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Spring 2023 Interns

Jayla Bryant
Marcel Lewis
Johnathan K. Slezak
Sammiya Floyd
Cole Walker
Delvan Paulino
Gregory Yelverton
Sari Barnes
Zayln Bradford
Leon King
Autumn Grayson
Christopher Newland
Ja’Quasha Holloway
Drew Smith
Myla Oliphant
Qaadi Wallace

ARROWS will host several college and high school interns throughout the year, giving motivated students the chance to develop their skills while working on hands-on projects. Areas of work include artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML), robotics/autonomy, cybersecurity, virtual and augmented reality development, and data analytics.

Spring 2023 Interns

Jayla Bryant

Jayla Bryant is a sophomore honors college student from Prince Georges’s County, Maryland. She is pursuing her bachelor’s degree in information technology and has plans to obtain a postgraduate degree in Technology Management. With an exceptional academic record, Bryant has achieved the Chancellor’s List with a 3.8 cumulative GPA. In addition to her academic achievements, she is actively involved in various on-campus organizations such as Women in Science & Technology, Aggies in Technology, and the Dowdy Outreach Program, which is dedicated to mentoring and preparing local high school students for college. Professionally, Bryant holds a position as a Team Lead in training with Client Technology Services, an IT helpdesk at her university. She has also pursued her research interests in Natural Language Processing (NLP) models and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and their influences on the job market. As her research advances, she hopes to develop an improved Applicant Tracking System for use.

Marcel Lewis

Marcel Lewis is a senior first-generation college student from Suffolk, VA with plans to graduate and pursue a career in Cybersecurity. He is a focused leader who strives to learn from and inspire all those he encounters. Marcel has a distinct passion for giving back through community service. He lives by the personal mantra: “Make the most of every opportunity presented in life because a second chance is never guaranteed, especially with first impressions.”

Johnathan K. Slezak

Jonathan K. Slezak is a senior at NCAT majoring in Electronics Technology. He has a background in Electrical Engineering and Audio/Visual installation and service. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, he served in the Marine Corps. His interest in STEM started when he used to go to work with his father, a Mechanical Engineer for Avery Denison/Sobar in Philadelphia. Jonathan’s interest in the ARROWS program came from Professor Kareem Hogan, his mentor and instructor at ITT Technical Institute for his Electrical Engineering Degree and now his mentor and professor again at North Carolina A&T. Jonathan’s goals within the ARROWS program are to broaden his knowledge with Machine Learning and AI and apply that knowledge to finish a project he has been working on for several years now, related to the medical field and biotechnology with the development of a new medical device used to detect different blood disorders and cancers.

Sammiya Floyd

Samayia Floyd is passionate about AI and cloud computing and has a strong background in technical fields such as programming and data analytics. She is currently an Endpoint Configuration Manager at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she ensures compliance with organizational policies and standards for all endpoint devices on campus. One of her most exciting projects was leading the development of an AI drone for traffic monitoring and object detection using Python and OpenCV. She designed algorithms to accurately analyze data and distinguish between different types of vehicles and objects. This project provided her with a fantastic opportunity to apply her technical skills to real-world problems. Samayia is always looking for new opportunities to use her expertise in AI and cloud computing to drive innovation and solve complex problems.

Cole Walker

Cole Walker is a senior at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University in the Computer Science, Information Technology degree program. His research interests include IOT and Network Enhancement. He spent his last summer as an intern at IAT Insurance in Raleigh, North Carolina, working in the Claims Department as IT helping adjustors and agents with their daily needs such as document retrieval. In the upcoming summer, he will be joining Marathon as a business analyst intern in the IT department. Currently, he is working as a research assistant aiding in addressing model stealing in IOT devices.

Delvan Paulino

Delvan Paulino is an undergraduate freshman at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He has earned Certification in both CompTIA and Microsoft and was named student of the year at the Advance Technology Center. Currently active as a research assistant, he has spent the last couple of months researching robotics. With the information he has gathered, he has begun the process of constructing a robot dog and cat. Driven by curiosity, he desires to explore the functionality of these robots. His main goal includes implementing one of the animals into an undergraduate programming class and testing the other with AI functionality.

