Meet Our Alumni
After graduating with a degree in UMD Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering, our alumni have gone on to build careers at leading engineering companies and pursue graduate degrees at prominent universities across the country.
Talia Kouncar
UMD CPSE Class of 2026
Current Employment: AI and Digitalization Specialist
Company: Volvo Group
Meet Talia: Talia works on digitalization and automation solutions with Volvo to make processes more efficient and effective.
Schools Attended
- University of Maryland, College Park, 2024-2026 || Bachelor of Science in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering
- Montgomery College, 2022-2024 || Associates Degree in Computer Engineering
- Richard Montgomery High School, 2018-2022 || Diploma
Jack Kouncar
UMD CPSE Class of 2026
Current Employment: Software Engineer
Company: Boeing
Meet Jack: Jack does testing and verification on new software for the Boeing V-22 Osprey.
Schools Attended
- University of Maryland, College Park, 2024-2026 || Bachelor of Science in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering
- Montgomery College, 2022-2024 || Associates Degree in General Engineering
- Richard Montgomery High School, 2018-2022 || Diploma
Alim Saidkhodjaev
UMD CPSE Class of 2025
Current Employment: Research Engineer
Company: Euclid Techlabs
Meet Alim: Alim graduated UMD CPSE at just 19 years old! He now works full-time as a research engineer at Euclid Techlabs in Beltsville, MD, where he has applied his scientific expertise and background in engineering to technology projects. His work has also included contributing to groundbreaking, Department of Energy–sponsored research as well as a NASA-affiliated project focused on developing diamond power electronics for space applications.
- General experimental R&D. Settings up & running experiments, data analysis, discussions w colleagues & collaborators, facilities management, report writing, proposal and budgetary stuff.
- Materials Research: Semiconductors (Diamonds & Photocathodes).
- Worked on control automation of a few systems, transistor characterization, actual device fabrications, mechanical/vacuum hardware design & setup, some circuit design, basic in-house software development (not production/consumer software), physics FEA simulations, etc.
- Gets to work with top-level experts from National Labs, academic institutes, and other industry companies on first-of-a-kind research.
Schools Attended:
- University of Maryland, College Park, 2023-2025 || Bachelor of Science in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering
- Montgomery College, 2021-2023 || Associate's Degree in General Engineering
- Northwest High School, 2019-2023 || Diploma
Reta Gela
UMD CPSE Class of 2025
Current Role: Graduate Student / Teaching Assistant
University: University of Maryland, College Park
Meet Reta: Reta is currently pursuing his Professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Embedded Systems Engineering at UMD. As a Teaching Assistant, he helps students learn C Programming, hosts office hours, grades assignments, and coordinates with faculty about future assignments and planning.
Schools Attended:
- University of Maryland, College Park, 2025-2027 || Professional Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Embedded Systems Engineering
- University of Maryland, College Park, 2023-2025 || Bachelor of Science in Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering
- Montgomery College, Rockville, 2020-2023 || Associate of Science in Electrical Engineering
- Watkins Mill HS, 2016-2020 || Diploma
CPSE Alumni Directory
The CPSE Alumni Directory lets alumni easily connect with each other. Members can also update their own information as they take on jobs or academic milestones. Access to this Directory is reserved for CPSE Alumni.
Alumni Articles
Meet Alim: A 19-Year-Old University of Maryland Engineering Graduate
At just 19 years old, Northwest High School alum Alim Saidkhodjaev walked across the stage in May 2025 to receive his engineering degree from the University of Maryland (UMD), becoming one of the youngest graduates of UMD’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. His achievement reflects what is possible when student drive and talent meet academic opportunity, mentorship, and hands-on learning from the Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Program, Montgomery College Dual Enrollment, and Montgomery County Public Schools.
Read the article
Breaking Boundaries: Giovanni Argueta’s Journey to UMD’s Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Program at USG
Giovanni is a university ClarkLEADER and recent graduate of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland (UMD). In May 2025, a paper corresponding to his capstone project, Survey and Analysis of Collision Detection Algorithms in Blender, was accepted for presentation in the IEEE SmartNets 2025 Conference.
Read the article
A Mother’s Inspiring Journey through the Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Program at The Universities at Shady Grove
Shannon Murray’s remarkable journey through the Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering (CPSE) program at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) is a story of academic achievement and a testament to the unwavering determination of a devoted mother.
Read the article
Kelvin Quacoe-Dameshie among UMD’s First-Ever Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Graduates
In 2020, Kelvin Quacoe-Dameshie, a former Watkins Mill HS and Montgomery College alumni, began his UMD journey becoming one of the university’s first-ever CPSE graduates.
Read the article