One of the most successful and famous business leaders in the world is helping local college students achieve their dreams in a field that will change the world.
It's happening on the campus of UW-Milwaukee.
It wasn't an algorithm or AI program that determined a college major for Amya Camberos. It was a fascination with computers.
"At first, I thought about doing visual art as my major, but I looked at movies that also like to portray coding, and computer science so, that inspired me to do that."
That inspiration has the first-year student out to change the world in a field where women, especially women of color, are making gains but are still under-represented.
"I'm not really sure what type of jobs but hopefully in (the) future, I hope that I can inspire more people of color in order to have a diversity and more perspective,” Amya said.
Amya is among the first UW-Milwaukee students to benefit from a $2 million scholarship fund set up by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and his wife Anu.
The Indian American's education journey brought him to the Milwaukee campus where he earned a master's in computer science in 1990.
The Diversity in Tech Education Fund at UWM specifically helps students from marginalized communities learn the skills necessary to chase high-tech careers.
"It's really an honor. I didn't like really know him at first until once I got accepted, I started to research who he was, said Amya. I was like he's CEO of Microsoft that's pretty cool."
Pretty cool but getting through some of the tough classes is pretty challenging.
"I'm also taking calculus like basic calculus," said Amya. “At first, I thought it was going to be really, really hard, but it's all about studying."
And a determination to succeed.
"Working hard in terms of what you want to do, I think is very possible, no matter the color of your skin, the gender you identify with. You can do it no matter what," said Amya.
Working hard and maybe someday paying it forward for future college students.
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