Shushanik Aslanyan, BS in Computer Science ‘21

AIWA-SF Scholarship recipient

Shusanik Aslanyan, from Arevabuyr village, Ararat Province, is a recent AUA graduate of the Computer Science (CS) program. She remembers making the decision to study at AUA ever since the University launched the undergraduate program in CS in 2013. Her decision was also coupled with her growing interest in mathematics and the desire to apply her skills to solve problems. To this day, it is a concept that fascinates her, as she eagerly continues to explore new fields and develop analytical and logistical skills in the workplace. 

Shushanik is currently employed at Fimetech, a software company in Armenia. She started off as a machine learning engineer developing models with computer vision, then switched to her current role as a backend developer. Shushanik now works on Chessify, an application serving as an analytical tool for chess players. “As chess is one of our strongest assets in Armenia, we try to integrate it on a local and international level. My long-term goal is to open an educational center for everyone to have access to computer science education in Armenia,” she says. 

Shushanik accredits AUA with giving her a strong base to develop her skills and states that her undergraduate degree, as well as receiving the AIWA-SF Scholarship at AUA, impacted her career greatly, allowing her the opportunity to work at Fimetech. While she is pleased with her career growth, Shushanik notes that there is some discrimination directed toward women in the IT industry; employers firstly focus on the fact that the applicant is a woman before considering her as a specialist. But she adds that she also sees positive change, as more women continue to pursue the field of IT and prove their right to be there. She, herself, does her part by participating in different initiatives and voicing her opinions. “As an individual, I think everyone who strives to do their best contributes to the economic growth of Armenia,” Shushanik says.