Northwestern CS Announces Fall 2025 Outstanding Teaching Assistant and Peer Mentors

Northwestern Computer Science teaching assistants and peer mentors play a vital role in supporting students across a wide range of computing backgrounds by providing individualized guidance and real-time feedback. The department celebrates this vibrant peer community by honoring students who demonstrate outstanding commitment to mentoring and teaching through the Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant, Outstanding Peer Mentor, and Career Peer Mentor awards. Career peer mentors have demonstrated exceptional service for at least three quarters.

"The committee had a challenge to select the best teaching assistant and peer mentors among many strong nominees,” said Aleksandar Kuzmanovic, professor of computer science at Northwestern Engineering and chair of the awards committee.

Nominated by any member of the department for service to the CS community that goes beyond expectations, the teaching assistants and peer mentors work with faculty to deliver courses and support of the highest quality. Six students were cited in fall 2025.

“The strength of our instruction is driven in part because of the extreme dedication of our PhD students who serve as teaching assistants and our undergraduate students who support their peers through extensive office hours—especially in our most challenging courses,” said Samir Khuller, Peter and Adrienne Barris Chair of Computer Science at the McCormick School of Engineering. “My warm congratulations to all the winners and a big thanks!”

Fall 2025 Peter and Adrienne Barris Outstanding Teaching Assistant

Emilie Rivkin
PhD student in computer science
Course: COMP_SCI 336: Design & Analysis of Algorithms

Nominator notes: “Emmi has been essential to CS 336 this quarter. She is super proactive. She also cares deeply about the student experience. She developed new discussion section materials, tweaked explanations to communicate topics more effectively, and is extremely thoughtful about providing feedback on assignments. We are lucky to have her on the course team!”

Fall 2025 Career Peer Mentor Award

Erin Park
Final-year undergraduate student in computer science
Courses: COMP_SCI 211: Fundamentals of Computer Programming II and COMP_SCI 358: Intro to Parallel Computing

Nominator notes: “Erin has been a dedicated PM for more than three years and continually goes above and beyond to help students. In CS 358, she made some great suggestions to improve the programming projects. This quarter, she stayed late on Friday evenings after CS 358 office hours to help CS 211 students.”

Fall 2025 Outstanding Peer Mentors

Kevin Ha
Fourth-year student in computer science
Course: COMP_SCI 351-1: Intro to Computer Graphics

Nominator notes: “Kevin has been actively helping with the development of graphics for multiple quarters. He's developed assignments, reviewed lectures, held extensive office hours, and developed hands-on tool tutorials. I couldn't ask for a better peer mentor.”

Ryan Liu
Third-year student pursuing a double major in computer science and mathematics
Course: CS 336

Nominator notes: “Ryan genuinely transforms the way I understand the material. He explains concepts clearly and adapts his approach to what I personally need, breaking things down in ways that finally make everything click. What really stands out is how he creates an environment where I never feel judged, discouraged, or inadequate, even when I’m struggling. Ryan sets an example of what truly supportive mentorship should look like. His presence has made a meaningful difference in my learning, and I’m genuinely grateful for the way he shows up every single time.”

Sofia Maidman
Fourth-year student earning a combined bachelor’s degree in computer engineering with a minor in business institutions and master’s degree in computer science
Course: COMP_SCI 308: Foundations of Security

Nominator notes: “Sofia has developed high-quality content this quarter, including homework and exam problems and a new tutorial-style optional assignment. She is always willing to help and is a great team player. I'm very grateful to her.”

Omotayo Oludemi
Third-year student in computer science
Course: COMP_SCI 214: Data Structures and Algorithms

Nominator notes: “Tayo has been a driving force on the team over the past year. He's done great work developing materials to help students learn software testing, which allowed us to put a greater emphasis on it in the class. Tayo is always eager to jump in and help, and students appreciate his laid back and supportive attitude.”

Mimi Zhang
Third-year student in computer science
Course: COMP_SCI 350: Introduction to Computer Security

Nominator notes: “Mimi’s kindness, technical aptitude, and communication skills embody the qualities of an incredible peer mentor. She makes a careful effort to support CS 350 students through difficult networking and security topics from a ground-up perspective. I appreciate how she meets every student with kindness and a willingness to help. Students are grateful for her ability to translate very technical concepts into more approachable language. Mimi is also super active on campus and inspires me to be a contributing member of the Northwestern Computer Science community.”