Rita Sargsyan
AI LA Community
Los Angeles, CA USA
"It’s never late or too early to do anything in life."
Career Roadmap
Rita's work combines: Education, Technology, and Teaching / Mentoring
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Computer Science, Physics and Mathematics
Los Angeles Valley College
Bachelor's Degree
Applied Mathematics
University of California, Los Angeles
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I grew up surrounded by engineers and scientists and thought I would pursue medicine, but eventually realized that path wasn’t true to who I wanted to be.
2.
I pursued three associate degrees in physics, computer science, and math at community college before transferring to UCLA to study applied mathematics.
3.
I stumbled into an internship at a biotech startup, where I helped to develop a prostate cancer treatment—this showed me how technology could really improve people’s lives.
4.
That experience opened my eyes to startups and inspired me to seek out mission-driven people and companies creating positive impact.
5.
I pushed myself to attend events where I knew no one, slowly learning how to connect with people, ask questions, and build confidence in unfamiliar rooms.
6.
After facing roadblocks while finding my own path, I realized I wanted to make it easier for other ambitious young people to discover opportunities.
7.
I joined the IDEAS program and grew into its director, helping Los Angeles community college students build AI and machine learning skills, community, and career pathways.
8.
Today, I bring founders, investors, students, and leaders together, serving as a bridge between different worlds and helping connections turn into opportunities.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Being surrounded by people who are aggressively working towards their goals is intimidating. I've dealt with imposter syndrome and feeling like I'm behind compared to others. I try to turn it into motivation to work hard toward my own goals instead.