Featured Student: Tabreek Somani

What is your field of study and when will you graduate?

I’m currently completing my undergraduate degree in BSc. Computer Science, Software Engineering and will be continuing to pursue my MM (Master of Management) Dual Degree after graduation this May.

As a Dual Degree Honours Computer Science, Software Engineering + Master of Management Program, as well as Science Co-op student, in addition to all of your extracurricular merits, you’re clearly ambitious – what drives you?

One of my key motivations is to be able to empower women and other minorities in the tech field, as well as improve representation and retention.

It’s incredibly disheartening to see the low statistics, despite gradual progress being made. The lack of diversity in this field causes major drawbacks for society at large, and as a woman in STEM myself, one of my missions is to improve the environment and community for women in STEM so they can feel supported and help the world develop more equitably and at a much faster speed, through including more diverse perspectives.

Why did you choose to enroll in Co-op?

Majority of the CS classes were heavily conceptual, teaching elegant theories and ways of thinking.

I wanted to take my learning a step further and see the concepts learnt in class actually applied in real-life cases.

Which positions did you work during co-op?

My first internship was at UBC Design Lab with Professor Dongwook, where we explored design methodologies to mitigate invisible labor in gig work.

Following that, I joined Planview (formerly Tasktop Technologies), as a junior software engineer for an 8-month term streamlining value stream management for software companies globally.

Next, I joined KPMG for a 4-month term as a Technology Risk Consultant, getting exposure to best practices in security and doing risk assessments, as well as proposing risk mitigation strategies in the IT sector.

My final co-op was at OnDeck Fisheries AI, an entrepreneurship@ubc startup, where I joined as a software engineer among a team of 5. Working at a startup exposed me to entrepreneurship and greater technical scope, as compared to my previous roles, and was the perfect culmination of my co-op journey.

How did you get involved with C.O.D.E Initiative? Can you talk about your experiences leading programming classes for underserved neurodivergent youths?

I joined the C.O.D.E initiative as a tutor back in 2022.

As someone who’s been incredibly passionate about making computer science education accessible to all, this felt like the perfect opportunity to pay it forward. It was so fulfilling to teach these youth filled with lots of curiosity and hope, as they grasped new concepts and connected dots incredibly fast.

It was also a major source of learning for me, to be able to tailor the teaching for each specific student in a way that worked best for their learning styles.

During my time, I had the opportunity to lead over 50 programming classes for students between the ages of 7 – 15 years old.

In addition, could you tell us about UBC’s code committee, Women of Rewriting the Code, and your experiences with mentorship and guidance of girls in STEM?

When I was starting out my degree, I found it incredibly empowering to have role models in the field, who inspired me through their journey.

This motivated me to share my journey along the way and inspire other girls who aspire to explore STEM careers. Throughout multiple panels with UBC’s code committee and Women of Rewriting the C.O.D.E, I had the opportunity to share my experiences and thoughts surrounding imposter syndrome in school and in the workplace.

Additionally, the UBC Computer Science and Science mentorship programs have been incredibly helpful in matching me with senior students and given the opportunity I’ve also been able to serve as a mentor in my upper years of my degree, as a way to pay it forward.

Can you talk about how you took your value of inclusivity and implemented it into real world change?

Inclusivity can be implemented in so many simple ways, in day-to-day actions.

For example, sharing your journey, encouraging others who may be feeling defeated from the struggle (both academically and socially), being a mentor and empowering those who are following in the footsteps, educating and spreading awareness.

One of my most empowering spaces have been panels where women share their career journeys, whether that be through the CODE committee or through Science Co-op sessions.

Can you explain what microservices architecture is and how you initiated a transition to it during your co-op term as a Junior Software Engineer at Planview?

Microservices employs a set of independent components in the system architecture where services communicate using APIs between each other, rather than having dependencies.

My contribution during my co-op term was to migrate the web service to be more reliable and scalable using AWS S3 and Cloudfront services, which lead to faster response times and improved our commitment to the Service Level Objectives (SLOs).

Can you share your experiences as a Software Engineer at OnDeck Fisheries AI, how it exposed you to the startup industry and where you’ll be going now with it?

In addition to my technical role at the startup, I took on diverse responsibilities in business development, including market research, website redesign and onboarding for new hires.

I played a pivotal leadership role within a small development team, creating workflows for efficient development and timely product releases. These experiences broadened my perspective, fueling my passion for entrepreneurship.

My involvement in Vancouver Startup Week further deepened my understanding of the startup ecosystem and its collaborative dynamics. I also explored entrepreneurship further through taking the New Venture Design course in my final year. Entrepreneurship to me comes up in everyday initiatives I take or change and improvements I can lead within organizations that I’m part of.

I see myself having my own venture soon. Exposure to startups, as well as developing an entrepreneurial network, has given me an incredible community of support when I do take the leap.

Can you share your favourite experience while in co-op?

One of my highlights during my co-op was during my time at OnDeck, when we went for a team outing to sailing at Jericho beach and caught sight of Orcas along the shore!

What was your best achievement in co-op?

My biggest achievement was my own transformation throughout my co-op experiences.

At Planview, my first software role, I felt incredibly lost in my first few weeks. I had no clue how to start a ticket or where to even look. As I learnt along the way, I completed tasks more independently.

In my final co-op at OnDeck, I was able to initiate and take ownership of more unfamiliar tasks, including exploring the depths of machine learning for global conservation efforts. This transformation was definitely my best achievement throughout my co-op experiences.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

Going from a directed environment in school, to an undirected and self-motivated environment at work, where there isn’t necessarily a set answer or auto grader tests to check against, it was challenging to adjust to the work environment.

I was lucky to have several mentors in my first software engineering role to guide me along the way. Throughout the process, I learnt that its critical to find a balance between taking initiative to problem solve, as well as asking when feeling stuck.

This combination creates the best path to be successful in any role.

How do you feel co-op helped your personal growth?

Working with different people in different roles and organizations, exposed me to diverse experiences and helped me realize what I enjoy most. I also had the opportunity to build and expand my network learning from my colleagues and seasoned professionals in the industry.

How do you feel co-op has helped your career?

Co-op exposed me to industry through so many different facets.

It gave me the opportunity to try out software engineering at different scales across various use cases, from value stream management to building AI to save the ocean.

It’s also reaffirmed my enjoyment for solving ambiguous problems creatively, which was my biggest motivation for choosing computer science as my major!

Which supports from the co-op program (workshops, practice interviews, etc.) do you feel best supported you? Can you talk about the direct impact on your career?

My Co-op Coordinators were my most impactful resource.

I cannot emphasize how doing a practice interview, or general advising regarding job search strategy, helped me feel confident and prepared me to move forward! They really are the true superstars!

What advice would you offer to future co-op students?

Try having a variety of experiences – whether that is in a different set of roles or different types of companies.

Someone once told me to experience working in a startup, a big tech company and a consulting company to experience the different opportunities that are available to you, given how risk-free experimenting during Co-op is.

Remember that interviews are two-way, prepare some interesting and useful questions you would want to know answers to if you were to join the team. The interview is just as much your lens into the company, as it is their impression of you. Although the company sets up the interview, its your opportunity to also interview them to understand the mutual fit between the role and your goals!

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

After graduation, I'm excited to embark on the next chapter of my academic journey by starting the Master of Management Dual Degree this summer. I see this as an opportunity to further develop my skills in business management and leadership, complementing my technical background. I believe this interdisciplinary approach will equip me with the knowledge and expertise needed to drive impactful innovation in the tech industry.