Month: September 2020

Mohammed H. Batarfi – a December 2019 Stetson graduate that is now completing his Post Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) with DuvaSawko got a promotion during the one-year-extension of his F1 visa status. 

Mohammed is an international student from Saudi Arabia that graduated Stetson University with a bachelor’s degree in Computer and Information Sciences focusing in Computer Information Systems. With the support of Stetson WORLD, Mohammed was able to apply for OPT, with the goal of stepping into a working space, putting his gained knowledge and skills to use, and starting a career. To do so, Mohammed began his research for jobs in all platforms possible. He recalls having to complete multiple interviews a week, especially during his last semester at Stetson. Mohammed’s efforts paid off and he was accepted to DuvaSawko – an emergency medicine RCM service founded and operated by Emergency Department physicians” in Ormond Beach, Florida. Mohammed assures that the hiring process was not overly complicated. To get the position, he completed interviews with the CIO of the company and the Department of Human Resources and took an evaluation test, which landed him the job.

Initially, Mohammed learned about the position during his last semester at Stetson. As the CIO of DuvaSawko, Tim Branz, was a Stetson graduate, when Duvasawko was in need of a Software Engineer expert, Branz contacted one of the professors in the Computer Science Department. Mohammed learned about the job via his professor and started the application process. He was able to work in the company as a part-time employee with a required CPT status – Curricular Practical Training. That international employment status is available to all F1 students meeting specific criteria set out by USDCIS. CPT allows international students to partake in any work/study, internship, fellowship opportunity that directly earns credit toward graduation in their selected major. After finishing Stetson, Mohammed changed his status to an OPT student.

Mohammed has worked in the company for around a year now, and DuvaSawko rewarded his hard work with a promotion from the position of Software Engineer to DevOps Technology Manager. In his new position, Mohammed is responsible for the whole technology stack of the company which includes all servers, systems, databases, application tools, third-party vendors, and security. Although the promotion multiplied his work responsibilities, Mohammed, who has completed OPT and is now working remotely from his home country, truly enjoys his job and finds it to be full of amazing opportunities.

To the current Stetson students who also plan on doing OPT, Mohammed recommends starting their research and application process as early as possible and to avoid getting discouraged by outrageous requirements from the employers. Saying so, Mohammed recommends applying for positions even in cases when the student does not entirely match the requirements of the employer. This is because he believes that companies may have strict requirements in hopes of finding the ideal employee, however, while interviewing the potential candidates, they usually make some compromises and select  the best-suited candidate.

Written by Ani Martikyan, Stetson ‘23