I am Mahyar Vahabi,
Welcome to my Portfolio!

Mahyar Vahabi

As a software engineering student at UCSC, I have gained a strong foundation in programming
languages such as Python, C, C++, HTMLS/CSS as well as skills in software development, data strucutres &
algorithm, machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer networking, and database management.
I am eager to apply my skills and knowledge to real-world projects, strenghten my software skills, and learn from experienced engineers.

Background

I am an Iranian-born student who moved to the United States at the age of 12. Although I regularly miss home, I see myself as extremely fortunate to have been able to continue my life in a foreign country. Growing up here made me appreciate learning about different cultures and value the best combinations of life, living as a bi-cultural person. It is hard to be away from home when you have so many friends and family that you do not see or talk to as much as before, which has been quite frankly one of the hardest parts I deal with every now and then.

Oftentimes I praise my country, only to describe the positive aspects of life in Iran; due to the media coverage, there is a negative connotation with "Iran", even though there is so much more to this country than the western world sees. Iranian history has had a significant impact on the world through art, architecture, poetry, science and technology, medicine, philosophy, and engineering. People often describe Iran as a country with "eclectic cultural elasticity", a key defining characteristic of the Iranian identity and a clue to its historical longevity.

Education

I was one of the first group of students who entered college once COVID-19 sent the world into lockdown. Being graduated from a local high school in Santa Cruz meant that I was going to move far away to attend college. Unfortunately, life or destiny or faith (whatever it was) decided that I attend the University of California, Santa Cruz. To be fair, I have since loved UCSC for its wonderful Computer Science Program, as well as for finding friends and connections through different paths.

I am now graduating in the Winter of 2026, with a Master of Science in Computer Science. It has been an honest pleasure to have been educated here, as I hope to take the knowledge and the skill set that I have gained from the last 4-6 years and apply them to industry-related work. In the later years, I plan to specialize in something I found interesting like Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.

Projects

  • Data Strucutres
    • Series of popular algorithmic programs, designed mostly in C/C++, from simple linked lists to graphs, sorting/seraching, and etc.
  • Machine Learning
    • Small projects that showcases different ML applications in the real world.
  • Computer Networks
    • Concentration on HTTP servers and network firewalls and topology designs.
  • Multi Threading
    • Series of programs that are built up on top of each other, eventually creating a multi-threaded HTTP servers.
  • Computer Graphics
    • Introduces techniques of modeling, transformation, and rendering for computer-generated imagery. Topics: 2D/3D primitives, projections, matrix composition, and shading algorithms.
  • RSA Encyption
    • This is a program that encrypts and decrypts messages.

Skills and experties

Software:

  • C/C++ (4 years)
  • Python (3 years)
  • Java (2 years)
  • HTML/CSS/JS (2 years)
  • MATLAB & R (1 year)
  • SQL & Postgres (1 year)

Technical:

  • Object-Oriented Programming (4 years)
  • Data Structures (3 years)
  • Machine Learning (2 years)
  • Computer Networks & Protocols (1 year)
  • Databases (1 year)
  • Computer Graphics (1 year)