Alumni Spotlight: Leveraging Classroom Experience into Industry Opportunity
How Sherrie Cao turned an iii class project into a full-time position within the AI industry
By Hannah Brelsford
Born and raised in Shanghai, China, Sherrie Cao came to the United States to attend the University of Rochester, triple majoring in mathematics, financial economics, and political science.
She then flew across the country to Silicon Valley to explore job opportunities. During this time she fell in love with the area and developed a passion for tech.
In pursuit of furthering her education, she found Carnegie Mellon University’s Silicon Valley campus and the Masters of Science in Software Management degree program to be a perfect fit. A class project launched her into the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, where she has been working since graduating in 2023.
Sherrie’s Journey to the iii + Beyond
- Shanghai ✈ Rochester ✈ Silicon Valley
- Teaching Assistant (TA) & e-Club
- iii class project ⇨ FT job opportunity: Product Manager for Integration at Inworld AI
- Dog Mom & Japanese language studies
- Technology trailblazer
Transitioning from Inside to Outside the Classroom
The MSSM degree matched both Sherrie’s previous education and her future career aspirations. Additionally, its location within the Silicon Valley ecosystem was ideal.
“It fits very well with the location and what everybody else is discussing outside of campus. The transition of moving from campus to off campus is pretty smooth.”
Throughout her time on campus, Sherrie served on the board of the CMU-SV Entrepreneurship Club and worked as a Teaching Assistant, helping out with previous classes that she had completed.
“I always viewed being a TA as a second chance to enhance my knowledge and learn,” Sherrie said.
Sherrie capitalized on these second chances by learning from other students' points of view. “Other people will understand knowledge from a different angle. So for me to explain it means I understand 100% of the information.”
The iii’s interdisciplinary approach to learning prepares students for the realities of industry; they have to understand disciplines other than their own and work on cross-functional teams.
When reflecting upon her MSSM experience, Sherrie said, “We have a tech industry style of thinking, but people have their different specialties. Some people could be good at UX/UI design, some people could be good at engineering, some people could have business specialties.”
The knowledge she gained in the classroom transitioned seamlessly to the workplace, thanks to the practical and applicable topics covered.
“I use the knowledge I gained in the MSSM degree in my actual job. All the classes are designed for what is outside of the campus and happening in the real world.”
Left to right: Kiumarse Zamanian (CEE '92); Krishna Mohan (MSSM '12); Gladys Mercier (CS '00, TPR '07), MSSM Program Director; Karim Shaikh (CEE '96), MSSM Faculty; Sherrie Cao; and Manuja Gokulan (MSSM '21)
Working in the AI Industry
As a product manager for integration at Inworld AI, an AI startup, Sherrie is figuring out how to introduce advanced AI products to the gaming industry.
She first impressed Inworld AI’s team as a student. During her first semester, she was assigned a project to use AI to build a solution for a medical problem.
The solution involved her and her team building an app that used conversational AI for Meta Oculus Quest, Meta’s virtual reality headset. This app was designed to help Autistic children with speech therapy. The conversational AI engine that the team used came from Inworld AI.
After the team completed the project, Sherrie contacted Inworld AI to demo the project to the company. She went one step further: She asked if she could intern there. That internship turned into a part-time job during her final semester and, after graduation, a full-time job.
“Leverage every project that you've done in school to demonstrate your skill set to people in the industry. Don't take class assignments just as something for your professor. Make it innovative for people who are working in the field.”
Working in the AI industry, Sherrie has noticed misconceptions about AI in the general public. Many people see AI as a threat, however, they fail to realize that the technology requires humans to keep it in check.
“You always need human supervision to ensure that the technology is performing as expected and isn’t going to lead to a complete feature or product failure,” Sherrie said.
The AI industry can be challenging since many companies are searching for the right business model and product market fit. Sherrie views her role as part of building the industry and shaping the future of technology.
What’s Next
Within the Tartan community Sherrie has volunteered with the CMU Tech & Entrepreneurship alumni group, which works to strengthen the alumni network. They “connect dots between people and serve the school” to increase their presence and impact within the Bay Area (and other key cities like New York, Boston, and Pittsburgh).
Beyond work, Sherrie is the proud owner of her dog, Potato, who she adopted from a local animal shelter after graduation. She is studying to become proficient in Japanese to further expand her exploration of the world and has also been an active volunteer at Jikoji, a Buddhist temple in Los Gatos.
Going forward, Sherrie plans to stay in the tech industry and Silicon Valley because she loves to be “at the forefront of exciting technologies.”