Spotlighting the IS Sphere Program

Hi! My name is Riyan (ree-YAWN), and I’m a first-year student from Los Angeles studying information systems (IS) with a double minor in engineering studies and innovation & entrepreneurship. I like to describe IS as the intersection of computer science and business, working at the junction between people, process and technology. The IS Sphere has been one of the most impactful parts of discovering what that really means at CMU.

Among the flood of pre-semester emails about housing forms and schedules, one really stuck out. It asked me to sign up for something called “IS Sphere”—something I had never heard of before—and to fill out a “Mentee Matching Form.”

The IS Sphere is a student-led support program designed specifically for IS students, combining peer mentorship with professional development, community building and exposure to opportunities within and beyond the major. I quickly filled out the form, answering questions about where I’m from, what I’m planning to concentrate or minor in and other questions to best fit me with a peer mentor.

Not even two weeks into the semester, I received an email from Riya, my new peer mentor, introducing herself and asking to meet. She introduced herself as a sophomore from the San Francisco Bay Area double majoring in information systems and robotics. We thought it super ironic that we’re both from California, interested in very similar topics of study and also share 80% of our names! She said that she was very excited to see my submission in the list because there aren’t many women in IS pursuing the more technical side of the major, and she was eager to connect. Having someone I connected with over this was important to me as well, and it made the IS and general CMU programs feel more welcoming and navigable. 

But beyond the mentorship itself, the IS Sphere keeps us plugged into the broader IS community. We receive email blasts telling us about new and exciting events coming up, internship opportunities, and more important information relating to life at CMU and our professional careers. They also hold monthly get-togethers with free food, hot chocolate and IS swag while we learn about different opportunities available to us in the IS major.

Through the IS Sphere, I was able to meet Riya as well as so many other remarkable upperclassmen in the IS program that I never would have met otherwise. Riya and I also hang out outside the scheduled events, grabbing lunch or boba together and locking in for whatever exam is coming up. She gives me valuable advice on my course selections, classes she’s already taken, and so much more.  

I’m so excited for the coming years, when Riya will still be my peer mentor, but I’ll also be able to pass on what I’ve learned to mentees of my own. The IS Sphere has been an outstanding experience that has cemented my love for CMU, and I wouldn’t give it up for the world.