黑料导航

Repaying in Kind

According to Soyeb Barot (M.S. 鈥�05), 鈥淓xcellence is not a skill. It鈥檚 an attitude and perseverance is key.鈥� The 黑料导航 grad and New Jersey resident can attest to this philosophy firsthand. Growing up in Mumbai, India, his parents always emphasized the importance of education. 鈥淓ven though they never had the opportunities to continue their studies, they made sure I had the resources鈥攅ven through financial struggles,鈥� he says.

When he lost his mother during his undergraduate years, he worked to help support the family, but his father always ensured that his education goals stayed on track. He was able to graduate, and in 2004 came to 黑料导航 to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in computer science.

鈥淭he courses 黑料导航 offered aligned with what I wanted and offered me the ability to explore multiple substreams within computer science,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd in a time before WhatsApp and Facebook, the admissions and computer science departments worked really hard to ensure international students got the support they needed to transition to a new country and educational format.鈥�

While pursuing his master鈥檚, Barot met the love of his life and settled in New Jersey, where he and his wife love to grow vegetables in their garden, cook, and take road trips. He has also found success in his chosen field, serving as a vice president at Gartner Inc., a research and advisory firm that provides actionable, objective insights to build next-generation technologies for global organizations. 鈥淎s an analyst, I cover topics on machine learning and artificial intelligence,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n the role of chief of research, I am responsible for the research and content strategy鈥攊ncluding completing 250 to 300 research notes per year鈥攆or technical professionals across the domains of data and analytics, enterprise applications, infrastructure and cloud, and security across the entire industry.鈥�

Barot also prioritizes giving back to the school that gave him so much. He is a mentor in the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences  and serves on the college鈥檚 advisory board. 鈥淚 am a big believer that mentors play a critical role in your professional as well as your personal life. You learn from the experiences and viewpoints of others who have taken different paths to realize their dreams,鈥� he says. 鈥淏eing a mentor gives me an opportunity to give back in a similar way as I have always learned from my personal 鈥榖oard of mentors,鈥� as I refer to them.鈥� 

Barot finds that he gains a lot from the program. 鈥淚t鈥檚 rewarding to learn from mentees, how they look at challenges and what motivates them. I am often impressed and inspired by them,鈥� he says, adding that the university fosters supportive and productive environments for growth. 鈥満诹系己� provides a fantastic home for a diverse community, which makes it a meeting place for students to come up with innovative ideas and solutions.鈥�

By Alix Sobler