have shown hard work and great dedication to enhancing the technology at UNLV. Congratulations to this spring’s graduating class and for more information on the commencement ceremony, please visit the UNLV commencement page.