Meira Goldberg of Teaneck always enjoyed math, but knew she didn’t want to study accounting or actuarial sciences at college. She thought computer science would be a good fit for her interests and skills, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that Touro’s Lander College for Women (LCW) offered this as a major.
Not only did Meira end up enjoying computer science, she found it was a subject at which she truly excelled. “The logic and problem-solving aspect of computer science really appeals to me,” she said. “I especially love the programming side of the coursework.” Meira is a participant in LCW’s prestigious Honors Program and will be graduating as a computer science major with a 3.98 GPA, earning her a place on the Dean’s List. She is also a Presidential Scholar.
Meira channeled her love of programming into her thesis project, which was a recipe converter website application she created. The tool can be used to multiply, divide, portion or scale recipes to a desired yield or serving size. “There are other tools out there, but I found they had flaws,” she explained. “They either did not convert the ingredient list to standard kitchen measurements or required entering each ingredient separately, which can be tedious for a long recipe.” Her application solves these problems.
As co-president of LCW’s computer science society, and because computer science is a relatively new major at LCW, Meira sought to increase learning opportunities for her fellow students. Club activities provided students crash courses in programming languages and practical experience building a website, all skills needed to enhance one’s resume. Meira also participated in LCW’s Women’s Hackathon, a daylong event focused on improving programming skills and meeting other women in tech. “My team used Google Maps API to create an application called “Fill the Map,” said Meira. “Our goal was to create a platform where people could text a picture and address where they did a good deed to ‘fill a map’ with acts of kindness.”
Meira also got real-world experience at various internships and jobs she held during her time at LCW. She spent time at Quantum Networks and UnitedHealth Group doing web development, learning new programming languages and database skills and honing her craft.
This mix of comprehensive academics and practical knowledge has prepared Meira for her upcoming job in software development at PGIM Fixed Income, a global fixed-income asset manager whose parent company is Prudential Financial. She will start her new career in June, right after graduation.
“I really enjoyed my time at LCW. I valued being in a religious environment where the small class size and mutual respect enabled me to really learn from my fellow students and professors,” said Meira.
“Meira is an exceptional young woman. She is thoughtful, creative, smart and articulate, which makes her an excellent fit to represent LCW as valedictorian,” said Marian Stoltz-Loike, Ph.D., dean of LCW and Touro’s vice president of online education.
The Lander College for Women is an undergraduate division of Touro, a student-centered college located in midtown Manhattan where Jewish women follow a rigorous academic program as they pursue their baccalaureate degrees, while continuing and deepening their Torah education and commitment. For more information on the Lander College for Women, please go to http://lcw.touro.edu.
