Larissa Basso awarded 2020-2021 Dean’s Diversity Assistantship from Virginia Tech Graduate School

Larissa Djoufack Basso, a National GEM Consortium Fellow sponsored by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been awarded a 2020-2021 Dean’s Diversity Assistantship (DDA) from the Virginia Tech Graduate School. Basso received a bachelor of science degree in computer science from The George Washington University in May and will pursue a master’s degree in computer science at Virginia Tech.

This assistantship is a partnership between the Graduate School and the Department of Computer Science to offer two years of funding. The recipient is required to enroll in 12 hours each semester, maintain at least a 3.0/4.0 grade point average, and work 20 hours per week on duties assigned by the department. 

From July 2013 to August 2017, Basso served as a healthcare sergeant at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii. She served as a health care specialist (combat medic) in both inpatient and outpatient settings, interacting with more than 1,000 patients per month. Her responsibilities also included training and orienting new staffs and proctoring range qualification training, 

As an undergraduate, Basso had several internships including two at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) where she was an engineering intern for the Project Management Organization and a system engineering intern for ANG-B5 contractor (TSC Enterprise). She was also a software engineering intern at Northrop Grumman Corporation.

Basso was named an Anita Grace Hopper Scholar in 2019. She is also a Lowe’s + AMVETS Scholarship awardee. From Fall 2018 to Spring 2019, she served as co-chair of The George Washington University Women in Computer Science. She is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers.