2020 Tomayko Scholarship Winners
By Jen Potter
Daniel Biales and Vivek Gupta, both MSE candidates, are the recipients of the 2020 James E. Tomayko Scholarship in Software Engineering. The award was established in 2006 to support students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, strong communication skills, and exceptional personal initiative. To date, a total of 19 students in the Master of Software Engineering Professional Programs have received this scholarship including these two most recent awardees.
Prospective awardees are identified by the Program Director and Program Manager after completing the second semester of study. A committee of faculty members and project mentors evaluate the pool of prospective awardees to select one or more winners.
Travis Breaux, Director of the MSE Programs, notes that, “In addition to their top academic performance, Daniel and Vivek have gone above and beyond in their citizenship in the program, and their ambassadorship to others. Their program participation has transformed important aspects of our program, including how we do orientation for onboarding new students, and how we prepare our students for a challenging job search. Their positive impact will be remembered.”
It is our sincere pleasure to congratulate and thank both Daniel and Vivek for their effort and dedication to the MSE programs!
Daniel Biales | MSE 2020
A native of Acton, Massachusetts, Daniel completed his undergraduate degree in computer information systems at Bentley University. After graduating, he worked as a Senior Software Engineer at Liberty Mutual Insurance in the greater Boston area.
Daniel distinguished himself by serving as team leader for his studio project, helping to plan the industry field trip to San Francisco, and organizing a career prep group that included mock interviews, a program in which alumni help students prepare for the interview process.
Vivek Gupta | MSE 2020
Vivek earned his undergraduate degree in information science and engineering from RV College of Engineering. Prior to entering the MSE program, he worked as a Software Engineer 2 at PayPal in Chennai, India.
Vivek served as a student representative on the MSE Admission Committee for the Scalable Systems program. In addition, he was a member of the team that took home top honors at the Student IT Architecture Competition this past spring.
Neighbors and fellow 2020 James E. Tomayko Scholarship winners Vivek Gupta and Daniel Biales.