Monay James

Monay James’ computer science degree has led to internships with the U.S. Armed Forces that gave her a glimpse of future innovations. 

Finishing her undergraduate degree in May 2025, she is now attending Villanova University to study software engineering for a graduate degree and is thinking about pursuing a second graduate degree.

She finds the computer science field is challenging and always changing. “I love problem solving,” said James, who attended Winthrop to compete on the track and field team. “Winthrop’s computer science and math courses were extremely rewarding.”

A resident of North Prince George, Virginia, James spent the summer working with the Armed Forces where she was able to build a 3D first-person video game and flight simulator, constructed 3D models of military equipment, ran simulations using real-world models and conducted analysis to optimize performances, and participated in several CTF challenges which are competitions where participants find “flags” by exploring vulnerabilities in systems and applications.

Since graduating, James said she has had the opportunity to work at the National Guard Intelligence Center with a diverse team of engineers while earning her graduate degree. 

“Currently, I am working on a virtual reality research project in partnership with Villanova University's Civil Engineering department to assess and predict flood behavior across different types of terrain,” she said. “I am also working on an augmented reality-based identification system that integrates facial recognition to retrieve medical records and overlay X-ray imagery.”

Ultimately, James would like to build wearable robotics and robotic prothesis like exoskeletons or powered prosthetics. 

She transferred to Winthrop from the College of William and Mary to compete on the track and field team. In 2024, she was Winthrop's first women's heptathlon champion with a school record, garnering her an all-conference honor for the Big South. She hadn’t really excelled in any one event previously but found that competing in seven events – 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200-meter dash, long jump, javelin, and 800-meter run – worked in her favor.

James credited her success in athletics and in the classroom to time management skills and inspiring business, math and computer science professors who made her college experience memorable. “I enjoyed every one of my classes at Winthrop and that is largely due to my professors,” she said. “Winthrop is truly lucky to have them as is any student that has the pleasure of learning from them.”