Maryna Veksler’s journey begins with sheer persistence—a Ukrainian teen wooed to FIU by a determined tennis coach despite her limited English and unfamiliarity with U.S. academics. What started as a singular focus on going pro in tennis soon intersected with coding curiosity when she chose computer engineering, sparking a transformation that would redefine both her ambitions and achievements.
From graduating into a job as a mobile app developer with General Motors while war raged back home, Veksler ultimately returned to FIU for graduate studies. There, she delved into digital forensics and drone cybersecurity research, earning a patent and acclaim as “a star” in the lab—leading her to graduate this week with a Ph.D. in computer science. On the court and in the lab, she played smart—and now, she’s setting her sights on postdoctoral work at Virginia Commonwealth University, ready to coach graduate students much like she once coached her teammates.
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