Several student workers and employees who work for UNLV Information Technology (IT) are celebrating their graduation at this year’s winter commencement held in the Thomas & Mack Center. Graduates earning their master’s and doctoral degrees will have their commencement on Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. Commencement for undergraduates will be held on Dec. 18 at corresponding times.

Bachelor's Degrees

Colton Gabertan, computer science
Gabertan has been supporting our systems engineering team for over two years where he has assisted with system lifecycle administration, coordinating projects, and supporting research computing. With his degree, he plans on expanding his career and will begin working with a cybersecurity firm after graduation.

Teodor Genkov, computer science
Genkov has been a part of IT for four years and currently supports our computer lifecycle management team. He has enjoyed working with a diverse group of people and has gained skills that will help as he plans to pursue a career in information technology.

Hailey Kim, computer science
Kim joined IT over two years ago, currently working as a lab monitor for our information technology services team. After graduation, she hopes to use her degree to further her career in computer science.

Queenie Leung, computer science 
Leung has been a part of IT for almost a year now, supporting the center of excellence in a variety of development and enhancement projects. As a salesforce developer, she’s tested and developed solutions in support of the university’s mission. She looks forward to graduating, continuing her education, and using her degree to find a career in technology.

“Having the opportunity to work with everyone in IT digital enablement has been great,” Leung says. “They have all been amazing individuals and I am so happy I got to know and work with the team.”

Jason Lui, computer science
Jason has been a part of the digital enablement team for over a year. He has enjoyed learning the technologies related to software application developments and IT in general through his contribution to the implementation of several websites in the team.  

Henry Luong, computer science
Luong has been working for the computer lifecycle management team for a little over two years. He values the various technical and interpersonal skills he’s gained throughout his journey that will help him after graduation.

“My favorite part of working in IT is being able to learn hands-on. Learning how to set up computers and work with them has contributed to much of my growth in IT knowledge,” says Luong. “After graduation, I’m hoping to use my degree to pursue a career in software development.”

Cheyenne Malley, biological sciences 
Malley joined the information technology services team early this year as a lab monitor. She hopes to take some time after graduation and use her degree to explore career opportunities in the medical field.

Angelica Morales, biological sciences
Morales joined IT this year and has supported the information technology services team as a lab monitor. After graduation, she plans on continuing her education at UNLV’s School of Dental Medicine.  

Alexander Schupp, computer science
Schupp is a part of the network development and engineering team, originally starting his IT journey two years ago as a help desk agent for the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. Early this year, he became a public service intern and plans to continue supporting his team after graduation.

“Getting the opportunity to see different parts of the campus and how technology supports various functions has been a great experience,” Schupp says. “One of the most rewarding aspects has been being trusted with responsibilities, like researching and configuring brand new equipment, which allowed me to apply what I've learned in real-world scenarios.”

Pulasthi Thennakoon, business administration management
Thennakoon has supported the classroom technology services team for four years, currently as a public service intern. After graduation, he plans to use his degree and the leadership skills he’s learned to continue working with IT.

Cris Alfred Manabat Venzon, information systems 
Venzon has been a part of IT for almost two years, working alongside our systems engineering team. As an ACES student administrator, he assists campus professionals and helps maintain our server support.

Master's Degrees

Nick Azua, cybersecurity 
For over 10 years, Azua has been a part of the digital services and solutions team as a Google apps support specialist. In pursuing a degree in cybersecurity, he’s been able to incorporate many security concepts into his current position. This not only helped him better understand what he has learned but also enhanced the work he does for the university.

“I really enjoy the people I get to work with on a daily basis,” Azua says. “With so many smart, generous people here in IT, there will always be something new to learn.”

Sri Sowmya Nemani, cybersecurity
Nemani graduated this past summer and currently supports our information security office. Originally starting as a student worker, she became a permanent member of the team after graduation. Now, she continues to work on new tools that identify and fix security vulnerabilities at the university.

Rakitha Perera, cybersecurity 
Perera has been a part of IT for 18 years, spending his time at UNLV as both a student and employee. As a multimedia applications developer, he supports the team with his photos, videos, and designs. In pursuing his degree, Perera developed skills for a cybersecurity career and recently conducted the first graduate student-run tabletop exercise to strengthen the university’s coordination and response to cybersecurity events.

Doctorate Degree

Victoria Weaver, curriculum and instruction
Weaver has been a part of the digital services and solutions team for almost nine years now, providing learning management system training and support to our campus community. As she continues to contribute her expertise to higher education, Weaver will be using her degree to share her knowledge with students and teach a course here at UNLV.

“Working at UNLV IT has particularly enhanced my abilities as an educational technology professional,” Weaver says. “The autonomy I've been given to develop and implement training programs has strengthened my instructional design skills and ability to align technology solutions with educational needs.”

These graduates have shown hard work and great dedication to enhancing the technology at UNLV. Congratulations to this winter’s graduating class and for more information on the commencement ceremony, please visit the UNLV commencement page.