A CEO with a computer science background visited AACC on Thursday to discuss career aspirations and navigating the world of STEM.

Shana Cosgrove, the CEO of Nyla Technology Solutions, leads a company that builds software engineering and offers data science services for the US government. 

Cosgrove told AACC students the importance of pursuing what you’re passionate about.

“I want you to be the person who sticks out your hand and asks the question first, I want you to be the person that says ‘Hello,’” Cosgrove said. “I want you to be the person that says, ‘Hey, I was thinking about maybe we try this’ or, like, ‘Have we thought about it this way?’ There’s a lot of people who are scared to speak up and they don’t bring themselves and they don’t bring their value.”

Cosgrove graduated from the University of Virginia in 1998 with a computer science degree. After working multiple jobs and eventually getting her master’s degree, she decided to leave her job and start her own company.

Larissa Dzudie, who plans to become a nursing student next semester, said the event had important messages, like self-trust.

“If you really think you want to do something, trust yourself and never listen to people who say you don’t belong,” Dzudie said.