Evelyn (Eve) Mwangi graduated from the School of Information with a Master of Information Management and Systems in 2019. At Berkeley, she was active with the Black Graduate Engineering and Science Students group. Prior to the I School, Eve worked as a software engineer for four years and received her BSc in Computer Science from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. She currently works at Microsoft as a program manager.
Why did you choose the I School?
I chose the I School because it came highly recommended by a former I Schooler who I knew and had worked closely with. Having worked as a software engineer for four years, I was keen on diversifying my skill set. The interdisciplinary nature of the I School was a huge reason why I chose the program.
What was your focus at the I School?
I remember walking into Rebecca Andersen’s office, our wonderful career advisor, in my first month at the I School and showing her the visual above. Coming from a software engineering background, I wanted to learn everything from UI/UX design, data science, product management. I remember she smiled and said, “It’s a stretch but it’s possible. Some people have done it.”
I ended up taking some classes in all three fields but I focused on Product Management. My internship as a PM gave me a little more clarity into what I needed to do.
What was the I School’s advantage?
My cohort had 49 students which allowed us to create a tight-knit community. I enjoyed the events we created around career development, such as resume review day and recruiting mixers, as well as social events, like Thursday tea time and end-of-semester parties.
We had a diverse set of students in my cohort in terms of career backgrounds and cultures which made learning rich and interesting. We also had easy access to our reputable faculty members.
What was your favorite class?
Applied Behavioral Economics with Steve Weber was one of my best classes. I made sure to store all the class readings so I still have access to them today.
What is an information challenge that intrigues you?
The one topic that really intrigued me was Anonymity, Pseudonymity, Reputation and Community in social networks online and how they impact behavior online.
What are your future plans or what are you doing right now?
Right now I work as a program manager at Microsoft. My current job involves charting the way forward for developers who want to build natively for Windows operating system, the largest codebase in the world and the platform that powers the world. I get to do research, code, present our work, and talk to customers.