Gregory Yelverton

Gregory Yelverton is a senior information technology student from Newport News, Virginia pursuing a career in network administration. He has always loved expanding his knowledge and feels that the ARROWS program is a great place for him to learn new topics within STEM. Gregory has learned how to program and problem solve and has been introduced to the concepts of IoT. He feels well prepared to apply his knowledge to find answers within the ARROWS program. The program is the perfect way for him to get introduced to the scientific/educational research process as he is interested in working with cutting-edge technology while pursuing his master’s degree. In his free time, Gregory enjoys playing video games, spending time with friends, or planning trips with his family.

Sari Barnes

Sari Barnes is a junior student-athlete majoring in information technology. Born and raised in Prince George’s County, MD, she currently resides in the District of Columbia. From a young age, Sari has been a student of discipline, learning various skills of an engineer. She started in the STEM Program at Charles H. Flowers High School, where she majored in engineering. Her interests peaked in technology when she had the chance to work as a lead coordinator on building and programming a robot for competition, which led her to major in computer science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. After interning at the US Department of Energy in machine learning and as a data analyst intern, she enjoyed the broader knowledge and understanding of technology the internships allowed her to learn. So she changed her major to Information Technology, where she has since learned and been able to experience an expansion of courses to build upon her knowledge and put her closer to her future career goals. Sari’s goals for the future are to acquire her cybersecurity certification upon graduating and go into the cybersecurity field for career advancement. Through the Arrows program, she hopes to develop more vital fundamental skills in research and presentation as she learns more about her related research topic. The opportunity to share her knowledge and understanding with others is essential to her. Sari is excited to start this new journey on her path to success!

Zayln Bradford

Zalyn Bradford is a senior Information Technology student from Charlotte, NC. Growing up, she has always been interested in science and technology and loved the challenge and critical thinking that came with it. Throughout high school, she took many STEM courses that have propelled her to the position she is in today. When she first heard about the ARROWS program from her professor, it immediately caught her attention, and she was eager to learn more. What motivated her to apply for the ARROWS program was the opportunity of gaining knowledge and mentorship. Since joining the College of Science and Technology (CST) and Information Technology department, Zalyn has understood the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, database security, database management, and networking. She believes that everything she has learned from each course has well-prepared her for the ARROWS program and is grateful that this program has allowed her to apply and hone her skills. After graduating, Zalyn plans to pursue a career in cloud computing, where she would like to work with the infrastructure of the cloud.

Leon King

Leon King is a Senior Information Technology student from Durham, North Carolina with interests in Software Development. He believes that “Software development is an essential aspect of modern technology-driven society. It has revolutionized the way we interact with machines and has led to the creation of a plethora of applications, tools, and services that make our lives easier. Software development has enabled us to automate tasks, analyze data, and communicate with each other more efficiently.” Leon is currently working at Cisco Systems as a backend software engineer doing API Testing and software management.

Autumn Grayson

Autumn Grayson is a third-year junior Information Technology major at North Carolina A&T University. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Autumn’s interest in data science, machine learning, and user research led her to the ARROWS program. Throughout her years as an Information Technology major, she has gained knowledge in MySQL, Java, and HTML. Additionally, her extracurriculars and internship opportunities have allowed her to explore product design and user research. Autumn’s programming knowledge combined with her passion for user experience will enable her to excel in the ARROWS program. After completing her undergraduate program, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction to master the creation of optimal resources for communities in need. Through the ARROWS program, Autumn hopes to strengthen her confidence as a woman of color in a field where she is a strong minority. Gaining confidence in her technical and personal skills is a vital element in achieving her ambitions of giving back to communities in need. In her free time, Autumn enjoys going to the gym, sewing, coloring books, and cooking.