Changing Careers to Create Inclusive Technologies
Wenjin Xu, MS’25, information systems, was a former educator and school principal before pursuing her master’s degree. The challenges along her journey have only empowered her and solidified her dream of creating meaningful and inclusive technologies to better serve communities.
Wenjin Xu is currently a graduate student in the MS in information systems program. Before joining Northeastern University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and worked as a chemistry teacher. She later served as a principal, a role that helped her develop strong leadership and communication skills. Ultimately, she transitioned into the technology field, working as a software tester before pursuing her master’s degree.
Xu’s decision to join Northeastern was influenced by its strong industry connections and experiential learning model. The cooperative projects and practical courses also stood out to her. She found a program that could combine her educational background and leadership experience with her future goals in cloud computing and software engineering. The Northeastern campus in the Bay Area, along with its cloud computing–focused courses, aligned well with her career aspirations. Xu shares that she had a strong interest in artificial intelligence and cloud computing even before attending classes.
What makes Xu’s story especially meaningful is that her journey began as an international student and career switcher who arrived in the U.S. for the first time in January 2024. Despite being new to both the country and the tech field, she quickly adapted to life at Northeastern and immersed herself in campus activities. Within just a few months, she held five different student roles—including teaching assistant and campus ambassador—which helped her build confidence, strengthen her communication skills, and grow professionally.
The curriculum at Northeastern has been highly aligned with her goals. Courses like “Web Design” (INFO 6150) and “Cloud Computing” have provided hands-on technical experience while also enhancing her collaboration and teaching skills. Serving as a Teaching Assistant allowed her to grow as both a communicator and a mentor. Through this role, she developed valuable communication and stakeholder engagement skills—essential for success in client-facing roles.
Xu secured her co-op at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a solutions architect. This experience significantly deepened her understanding of cloud architecture, stakeholder engagement, and long-term project planning. During her time at AWS, she contributed to designing cloud-based solutions for educational clients, with a focus on scalability, cost optimization, and security. She landed this opportunity through a combination of technical preparation, active participation in career fairs, and support from Northeastern’s co-op office.
Xu expresses deep gratitude to the faculty and mentors who have supported her along the way. She especially acknowledges web design Adjunct Professor Fernando Augusto López Plascencia and her co-op advisor Erica Hatzievgenakis for their steadfast guidance and encouragement, both inside the classroom and beyond.
Group Project:
One of the most meaningful group projects Xu worked on was the design and deployment of a cloud-based photo management system using AWS and Terraform. Completed as the final project for her “Cloud Computing” course, the system required her team to prioritize scalability, security, and cost-efficiency. Xu and her teammates faced challenges such as configuring access permissions across multiple services and debugging infrastructure-as-code scripts. They overcame these obstacles by researching best practices, collaborating closely, and applying the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
Xu shares that the project has real-world potential in fields like education, healthcare, and personal storage management. It not only taught her how to apply cloud skills to solve practical problems but also solidified her aspiration to become a long-term cloud solutions architect.
Beyond the classroom, Xu actively engages with tech communities and diversity-focused initiatives. She participates in Women in Tech meetups and mentorship circles, where she connects with women engineers and product leaders. She also creates content on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), sharing insights on tech internships, cloud computing, and career transitions. Her goal is to bridge the information gap for international students and aspiring female technologists.
Future Perspective
Xu reflects that her experience at Northeastern has been a transformative chapter in her career. Transitioning from an educator and school principal to a future tech leader has been both challenging and empowering. Her long-term ambition is to launch her own technology company focused on developing cloud-based solutions for education, accessibility, and public service. She is driven to design systems that not only scale but also serve communities often left behind in the digital transformation.
At Northeastern, Xu has not only gained technical expertise but also discovered her voice as a leader committed to driving change. She hopes to continue growing into a founder who creates meaningful, inclusive technologies—and inspires others to take bold steps toward their goals.