Senior Spotlight: Arnav Nigam’s ICS Journey From Outsider to Insider

Throughout his time at UC Irvine, Arnav Nigam, a senior majoring in computer science at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), stayed active inside and outside the classroom. He worked as a research assistant and learning assistant. Nigam also became involved in multiple campus organizations: Hack at UCI director, Associated Students of UC Irvine (ASUCI) ICS senator, ICS Student Council Events committee member, and Venus Hacks co-president. In those roles, Nigam worked with administrators, faculty, and fellow students with the aim of leaving ICS better than he found it. Nigam seeks to inspire every student who comes to ICS feeling like an outsider to leave as someone who helped shape this place.

Here Nigam reflects on his ICS journey.

What brought you to UC Irvine ICS? What and where did you study before?

I’m an international student. I’m Indian by origin but born and raised in the Middle East, between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, UAE, and I came to UC Irvine straight out of high school. I had been set on coming to the U.S. for my higher education since middle school, and a few visits over those years narrowed it down to California. It just felt like the place where I could picture myself enjoying university life the most.

I chose UC Irvine after a lot of research once I’d been accepted to multiple UCs. UC Irvine was the only one with a school dedicated entirely to computing. The ICS website let me dig into the clubs I wanted to join and the research areas I could see myself working in, and the fact that there was a whole school built around this field told me it was where I’d be able to grow the most.

What sparked your interest in computer science?

I’ve been surrounded by computers for as long as I can remember. Having a brother five years older than me meant I inherited a steady stream of hand-me-down gaming devices: the Nintendo Game Boy, the DS, the Xbox 360, a PSP, and more. We grew up playing video games and absolutely loved technology. He loved it so much that he went on to Purdue to study computer graphics with a specialization in game design. In my last year of middle school, he started handing me his old class textbooks, and that was my first real spark on the general side of computer science. From there I kept going on my own through high school, spending a lot of time understanding the intricacies of both software and hardware, and watching way too many YouTube videos on random tech. (A huge shoutout to Linus Tech Tips for that.)

Even though I loved almost every part of computing, I landed on CS after looking into computer engineering and the more hardware-focused side and realizing CS was the niche I enjoyed most. I also love math, which pulled me toward the algorithms and inner workings of a computer early on. That’s why I took the entire 160 series here at UC Irvine, simply because it let me dive into algorithms sooner. I chose to specialize in general CS because I wanted to take classes across a bunch of different fields and really understand the full scope of what computer science is. I also have to shout out Professor Michael Shindler, who through many conversations kept my spark for the nitty-gritty alive. I’d recommend his CS162 class to any student.

ICS gave me opportunity after opportunity to grow, to learn, to be myself, and even to make an impact on the school in return. That’s what I’m most grateful for. It gave me the chance to succeed.

How would you describe your experience at ICS?

Wholesome and fulfilling. I came in knowing a lot of things but not really knowing where to take any of it. Supportive professors like Professor Shannon Alfaro, Professor Jennifer Wong-Ma, and Professor Michael Shindler encouraged me to take my chances. The research lab I worked in under Professor Mark Warschauer, and clubs like Hack@UCI and ICSSC, shaped almost every part of my four years here. ICS gave me opportunity after opportunity to grow, to learn, to be myself, and even to make an impact on the school in return. That’s what I’m most grateful for. It gave me the chance to succeed.

What has been most memorable about your time at ICS?

Without a doubt, it’s the people. To quote Professor Ray Klefstad, “It’s not about what you know but who you know,” and I’ve carried that with me almost every day since. The people here, from my peers to the ICS staff, have meant everything to me: Stephanie Wang from the Informatics department, Jamie Lackey from the Computer Science department, Martin Dominguez from the Dean’s Suite, Jason King from ICS External Affairs, Matthew Costa from the ICS Student Affairs Office, the professors I’ve already named, Professor Sandy Irani for all her support as associate dean of ICS Student Affairs Office, and Dean Marios Papaefthymiou. They all do so much for us students, and I think a lot of it goes unnoticed. As director of Hack@UCI, I came to understand the behind-the-scenes work they put in for us, and I’m grateful for every single one of them. They’re a big part of why I’ll be proud to soon be an alumnus of this university and of the school of ICS.

Do you have plans after graduating in June?

I’m currently waiting on my OPT (Optional Practical Training Program) to be processed by DHS, and I have a job lined up in New York. My plan is to work for some time before going on to do my master’s. I’m leaning toward an MBA or a specialized program that bridges the tech and business worlds because that’s where my passion really lies. I’m headed into product management and developer relations.

Do you have any advice for current or future ICS Anteaters?

My favorite saying is this: the biggest misconception in life is that you only live once. The reality is that you only die once, but you live every single day. So my best advice is to live every day, take a new chance every day, and keep putting in the effort. Today’s 100% doesn’t have to look like tomorrow’s 100%, but make sure that whatever it is, you give a true 100% every day.

I came in unsure of where to point everything I knew, and I’m leaving with a direction, a community, and a whole lot of gratitude.

Anything else you would like to add?

If there’s one thing I’d add, it’s a thank you. To my parents for supporting a kid who wanted to study halfway across the world, to my brother for handing down the devices and the textbooks that started all of this, and to everyone at ICS who made these four years what they were. I came in unsure of where to point everything I knew, and I’m leaving with a direction, a community, and a whole lot of gratitude.

– Tonya Becerra