Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2022 graduates.

Shreeshiv Patel says a big catalyst for his career aspirations came from the words of Steve Jobs, the late entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple and Pixar.

“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you,” Patel recalls Jobs saying. “And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.”

Patel says his decision to study at Arizona State University was motivated by the emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship in many of the university’s degree programs.

“At ASU, I have had the opportunity to meet more people and to maximize my potential,” Patel says. “Choosing ASU is one of the best decisions that I have made.”

He says the skills he has learned in earning a master's degree in computer science will enable him to develop and build technology that can have broad and meaningful impacts.

“I remember when I wrote my first line of code and developed a quiz application during my freshman year,” Patel says. “It was the first moment when I realized we can also develop software that others can use.”

Patel hopes other ASU students will make similarly fulfilling discoveries by joining the Hacker Devils, a competitive ASU coding club he founded with several fellow students. Patel was named the club’s first president.

“Within a few months of starting the club, we became a community of more than 200 members, and we are still growing,” he says. “I got the opportunity to expand my network and mentor undergraduate students.”

He credits two professors for particularly enriching his education. Patel says Edgard Luque, a teaching assistant professor in ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, helped him learn important lessons in leadership, while Steven Osburn, a teaching assistant professor in Fulton Schools’ Academic and Student Affairs, helped him establish HackerDevils.

After graduation, Patel plans to move to the high-tech mecca of Silicon Valley in California and begin work to launch entrepreneurial ventures. He is building a platform called OnlyReferrals that connects job seekers with employees at companies looking to hire.

“I want to turn this platform into a product that is ready for the market,” Patel says. “My long-term career aspiration is to start my own venture capital funds. I believe this will enable me to partner with many startups that will bring good changes to the world.”

MORE: Read about other exceptional graduates of the Fulton Schools’ fall 2022 class