Sangalang graduated with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, magna cum laude, from Cal State LA and is now pursuing a master’s degree. His interest in the field stemmed from his fascination with video games but he didn’t get his first exposure to coding until his high school AP computer science class. Sangalang has served as a student mentor for the Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers program, where he assisted middle schoolers as they learned coding, robotics, 3D printing and augmented reality. Sangalang also led campus tours, was a student panelist and served as a mentor with Project GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs). This fall he received the CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement, the highest student distinction within the university. “After graduating from the master’s program, I plan on pursuing a career in cybersecurity and getting as much experience and knowledge as possible from that field,” he says. “And I eventually would like to build my own company.”