Welcome to the Course

I am Prof. Sathya

17 years helping students reach their potential.
Let me share why I find this work rewarding.

↓ Scroll to begin

Here's a question that influenced how I think about teaching:

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Computer A

Copy files

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Computer B

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Person A

Model Behavior

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Person B

"If knowledge could be copied like files, we'd just do lectures. But learning is about habits, mindsets, and practice. That's why teaching and learning is more challenging and requires experiencing being out of our comfort zone."

So if real learning requires the right experiences, how many students actually get them? Gallup followed thousands of college graduates to find out...

of students have all six experiences that matter

Only 63% have even one professor who excited them about learning. This is what I am trying everyday to be better at.

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How about you?

When you're trying to learn something new, which feels most natural?

I like to watch tutorials or lectures and follow step-by-step

I like to dive in and figure it out, looking things up when stuck

I need to understand "why" before I can do "how"

I learn best by talking through it with someone

There's no wrong answer.

What matters is knowing yourself. My aim is to help you become intentional about how you learn—so you can direct your own growth rather than waiting for someone to teach you.

The Path Here

From Physics to Computer Science to... People

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Arcot, Tamil Nadu, India

Born and raised. B.Sc. in Physics. My father was a chemistry professor who built a large women's college in our town. There's an auditorium named after him.

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Chennai → Bangalore → New Delhi

Masters in Computer Applications. First industry jobs at Wipro and Hughes. Embedded systems—mostly worked on products without screens or hard drives.

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New Hampshire → Philadelphia → Princeton

Moved to the US. Security products, then Masters at Temple. 8 years at Panasonic Research Lab. Designed cable modems. PhD at NYU-Poly while working full-time. My research work at Panasonic resulted in 9 patents.

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CSUMB — 2007 to Present

Started with teaching networking and computer architecture. But I kept being drawn to the courses that focus on student growth—FYS, Pro Seminar, Capstone. The "support courses" where I felt I could make the biggest impact.

Now back to those six experiences that matter

The Six Experiences That Predict Career Fulfillment

Remember that 6% statistic? Here are the six experiences from the Gallup research. Check any you've already had:

A professor who made me excited about learning

Not just informative—genuinely inspiring

2.0×

A professor who cared about me as a person

Knew your name, situation, aspirations

1.9×

A mentor who encouraged my goals

Someone who pushed you toward what you wanted

2.2×

A semester-long (or longer) project

Sustained work on something meaningful

1.8×

An internship applying classroom learning

Real work that connected to your education

2.0×

Deep involvement in extracurriculars

Clubs, organizations, leadership roles

1.8×

of 6 experiences

Select any experiences you've had above

What Guides Me

Three Principles I Keep Coming Back To

I don't follow these perfectly. But I keep trying.

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Be Mindful

Don't react quickly. Don't make snap judgments. Stay open. Be thoughtful about things.

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Be Kind

The world would be better if everyone tried being kind. So I try as much as I can.

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Make a Difference

Leave things better than you found them. A class, a team, a student's trajectory.

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Which resonates most with where you are right now?

No right answer—just what you're working on.

Be Mindful — I tend to react quickly and want to slow down

Be Kind — I want to show up better for the people around me

Make a Difference — I want my work to matter beyond myself

Hold onto that.

This course will ask you to be mindful (reflect before acting), kind (to peers and yourself), and make a difference (create real value). Your instinct about what you need to develop is probably right.

Beyond Work

The Rest of Life

🏡 San Jose — lived in bay area since 2012

👨‍👩‍👧 Family time and travel

📚 Always reading something

🥾 Hiking with family and dogs

"My father, the chemistry professor, emphasized the importance of education to all of us. Maybe there's such a thing as a 'professor gene'—I seem to have inherited his passion for it."

My personal time is all about family—my wife and our two dogs. Our golden is no longer with us. Apart from spending time, walking and hiking with them, I also like to read and bike.

Sedona 2013

Cambria 2025

The Work

What I'm Trying to Build

$25M+

Raise external funding to build learning opportunities

12+

Develop new courses relevant for the moment

Cohort programs to provide better academic and professional support

Statewide institute to scale the services to more students

I try to redesign my courses each semester to meet the moment. CTI, cohort programs, internship workshops, scholarship pipelines - all trying to give students the experiences that actually matter.

Let's Begin

Now you know where I come from and what drives me. I'm looking forward to working with you.

📅 Schedule a Meeting 📧 snarayanan@csumb.edu 💬 @profsathya on Slack