Author: Coop Marketingintern

In May 2024, Ananda Smith graduated from Wichita State with a bachelor’s degree that included a strong emphasis on studying and practicing public policy. She is now pursuing her master’s degree in communication at the Elliott School of Communication. Throughout her academic journey, Smith has gained extensive experience in multimedia journalism and has recently added a copywriter role to her growing resume. In this position, she connects with Shockers and the greater Wichita community through her media work. 

In her first year as a graduate student, Smith worked as a reporter for The Sunflower, as a broadcast assistant for CBS Sports and as a multimedia journalist summer intern for KSNW-TV. 

In August 2025, she began her final graduate year and her new role. 

Andrew Gibson is a College of Engineering senior and will receive his bachelor’s degree in computer science in May 2026. In his applied learning experience, Gibson is a research assistant at Envision Research Institute. Envision is a Wichita nonprofit that provides services for people who are blind or visually impaired, including employment opportunities, clinical rehabilitation services, childcare and an art program.

As a research institute, Envision employs a research team that works together to aid the blind and visually impaired community. Gibson uses his computer science knowledge as a research assistant to advance Envision’s mission.

In August 2025, Santiago Carbajal began his sophomore year as a software engineering student contractor at NetApp through Ennovar. Working with NetApp’s Performance and Benchmarking Team, Carbajal actively shapes his future through hands-on experience in this applied learning experience. Carbajal advances in his own future and in future technology by coding, testing and learning new technologies like machine learning and AI development at NetApp.

As a computer engineering freshman, Carbajal first explored career possibilities in aerospace engineering.

At the National Institute for Aviation Research, from December 2024 to August 2025, Carbajal worked as a quality assurance and engineering student assistant at NIAR’s Research Advanced Machining and Prototyping Laboratory. At NIAR, he perfected his eye for detail.

In May 2025, Michael Rivas graduated from Wichita State with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Before graduating, he shared his educational journey and its challenges with Wichita Public Schools (USD 259) high school students.

Working with Wichita State Undergraduate Admissions’ lead admissions representative, Baylee Almos, Rivas became a college access coach his senior year. He became integral in enhancing college accessibility and providing post-secondary planning to high school upperclassmen. Rivas connected with students about his honest experience as a first-generation, transfer and nontraditional student.

Nidhi Shenoy is a graduate student pursuing her master’s degree in quantitative analysis and economics at Wichita State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and economics from Mount Carmel College in May 2024. Since then, Shenoy has embraced every opportunity to bridge data analysis with storytelling.  

In the summer of 2025, Shenoy became an essential part of internal communication at The Smart Factory by Deloitte. As an internal marketing intern, she played a key role in streamlining communication for thousands of employees. Drawing on her background in journalism and economics, Shenoy analyzed data and produced content for the experience team. 

In May 2025, Rory Mata graduated from Wichita State with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and another in chemistry. She also earned a Spanish for the Professions undergraduate certificate. Mata fully explored professional pathways in both fields during her internships. She explored a career as a chemistry researcher at NASA in Kansas and as a Spanish translator at the Exploration Place, through an internship funded by Wichita State’s Applied Learning Fund. 

After earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education, PreK–12, in fall 2023, Trajata Colbert returned to Wichita State in spring 2025 to complete her student teaching and earn her teaching license. During this final step in her preparation, she gained hands-on experience through an applied learning placement that took her to multiple schools. These rotations provided a variety of professional experiences and meaningful connections with students — solidifying her path as a fully licensed teacher after spring 2025.

Are you looking for ways to help your students explore career options and make informed decisions about their future? Attend the upcoming PathwayU: Overview & Advisor Access training:

• 1:30-2:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10 virtually via Microsoft Teams. Register on myTraining via your myWSU.

PathwayU is the comprehensive career assessment tool, utilized by the Shocker Career Accelerator. It is designed to guide students to their purpose, supporting their success and persistence. In this training session, you will learn how to:

• Navigate the platform’s features, including assessments, career matches, WSU major alignment and military crosswalk
• Gain valuable insights into student interests and career aspirations
• Integrate PathwayU into your teaching or advising practices to empower students

Prior to the session, create an account at wichita.pathwayu.com and take the four career assessments.

Amrutha Dasyam is a Wichita State Ph.D. candidate majoring in aerospace engineering. Her research focuses on spacecraft trajectory design and planning using artificial intelligence at Wichita State’s Astronautics Laboratory. In 2021, she earned her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State and stayed to pursue her doctorate through the postbaccalaureate plan of study. Now as a doctoral student, she focuses on her research in her graduate research assistant role.  

Already familiar with the Aerospace Engineering department, working at the Astronautics Lab was a welcoming environment. There, Dasyam’s research centers on aero-assist maneuvers such as aerobraking and aerocapture — techniques that help spacecraft enter the final science orbit more efficiently. She uses machine learning to estimate atmospheric density and to develop adaptive guidance and control systems that respond to changing flight conditions. To support trajectory planning, Dasyam designs algorithms, runs simulations and analyzes data to evaluate performance and accuracy. 

Zayden Tomson, a graphic design senior, currently interns with the Shocker Career Accelerator, where he creates promotional materials for student career resources and events. His professional design journey with the Shocker Career Accelerator began in summer 2025, and since then, he’s been refining his skills while making a visible impact across campus.

Before joining Shocker Career Accelerator, Zayden interned with No Choice But Action, a local business that celebrates Kansas’ 90s punk rock scene. There, he began developing a strategic design mindset — creating posters and merchandise that authentically reflected the era’s aesthetic.

“This internship helped me to put myself in a more consumer-oriented mindset,” Zayden said. “My designs had been for practice up until that point, so having an audience that would be promoted towards was a great change of pace and a useful learning curve.”