Mary Nankya ‘23, the 2025 recipient of the Young Alumni Recognition Award, gushes with pride when talking about the impact that Fitchburg State had on her as a graduate student.
“Fitchburg has been such an amazing community to me, and I’m thankful for the opportunities that opened up for me when I joined as a graduate student,” she said. “Right now I’m succeeding because of that great support and the support when I was a student here.”
Nankya, born and raised in Uganda, received her bachelor’s degree in computer science from Makerere University in Uganda. She came to the United States to pursue her master’s degree and found Fitchburg State University, where she received her master’s in computer science in 2023.
“When I joined Fitchburg State University as one of the international students in the fall of 2022, I could never have imagined the journey that awaited me,” said Nankya, noting that she completed her master’s in only one year and five months. “Fitchburg State University became my second home.”
Fitchburg State’s Executive Director of International Education Nelly Wadsworth says from the very moment she met Nankya, she noticed that her energy and passion were undeniable.
“She approaches every opportunity with positivity and purpose, and she’s never afraid to take on a challenge,” Wadsworth said. “What makes Mary’s story so inspiring is how she has transformed every obstacle into a stepping stone toward success. Her resilience, determination, and grace truly set her apart. She is a powerful example of leadership and perseverance, and her journey continues to inspire everyone around her, especially young women who see what’s possible through her example.”
Currently, Nankya serves as the Director of Data and Evaluation at Hearth, Inc., Boston’s only organization dedicated to ending elderly homelessness. Nankya drives strategic initiatives to measure program outcomes, enhance data systems, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
“Being a part of that support to end elderly homelessness, has been such a great initiative,” she said. “If it wasn’t for Fitchburg, I’m not sure I would have had those great leadership skills to be appointed in such a very busy department.”
She has received numerous honors, including the LinkedIn Top Programming Voice Award, and the AnitaB.org Advancing Inclusion Faculty Scholarship. She’s also passionate about advancing gender equity in technology, and continues to mentor women and girls in STEM through organizations such as AnitaB.org Institute, American Association of University Women, and Women in Technology Global.
Nankya also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Fitchburg State, teaching graduate computer science courses while conducting research in AI, cybersecurity, and 6G networks—work that has been published in top-tier journals and cited globally.
“I’m very excited to support other students and help them to follow my path,” Nankya said. “It’s very exciting to be able to teach the next generation as a faculty member here at Fitchburg State University. I know their journeys because I’ve been there and I know they can succeed no matter how far they came from or how difficult it is to figure out a lot of things on campus. I’m able to give them my story and share with them the journey that I took, and be able to advise them and help them make better decisions just like I was given the support.”
Computer science became Nankya’s career path, thanks to the mentorship from Professor Xuzhou "Brady" Chen, of the Computer Science Department.
“I’m very thankful to my advisor, Dr. Chen, who supported me when I was a student and supported me making one of the best decisions of taking computer science, as well as excelling and giving me support when I reached out to do an independent study,” Nankya said.
Nankya’s journey hasn’t always been easy, while juggling her education and family life.
“Balancing education was really a challenge,” she said. “I was separated from my two children and it was not easy. This community surrounded me with kindness and strength.”
In August, however, Nankya, after three years of being apart from her children, returned home to Uganda and “spent a whole month with family and my children” while also enjoying a family trip to Dubai.
Nankya’s educational pursuit continues, as the Fitchburg State graduate has been admitted to UMass Dartmouth to begin her PhD in engineering and applied science with a specialization in computer science and information systems in the spring of 2026. Her research will focus on developing reliable, resilient, and explainable machine learning models for cyber threat detection.
She added that she would be honored to one day come back to Fitchburg State as a faculty member on the campus that played an important role in her journey.
“I’m looking to many more future successes,” Nankya said.