Degree: M.S. Electrical Engineering Career: Head Scientist, Amazon Alexa (Artificial Intelligence) At Illinois Tech you’re inspired to dream as much as you are empowered to do. Graduate alumnus Rohit Prasad (M.S. EE ’99), vice president and head scientist of Amazon Alexa AI, says Illinois Tech’s excellent faculty mentorship fostered his growth and helped him follow his passions. “I was fortunate to have a great graduate school adviser who trained me up for industry and what was going to be my passion,” Prasad says. “I thank him for all the rigor that he instilled in me in terms of scientific advances—how it’s not just about having the best algorithm you can think of, but how to prove it with sound methodology, and whether it works in a real-world setting. That preparation, of not just being an academic, but actually making your inventions matter in the real world, I learned from my adviser.” This personalized attention, coupled with Illinois Tech’s state-of-the-art facilities and close relationships with industry partners, allowed Prasad to thrive. Now he is living his passions by inventing the future of AI. “It’s critical as a budding student, whether you’re an undergraduate student or a graduate student, to have a passion,” Prasad says. “If you follow your passion you’re ultimately going to make the right decisions that fulfill your dreams.”

Degree: Architectural Engineering Career: Project Manager, University of Chicago Krystal McDoom currently manages a $35 million portfolio across six projects at the University of Chicago in her role as project manager. Each construction project holds a unique set of demands, and McDoom’s role is to make sure everything gets done on time and on budget. McDoom serves as a translator of sorts, helping engineers and architects understand the needs of the university’s stakeholders and helping the stakeholders understand the possibilities and constraints based on the City of Chicago’s building code requirements, feasibility, budget, and schedule.

Degree: BA/M.S. in Finance Career: Data Analyst, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. As an Illinois Tech student, Oscar Cazalez had the opportunity to get involved in many student programs, including Latinos Involved in Further Education, Undocumented Students and Allies, men’s varsity soccer, and Stuart Investments. He interned as a credit analyst for Chicago Fundamental Investment Partners and went on to earn his master’s degree from the internationally ranked finance program at Stuart School of Business as part of Illinois Tech’s accelerated master’s degree program. “Deciding to pursue a master’s degree in finance was probably the best decision I could have made, not only because of the rigors of the courses, but also because I have met so many people along the way,” Cazalez says. “Having two degrees under my belt opens more doors, some doors that I didn’t even know existed.” Cazalez faced challenges along the way, none bigger than simply getting accepted into a university—not because he didn’t meet the academic requirements, but because of his immigration status. “The realization of the impacts that my immigration status would have on my life could have stopped me from pursuing my goals,” he says. “Instead it solidified my determination to succeed and support others in my community.” Carsel joined the United States Navy to pay for college and served from 2005 to 2010, traveling to the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific. He also took advantage of an opportunity for sailors to perform U.S. Army roles in Iraq and spent a year there. After returning from abroad, he enrolled at Harold Washington College in Chicago before transferring to Illinois Institute of Technology. Part of what sold him on Illinois Tech were the veterans’ benefits offered, in addition to numerous opportunities to do research as a student. Carsel graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Social and Personality Psychology at University of Illinois Chicago in 2020. He then spent a year working in people analytics and data science at TopBloc, a technology consulting firm helping companies implement and utilize financial and human capital management software. In September 2021 Carsel joined Meta, and around the same time, relocated with his wife from Chicago to Los Angeles to be near her family. Now a member of Meta’s People Analytics department, Carsel conducts research supporting employee career growth at Meta. His research touches on a range of topics, from the types of managerial behaviors that best support employees’ career attitudes and retention to employees’ internal mobility within the company. Across his research, he applies a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Degree: BS Psychology Career: People Research Scientist, Meta A military veteran and native of the Midwest, Tim Carsel is now utilizing people analytics to improve the employee experience at Meta. For Tim Carsel, who grew up in the Bloomington, Illinois, and Normal, Illinois, area—the twin cities are often referred to as Bloomington-Normal—in a blue-collar family, the possibility of working for a major company like Meta wasn’t anywhere on his radar. Yet that’s exactly what happened. Today, Carsel works as a people research scientist for the tech giant and lives in Los Angeles.