Hi, I'm Shash!
I'm in my first year of a Master of Interaction Design. I joined the Women in Computing Student Leaders to give advice about Interaction Design and inspire others to explore creativity through technology.
What (or who) sparked your interest in your degree, and how did you know it was the right path for you?
I did Mechatronic Engineering for my undergraduate degree and worked in industry for almost two years. It was… nice… but I felt like I belonged somewhere a little bit more creative (I mean, engineering is a very creative field, but I meant in an artsy, expressive way). I was introduced to UI/UX design at work and found it fascinating. Fast forward to today — here we are! Interaction Design is the perfect marriage between tech, creativity, and psychology — three things I absolutely love — so I get the best of all three worlds!
What makes studying at UQ exciting for someone interested in technology and innovation?
Well, for starters, it’s a very pretty campus! Also, UQ has some incredibly talented lecturers and amazing student societies (over 220, by the way), with very cool opportunities to go on office tours or network with industry leaders. Oh, and check out UQ Ventures — they’re the innovation hub, and they run a program called Startup AdVenture where you can do an internship in a startup destination abroad. I mean… it doesn’t get any better than that!
What’s one thing you’ve discovered about your degree that surprised you or exceeded your expectations?
Of course, I have to say — how cool the degree is! Jokes aside, though, I was truly amazed at how much thought goes into actually designing something; there are so many aspects to it, you’ll be surprised! But I absolutely love it — I’ve met some great people on the same wavelength as me, connected with amazing teaching staff, conducted lots of interviews (you’d be surprised how much time goes into really understanding what the customer wants), and, last but not least, I get to design cool things!
What’s a project or achievement from your studies that you’re most proud of, and why?
As an undergraduate Honours student, I got to work on a research project that involved designing a VR walkthrough of a smart apartment with a sign-language personal assistant (like Alexa) for Deaf people. It was honestly a dream come true! I’m most proud of that project — mainly because it was way out of my comfort zone. Fun fact — I didn’t go into it knowing anything about Unity (the VR design platform), but I knew that would make my application weak, so I spent three days studying Unity and one day designing a game — which was what really got me the project. Shoutout to the lovely Jessica Korte, who supported me in so many ways — forever grateful!
Have you had the chance to work on real-world challenges, like internships, hackathons, or research projects? What’s been the highlight?
Yes, I have — the first one being my Honours research project. The highlight there was getting to work with Deaf people and learning a little bit of sign language! Did you know sign language is regional, meaning the sign language used in NSW is slightly different from QLD?
I also got to work at Boeing as a Graduate Systems Engineer for a bit. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art defence technology. The biggest highlight for me was being able to get on a C-17 — that aircraft is stunning! Shoutout also to my amazing manager Lorena, supervisor Peter, and grad coordinator Claire — you’ll meet some fabulous people who will most definitely take care of you when it’s most needed!
What’s your dream job in the tech world, and how has your degree helped you work towards it?
Honestly, it was to be a UX researcher because I absolutely adore interviewing people, getting to know how their minds work, and researching psychology in general. But as of recently, I learned from our fierce leader, Kellie King, to keep an open mind. So, to answer the question — I thought it was being a UX researcher, but really, who knows?
Are you a member of any student societies or participate in extracurricular activities? Tell us a bit about it.
I am part of ACM-W and UQLIT, both female-focused Computer Science and IT student societies. I’ll admit I’m very new to both, but from what I’ve heard — they’re pretty cool! Ask me next year and I’ll give you all the tea in the world!
What advice would you give a high school student who loves tech but isn’t sure if Computer Science or IT is the right fit?
Try some online courses and watch a few “day in the life” videos of Computer Science or IT students and interns. At the end of the day, the journey will definitely have challenges, but university is where you start building your career — and those videos or stories might change your perspective. You’ll be surprised by how many avenues tech students can take, so you’re bound to find something you love!
