Arturo Gomez Molina
When Arshia Sharma ’22 first started applying to colleges, she imagined herself studying business. Halfway through the first semester of her senior year in high school, that plan changed. She realized business administration was not the right fit and made a late pivot into computer science, keeping Chapman University on her list as she rewrote what her future might look like.
A visit to campus helped make the decision feel real. For Sharma it was not just the tour, but it was the major-specific department session she attended. The way faculty and students spoke about the program clicked for her, and just as importantly, it clicked for her parents. Seeing their reaction was the moment she knew she could build her new path at Chapman.
Building a Technical Foundation
Sharma entered Chapman as the university’s computer science program was still growing, and she built her foundation alongside it. In the classroom, she developed the fundamentals that would later shape her career. She still points to her early programming courses as pivotal, especially her first Python class and the rigor of data structures.
“Data structures taught me how to think like an engineer,” Sharma said. “Breaking down complex problems, optimizing code, and designing with real-world constraints made the work feel practical, not just theoretical.”
Even her setbacks became part of her growth. One of the hardest early assignments was building a blackjack simulator in Java Script. She struggled, tweaked it, and eventually realized the real issue was that she did not understand how blackjack was played. Once she understood the game, the coding made more sense. Her lesson stuck with her: understand the problem before trying to solve it.
Leadership and Learning Beyond the Lecture
Outside class, Sharma said yes to opportunities early and often. She signed up for clubs at the Student Involvement Fair, tested what fit, and eventually took on roles that kept her deeply connected to the engineering community.
She became a student tutor, often working with students who were new to programming and needed concepts explained in a different way. She said teaching others forced her to think more clearly, communicate more simply, and it helped her meet people where they were.
She also served as a Fowler liaison, supporting events and programming, including efforts that helped guide first-generation students through their early college experience. Over time, she found mentorship and community not only through peers and professors, but through staff who helped her stay engaged, connected, and confident.
A Startup Experience That Opened the Door to Disney
COVID changed everything, but Sharma noticed one important constant. Fowler’s transition to remote learning felt smooth and steady, even when other parts of college life were uncertain. As disruptive as that moment was, it became a turning point. She had been considering game development, but the remote format and technical setup made it difficult to pursue, so she pivoted toward an analytics minor. Through those courses, she discovered a path into data science.
Then another setback became an opportunity. When Sharma’s internship was canceled, one of her professors created an alternative experience for students in the same position. He launched an “analytics simulation,” organizing students into a real-world style team to build an R Shiny application and work with tools like AWS. It became the hands-on summer experience Sharma needed, and it gave her a strong answer when interviewers asked what she did after her internship disappeared.
With that momentum, she kept applying to the Walt Disney Company, repeatedly, refining her materials and interview skills each time, until she finally earned her chance and landed the internship that would launch her career.
“That project was the reason I got my internship at Disney,” Sharma said. “If it wasn’t for our professor’s proactive actions, I’m not sure I’d be here today.”
From Chapman Student to Disney Team Leader
Sharma began at Disney as an intern in 2021 while finishing her senior year at Chapman. She stayed on the same team, under the same boss, transitioning to full-time and growing into her current role as a senior data scientist.
Today, she builds models and applications, produces online tools for relevant stakeholders, and focuses on making other teams’ work faster and easier. She describes the best part of her job as never being bored and always having space to be creative.
“Curiosity can take you far,” Sharma said. “Chapman gave me the technical depth to build real systems and the confidence to keep asking questions.”
Those habits, paired with persistence, helped her turn a late high school pivot into a career she is still excited to grow at Disney.
