Whether she’s teeing off on the golf course or problem solving on the computer, Vaishu Kagita consistently strives to boost her skills while closing gender gaps.

The current president of Irvine Valley College (IVC)’s Girls Who Code Club – working to advance the role of women in technology – and a former member of her high school’s varsity golf team, she is now a data science major at IVC.

Poorya “Pooris” Baine is firmly focused on taking a lifelong passion and transforming it into his life’s work.  

But his hasn’t been a straightforward or easy path. 

He grew up in Northern Iran, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and eventually ran his own video game company – testing and selling games and related accessories while capitalizing on his love for game development and design. 

“I started playing video games during the Atari era when I was just seven years old, it’s been a passion ever since,” he says.