5 Morgan State students are taking classes on Google’s campus this year

Five computer science students from Morgan State University are reported to another campus this fall. In this case, it’s the Silicon Valley home of one of the big five tech companies.
On Tuesday, Google announced that Morgan State is one of 10 colleges joining an advanced computer science training program that is housed on the search giant’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
In all, the Google Tech Exchange Program is welcoming 64 students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for the duration of the 2018-19 academic year.
“This program is focused on increasing the number of black and Latinx students in the tech industry and Silicon Valley, exposing scholars to careers in the tech industry and empowering black and Latinx higher education through knowledge-sharing of industry best practices,” April Alvarez, Educational Equity Programs manager for Google, said in a statement.
The Morgan State University students include seniors Demetrius Robinson, Morgan Whittaker and Sarah Cooper, along with juniors Joshua Smith and Michael McDonald. Rising juniors and seniors in Morgan’s 300-member computer science program were invited to apply.

Innovation, Google & MSU!

The School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences is proud to announce that 5 of our Computer Science majors will participate in the Google Tech Exchange Program in Mountain View, California during the fall 18 Semester! https://t.co/cwanb2A7xQ pic.twitter.com/GKktSMfCbu

— Morgan State University (@MorganStateU) September 18, 2018

“I’m looking forward to increasing my network, creating an opportunity to secure a full-time job and gaining more knowledge about my career,” McDonald said in a statement.
The program is offered through Howard University, and it marks an expansion of a program that Google piloted with the D.C. institution in 2017 called Howard West.
Throughout the year, students will take courses in machine learning, product management, computational theory and database systems from Google engineers and faculty.
The experience will help students by offering technical education that goes beyond what’s taught in a computer science course, as well as “soft skills” classes that offer tips on navigating the workforce, said Hongtao Yu, dean of Morgan’s School of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences. With the chance to meet other Google employees and work at the company’s campus, Yu said meeting other Google employees and students from other campuses will also be a benefit.
“The students’ eyes will be opened by the exposure of leaving the comfort of their home campus,” Yu said.
For Morgan, the program builds on a relationship with Google and other big tech companies. Over the summer, Yu said 10 students from Morgan interned at Google, along with other tech companies, and the Northeast Baltimore campus also hosts Google engineers to teach classes.
With the program in place and the students admitted for this year, Morgan State hopes to expand in the future. Yu said the university is aiming to send 20 students for the 2019-2020 school year.
“The goal is to increase the number of students going there every year,” Yu said.