Meet the Open Mainframe Project Summer 2026 Mentees and Mentors

Mentees:

Brenda Aguinaga Torres

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m an undergraduate at the University of North Texas studying Business Computer Information Systems while fast-tracking through a master’s program in Information Systems Management.
2. I got my first look at legacy enterprise systems working as a customer service representative at State Farm, and it sparked my curiosity about how large organizations maintain and modernize the technology they depend on.
3. I found my way to this mentorship after attending a New to Z event on campus where a guest speaker introduced the Open Mainframe Project, and I’ve been exploring the space ever since.

Rhian Barton

1. I’m a Mainframe Infrastructure Engineer at Barclays Bank, completing a degree apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions with a specialization in mainframe at Manchester Metropolitan University.
2. My long-term goal is to become a technical leader who bridges the gap between mainframe and modern technologies, guiding teams through modernization initiatives.
3. What makes my position unique is that I’m combining academic study with daily hands-on work on production mainframe systems, giving me both the curiosity to learn and the context to apply it immediately.

Mentors: 

Bruno Azenha, Global FSI Tech Strategy and Modernization at Red Hat

Mentorship Description:

Advance thought leadership around what it means to modernize the mainframe. Our mentorship program offers you the chance to research, analyse, and document strategies for modernization of mainframes and the applications workloads that run on top of it. You’ll work closely with a mentor and connect with top industry professionals.

Deliverables: A whitepaper to be published under the modernization working group banner.

AI powered mainframe data modernization

Mentees:

Muhammad Imran

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m a Computer Science student at Farmingdale State College graduating in May 2026, with hands-on experience in backend development, APIs, and scalable systems through internships and real-world projects.
2. I’ve mentored 30+ students in data structures and algorithms, which has sharpened my ability to break down complex concepts as much as it has my technical skills.
3. The Zowe Java SDK work draws me in because it connects modern Java development with real-world system automation, exactly the kind of problem I want to be working on.

Adithe Das

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m a senior Computer Science student finishing my final semester and moving into the professional phase of my career with a focus on systems, backend development, and open source.
2. My long-term goal is to contribute consistently to open source communities and work on large-scale systems where performance and reliability matter.
3. This mentorship appeals to me because it offers hands-on experience in a real open source environment, the kind of practical, production-level work I can’t get in a classroom.

Jorge Samaniego

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m a Computer Science student at Farmingdale State College who builds projects outside of class and recently helped develop and present Mirror72, a full stack app that predicts energy and mood based on sleep and daily habits, at a hackathon.
2. I’m drawn to this mentorship specifically to work on the Zowe Client Java SDK and z/OSMF workflow APIs, the kind of large-scale, production-level backend work I’m actively seeking out.
3. What sets me apart is that I don’t wait for experience to come to me, I find it through hackathons, independent projects, and opportunities like this one.

Ashish Kumar Dash

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m a second-year Computer Science student at IIT Bhilai, India, with interests in software engineering, open source, and building reliable systems.
2. This mentorship is an opportunity for me to learn from experts and take on real-world challenges that push beyond what I can find in the classroom.
3. What drives me is a commitment to learning something new every day, a habit that shows up in my collaborative projects and my constant curiosity about what’s next.

Eshaan Gupta

Fun Facts: 

1. I’m a Bachelor of Information Technology student building my skills through academic projects, hands-on development, and open source contributions.
2. My long-term goal is to work on scalable systems that create real value, and eventually mentor others who are just starting out in tech.
3. What defines my approach is consistency: I actively seek feedback, dig into complex problems, and want to understand not just how things work but why.

Mentors: 

Francesco Giordano, R&D Software Engineer at Broadcom

Mentorship Description:

The primary objective of this project is to analyze how artificial intelligence (AI) tools can assist in mainframe application modernization. The mentee will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of traditional versus AI-assisted modernization approaches. The research will explore how AI enables business rule extraction and addresses specific challenges where manual methods or traditional tooling fall short. Additionally, the project will assess the current technical limitations and discuss a cost-benefit of AI-driven modernization.

Modernising Mainframe with Open Source