Naja A.

Mack
2955 Hermitage Drive
Sumter, SC 29150
Email: nmack@claflin.edu
Phone: 803-840-4374

April 11, 2010

HR Manager
HP

Dear Sir/Madam

I am writing to express my interest in the Entry Level Software Designer position advertised through the
Yahoo Job search engine. HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and
services to consumers and businesses. By starting my career developing truly remarkable technologies like
hardware that thinks for itself and nanotechnology applications that are years ahead of the competition with other
employees at HP I will make a great start in my career. I am interested in becoming a part of your team where we
will invent, engineer and deliver technology solutions that drive business value, create social value and
improve the lives of your customers together. I am certain that my educational background, work
experience and internship experiences will make me a great candidate for your Entry Level Software
Designer position.

On May 8, 2010 I will graduate from Claflin University with a Bachelor of Science in Computer
Engineering with Honors. During my matriculation at Claflin I have followed a meticulous curriculum.
I have taken relevant courses that have taught me engineering principles and concepts such as Systems
and Signals, Embedded Systems, and Digital Signals and Processing. Throughout this program I have
been introduced and exposed to several programming languages including: C++, Java, Perl, and C#. I
have completed several projects that have shown that I mastered the skills of the set forth curriculum.
The most complex and significant project that I have designed and developed was a Simulated Banking
System in my Software Engineering class. This was a group project and we followed the software
development life cycle and used project management fundamentals. I demonstrated leadership in the
development of the banking system and ensured optimum collaboration and knowledge of the functions
of the program. I actively worked to resolve the project challenges and ease the knowledge passed
between group members on a certain area. I approached problems associated with the project in a
rational manner using strategies that were comprehensible and effective. During the implementation of
this project I learned the C# programming language independently as well as create databases and link
them in the code using SQL statements. This project was a success and met all the requirements set.

While at Claflin I have been a part of two scholar programs, The Leadership Alliance and the HBCU-UP
Program. These programs have allowed me to serve as a Research Intern at my home institution and at
Brown University. I was also mentored by the top professors in the schools departments.
My first research experience was in the area of bioinformatics, at Claflin University under Mr. Ananda
Mondal, Assistant Professor of Computer Science. The purpose of this research was to create a
classification model that would accurately classify or group unknown viral genome sequences using
criteria that we had developed prior to creating the final model. During this period, I was able to learn
about the characteristics of viruses specific to their genomes and family classifications. Data was
collected from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which was used in the
research. I also was able to gain experience using a new programming language known as Perl, which
was used to create the classification criteria and model respectively.
My second research experience, also my honors thesis project, was conducted at Brown University
under Dr. Joseph Mundy, Professor of Engineering (Research) as a Leadership Alliance scholar. The
goal of this research project was to create a 3-D model visualization tool, to validate the recognition of
an object in a specified region. The key idea was to identify the object by its features. A histogram was
produced to help validate that the object and its features were actually there in the 3-D model. This tool,
works in conjunction with a 3-D volume software program called Drishti. C++ was the language I used
to create the visualization tool. Although I had prior knowledge of the language, as a result of this
research experience I became more proficient with it.
I have great communication, collaboration, and influencing skills. I also show great leadership, initiative
and self- motivation. This has been shown through holding many positions in the National Society of
Black Engineers where I have been Vice President, Programs Chair, Senator, and am currently serving
as President. I have learned that having great communication and collaboration makes assigned task and
duties go smoothly.

I also work at Claflin University as a Residential Assistant (RA). As a RA I manage a floor of 30

ethnically diverse freshman students. I meet with residents who are experiencing concerns (roommate
conflicts, personal issues, etc.) and refer them to the appropriate resource for assistance as necessary. I
plan and implement at least eight programs per semester resulting in a well-rounded educational and
recreational residence hall environment. I work in the office located in the dorm for 15 hours a week,
where I am always on time, performing duties such as responding to student and staff questions,
answering telephones, and submit paperwork timely and completely (nightly duty logs, weekly reports,
incident/personal concern reports, maintenance requests, etc.). I am also trusted to enforce University
and Residence Life rules and regulations resulting in a safe, orderly, and enjoyable living environment.
I meet with residents who are experiencing concerns (roommate conflicts, personal issues, etc.) and refer
them to the appropriate resource for assistance as necessary.

I am excited that HP is a company that brings together the brightest minds from around the world to
create innovations that help change people’s lives: from cutting-edge personal digital equipment to the
most powerful IT solutions. I believe that I would make a great team member driven to improve,
outperform and make important contributions to HP. I am excited that HP offers many opportunities to
develop and gain exposure to global business as part of an ambitious culture that will challenge me to go
further, and would reward me if I did so.

Thanks for your consideration and time I have enclosed my resume in case you need to contact me for
futher discussions about this opportunity.

Yours Sincerely,

Naja A. Mack