Outstanding Graduate drawn to ASU for learning experiences beyond the classroom

By Hannah Weisman, ASU News
May 9, 2025

Kartik Aggarwal’s journey from Dehradun, India, a small city in the foothills of the Himalayas, continues onward to the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering graduate convocation stage as he celebrates achieving dual master’s degrees in computer science and management of technology.

“I wanted to attend a university that would offer me both academic depth and a strong sense of community,” he says. “I was especially drawn to how ASU encourages students to explore leadership, entrepreneurship and research beyond the classroom — and that’s exactly what I found here.”

Aggarwal says he was surprised by how creative the field of computer science truly is.

“It’s about solving real problems, designing user-centered experiences and thinking critically at every step,” he says. “The mix of logic, creativity, product development and system design completely changed how I view technology.”

During his time at Arizona State University, Aggarwal interned as a software engineer at Intel, Starbucks and NASA-ASU. He worked as an associate product manager at ProCARE Portal, co-founded a startup through ASU’s Venture Devils, published research, taught more than 200 students as a graduate teaching assistant and held various leadership roles in on-campus clubs.

He notes that one of his proudest moments was graduating with summa cum laude honors during his undergrad while staying deeply involved in leadership, research and product development, as well as being awarded a full tuition graduate assistantship while working toward his master’s degree.

“ASU gave me the room to grow in every direction I cared about,” he says. “From planning large-scale events to mentoring peers, these experiences taught me how to collaborate across disciplines, support student communities and bring ideas to life.”

After graduation, he will work at Amazon as a software development engineer in Santa Monica, California.

“Engineering gave me confidence in my ability to build things that matter,” Aggarwal says. “I started college feeling unsure of myself in a new country, but through late nights coding, collaborating with teams and applying classroom knowledge to real-world challenges, I found my voice. Engineering turned me into a problem-solver, a team player and a builder. It’s helped me grow not just as a professional, but as a person.”

Hobby: Playing around with emerging technologies

TV Show: "Money Heist"

Activity: Hiking

Sport: Golf

Book: "CEO Excellence" by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller and Vikram Malhotra

This story originally appeared on ASU News.