Two recent N.C. State University graduates, Harsh Bhagalia and David Sweasey, are now full-time employees at NCDIT, continuing work they began as student developers during a capstone project to support the Statewide IT Procurement Office.
As part of their senior design project, Harsh and David helped build a prototype for a web application that gives stakeholders visibility into IT procurement processes. Their work directly supported the department’s mission to streamline procurement and improve service for agencies across the state.
Now part of the Enterprise Architecture and Innovation team under State Chief Architect and Innovation Director Keith Briggs, they are contributing to automation and AI projects that continue to support operational efficiency within IT procurement — work that had previously been outsourced.
Their hiring reflects NCDIT Secretary Teena Piccione’s commitment to recent college graduates and providing them with an opportunity to expand upon the skills they learned in college and encouraging them to develop their careers within state government.
“Being able to work with the NCDIT for my senior capstone project gave me the opportunity to expand my skillset,” said Bhagalia, who was a computer science student with a minor in business administration. “It built a bridge for me between being a student and becoming a full-time employee for NCDIT.”
“I am passionate about programming and love to learn new technologies,” said Sweasey, who majored in computer science with a concentration in artificial intelligence and a minor in mathematics. “I am thrilled to continue my work with IT Procurement and explore ways automation and AI can benefit the state.”