Opening the door for other students to walk through has been a primary focus for Shams Ahson. As a young woman in STEM, she’s not only navigated a male-dominated field but one she was initially unfamiliar with. Much of her work on campus has centered around creating communities and opportunities for the technical and engineering students at UM-Dearborn.

“As a complete newbie to the field of computer science, I wanted to create an uplifting community which encourages students to pursue their professional goals despite their experience or background and provides them with the right resources to excel in whichever career path they choose,” she says.

Shams is currently earning a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity and information assurance and is a co-founder and leading member of multiple student organizations on campus. She also works as a Supplemental Instructional Leader (SI) for CIS 150, an introductory course to computer science. Her work as an SI, helping younger students, has allowed her to make an impact on each student who attends her sessions.

The work Shams does on campus, from teaching to leading student groups to creating massive events, is creating a strong sense of community among engineering students and is providing a network of support.

The event of the year

In the Fall of 2022, Shams co-founded the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) — the largest technical and computer science-based organization on Dearborn’s campus.

As president of GDSC, she and the team had the idea to create an event on campus that would allow students to showcase their talents and learn from industry experts. The event, which they named Hack Dearborn, is an annual 24+ hour hackathon — and the only hackathon on Dearborn’s campus — in which students design software and hardware projects based on challenge statements or guided tracks, attend dozens of inspiring technical workshops and mini-events, and pitch their business ideas to judges who are industry representatives.

The event was met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from UM-Dearborn faculty and students. Since March 2023, GDSC has hosted two hackathons with plans to host another this year. The second Hack Dearborn which took place in October of 2023, experienced a turnout of over 200 students from 20 universities across the U.S. and Canada. The participants showcased 48 projects to 50+ industry representatives, many of whom were UM-Dearborn alumni.

“For these two events, my team and I were able to raise over $70,000 which was put to great use to sustain both events and allow hackers to have such a great experience,” she says. “The results of these events were spectacular as well, with multiple student success stories in which they were rewarded with internships and full-time job offers as a direct result of the projects and pitches they designed.”

Creating uplifting communities

One of the most remarkable achievements Shams has accomplished at UM-Dearborn has been her success in creating spaces for women in leadership in the tech field.

“As a woman myself in the tech industry, finding leadership opportunities has been a challenge for me in the past, as these areas can be dominated by established people. Sometimes I felt like an imposter just by attending certain events,” she says. “To eliminate this feeling of self-doubt in other students who were not the most experienced, or not the most well-connected, just as I was, I slowly began establishing my own spaces with a couple of my friends who felt the same way.”

These spaces have manifested into teams such as Hack Dearborn, the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC), and Women in Cybersecurity (WICyS). Currently, these teams have over 80% women in leadership roles. Shams explains that upon creating these spaces she’s discovered that her mission has been to elevate and uplift other women who may feel like they don't belong in the industry and to feel empowered to create environments where they can excel. “There is nothing more fulfilling than to see young women become empowered leaders in real-time and fitting right into the roles that I always envisioned for them,” she says.

Being a leader

Shams says that her ultimate career goal is not just to be a CEO within the cybersecurity industry, but to be a great leader who reflects the values, ambitions and spirit of her community.

“Throughout my academic and personal journey, I have learned that many people mistakenly think of leadership as a one-sided action, but it is quite the opposite,” she says. “My time as president and director has taught me that cooperation, collaboration, and a unified vision are essential to enable growth for a community. A leader is nothing without supportive people that work to carry on the legacy.”

She’s also been able to promote her leadership ideologies during her internship at Bosch, where she organized events within the automotive industry. She says that what inspires her to take initiative is the fact that she is working towards positive results for the greater good and the communities she’s representing, not just for herself.