N.C. A&T Computer Science Senior Recognized as Namaskar Winner

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 17, 2023) – Computer science senior Alexis Cathcart is known as an impactful student leader at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University who has strived to positively influence her community, department, college and university.

During the celebration of National Engineers Week at N.C. A&T’s College of Engineering (COE), Cathcart was selected as the 2023 Namaskar winner for her leadership, professionalism and level of academic success. COE awards this distinction annually to a graduating senior, highlighting the importance of excellence in engineering and to encourage students to strive for excellence in their endeavors.

“Even though I dealt with homesickness and having to make transitions in my life, there was still a tremendous sense of comfort that I felt being at A&T,” Cathcart said in her speech. “I look back at how my mindset has changed, how being here at A&T helped me to view myself with high esteem; I reflect on the past four years and ask myself, ‘Why would I ever let my fears hold me back?’”

As a student at A&T, fear never kept Cathcart from pursuing her goals. She worked as an undergraduate research assistant where she curated nutritional data on 20 global cuisines and generated metrics on inclusivity of cuisines in food journaling apps. She presented the results from comparative analysis of food journaling apps at American Society for Nutrition Conference. She also worked as a teaching assistant for Analysis of Algorithms and interned with companies such as Google, Target, IBM and Ally Financial.

This year’s Namaskar Award nominees were:

• Nandecie Edouard, electrical engineering
• Justin O'Neal, mechanical engineering
• Olivia McLean, industrial and systems engineering
• Kennedy Hurks, chemical engineering
• Tiana Driver, architectural engineering

“The Namaskar Award is a time-honored tradition for the College of Engineering,” said Stephanie Luster-Teasley, Ph.D., COE interim dean. “As is the case every year, this year’s nominees were all of high caliber, where all six have made a difference at A&T and will continue to do great things after graduation.

“Alexis is such a hardworking student, not only for her degree, but also in making her community better. Congratulations to her and all of the finalists for your well-earned distinction.”

After graduating in May, Cathcart will begin her career in computer science with Apple.