Cynthia Lionheart’s story is one of resilience, determination and a passion for developing inclusive technology. She faced a serious illness at age 19, with her doctors uncertain about her recovery. Despite the odds, Cynthia fought for her health for years with a singular goal: to return to college. In January 2023, she achieved that goal by starting at NOVA. Having previously studied marketing, Cynthia shifted her focus to technology, driven by a desire to build tools that help people with disabilities.
Cynthia’s latest endeavor is the development of a cutting-edge product finder, changing the lives of people with contact allergies.
Read more about Cynthia’s journey below.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I have contact allergies to five ingredients, each hidden under numerous chemical aliases. This makes buying personal care products a struggle. Last year on Black Friday, after spending hours searching for cosmetics that were safe for me, I decided to create a solution. Using the Python skills I’d learned in NOVA Professor Emilia Butu’s class, I built a script to scan product ingredients for safety. With Professor Butu’s encouragement, I teamed up with my friend Chris, also a NOVA student, to further develop the script into a website and eventually an app. Our aim is to help others facing similar challenges.
What brought you to NOVA?
I chose NOVA for its proximity, and I started here in Spring 2023. I was nervous about returning to college after years of simply trying to survive, so I began with just two classes — and earned an A in both! Since then, I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA as a full-time student managing 16 credits. This journey has not only improved my health but also led to multiple awards, including the 2024 NOVA SEAL Award for Service, Engagement, Academics and Leadership. I earned second place at the 2024 NOVA Honors Conference for my work on accessibility in ridesharing, and I came in third place in Amazon's 2023 Next Design Competition for redesigning a Lyft app to better serve people with disabilities. I was recruited for a 2024 summer internship at the Small Business Administration (SBA) to enhance the agency’s websites, and I also won an “ideathon” at George Mason University for a novel approach to combating misinformation. None of this would have been possible without the skills I gained at NOVA and the unwavering support of my professors, who have been incredible mentors, always encouraging and cheering me on with every accomplishment.
Tell us about your experience at NOVA (i.e., professors you’ve liked and friends you’ve met).
My first semester, I met Professor Meredith Aquila, who encouraged me to apply for the Fulbright program. I started crying because I had only recently returned from fighting for my life; I was taking only two classes, but that felt like a huge step forward for me. Yet here was my professor, believing I could pursue even higher education. Her faith in me made me feel like I could achieve anything and significantly influenced my success.
I’m also deeply grateful to Professor Butu, my Python instructor, who profoundly impacted my academic and professional journey. Professor Butu believes that anyone can learn to code, and she fosters an environment where making mistakes is simply part of the learning process. Her encouragement meant the world to me. She was so proud of a program I wrote to assist people with disabilities that she urged me to share it with the entire class. That’s how I met my friend Chris, and together we expanded the program into a fully functional website.
What would you tell a student coming to NOVA?
The Career Services team gives away the best swag!
What are you studying at NOVA?
I’m majoring in IT. My goal is to get into GMU's 4+1 program so I can earn a bachelor’s in IT and a master’s in software engineering. I want to build technology that helps people with disabilities.