In 2019, Christopher Do saw his career trajectory change when he switched his major to computer science and joined a program that connects STEM students with industry mentors.
Less than two years later, Do reconnected with Cal State San Marcos as a working alumnus, inspired by his experience to give back and help current students find their spark.
Do’s rapid development from a student benefiting from mentoring to a young professional providing it was remarkable to witness for Youwen Ouyang, the computer science professor who took Do under his wing at CSUSM.
“Chris is so driven as a mentor,” Ouyang said. “He’s very proactive; he reaches for me before I can reach him. I definitely see a leadership trait in him, and he cares a lot about the students.”
Do is an information scientist with the Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA), an organization based at Camp Pendleton that provides technical support for command, control, computer, communications, cyber and intelligence (C5I) systems for the Marine Corps. MCTSSA’s slogan is “making the Marine Corps more capable,” and their mission—simply put—is to ensure that any system the Marine Corps uses in the field functions the way it’s intended.
Do was admitted to MCTSSA in March 2021, just three months after graduating from CSUSM. He got the job largely thanks to two internships he did at the agency in the summers of 2019 and 2020, but he probably wouldn’t have been exposed to those opportunities if he hadn’t been involved in a CSUSM program called Fab Friday.
Fab Friday is one aspect of a $1 million grant awarded to CSUSM by the National Science Foundation in 2017 to fund scholarships, workshops, mentoring and networking opportunities for computer science majors from low-income families. Every Friday during the school year, students gather in makerspaces on campus—in this case, the Center for Academic Success in the Extended Learning Building—to work on real-world projects with mentorship from industry partners.
Do, for example, was a member of a Viasat-sponsored team that wrote software to embed in Slack, the company’s messaging tool, to improve communication among its engineers.
“Fab Friday gave me not only experience, but helped me open new doors,” said Do. “Through the programming, working with the team, the collaboration and the camaraderie I gained while there, it really prepared me for the internship. Without Fab Friday, I would be lost for the summer. That really pushed me to succeed.”
Don’t forget about that boost he got. In fact, just months after starting at MCTSSA, he approached Ouyang to ask if the group could serve as a sponsor for Fab Friday during the 2021-22 academic year.
Ouyang readily agreed. Last fall, Do organized two hackathon challenges for teams of students to work on, and he organized a November field trip to the Camp Pendleton facility, where students had the opportunity to tour the grounds and listen to a panel discussion by MCTSSA engineers. The same pattern continued in the spring, with an outing in May.
As part of the final trip, CSUSM students presented at MCTSSA’s Think Tank on Thursday, showcasing their work alongside other technical teams and current interns at Camp Pendleton.
“All of these possibilities really went beyond what I originally designed for Fab Friday,” said Ouyang, who secured the NSF grant along with sociology professor Marisol Clark-Ibanez. “Chris really takes it to the next level, because of his involvement, because he wanted to support our students and think about what would benefit them.”
From the seed planted by Do’s connection, two other CSUSM students landed internships at MCTSSA. Although the five-year grant that produced Fab Friday has ended, Ouyang plans to continue the partnership with MCTSSA in the form of capstone projects within the computer science department.
Do could never have imagined this path when he arrived at CSUSM in 2016 as a biochemistry major who planned to pursue medicine as a career. But taking a computer science elective as an underclassman and then being turned on by a friend to Fab Friday changed his course for the better.
“I wanted to be a doctor, and the main reason why is to help people,” Do said. “I changed my major, but I still have that desire. For me, life is fulfilled when I help someone.”
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