Background:
At Denison I earned a B.A in Data Analytics & Economics. I played intramural soccer and was involved in a few volunteering opportunities with the Denison Community Association, including a volunteer opportunity in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity where I aided in the construction of houses in South Carolina. In 2019, I participated in Datafest – a three-day data hackathon where teams of students compete to derive the most meaningful insights from a real-world dataset. My contribution in the competition earned my team an award for the best interdisciplinary content.
Current role:
I work as a Fixed Income Data Analyst at Morningstar’s headquarters located in Chicago. My role is to develop algorithms designed to enhance the coverage and quality of data on bonds shown in our software products. Morningstar’s products are primarily used by portfolio managers, wealth advisors, asset managers and other practitioners in the financial industry who seek to obtain information about investment securities to make financial decisions.
What did your career exploration look like at Denison and how did you decide upon your chosen industry or current role?
My career exploration journey started with occasional visits to the Knowlton Center as a way to familiarize myself with the staff and identify potential internships and full-time opportunities. I then jumped at a chance to join other students on a trip to Cleveland, organized by the Knowlton Center for students to meet employers in the city. I relished this opportunity it offered for students to meet & learn from industry experts, some of which included Denison alumni. As a result, I embarked on subsequent trips of this nature during the rest of my time at Denison. My experience from these trips moved me to attend info sessions held at the Knowlton Center, which I consider ideal in gaining knowledge about working in industry because of the firsthand information coming from industry professionals. They helped me better understand expectations in their respective areas of expertise and provided valuable life lessons as well. These interactions helped me identify professional and personal skills that I needed to develop in college to be ready for the real world. My appreciation for these opportunities led me to become persistent in my visits to the Knowlton Center and increased my participation in its programs such as the career-ready bootcamp. My engagement fostered a good relationship between Knowlton staff and myself, to the extent that I received an email from Knowlton about a career opportunity that aligned with my skills and interests. I am pleased to say that I am currently pursuing that very career.
How did Denison, or your liberal arts education, prepare you for your career?
Much of the skills required to launch into a career like mine also happen to be important characteristics of a liberal arts education. These include critical thinking, communication and problem solving. Many courses I took at Denison promoted critical thinking skills by encouraging a perpetual effort in thinking outside the box and emphasizing delivering value. Similarly, in Data Science, one’s ability to think critically is essential to devise a set of solutions to a real-life problem and to ultimately recognize the most effective and valuable one. For example, the ability to write efficient and comprehensive code demonstrates critical thinking in the field of Data Science. Communicating meaningful insights of a project and its value to stakeholders is an important aspect of my job as a data analyst. Communication is key and good delivery entails an ability to be succinct and captivating. I have been challenged to do so in presentations throughout my time at Denison. Lastly, problem solving was an integral part of my education at Denison and continues to be critical in my current role. As a data analyst, I am entrusted to write computer programs that streamline business processes, and this requires critical thinking. The problems in industry are by no means straightforward and hence necessitate critical thinking in order to solve them. My supervisor once said, “it is our job to figure things out.” This confirms an important lesson about problem solving I recognized early on in my college career.
Advice you have for students when it comes to career exploration?
It is never too late to communicate your post-college interests with a career coach or professor. In doing so, you will benefit from getting a sense of direction and that will help you make informed decisions. I also encourage mock interview sessions. Whether seeking graduate school or opportunities in industry, one is bound to be invited for an interview. Interviewing is a skill in itself and that means that it requires practice and feedback in order to become better at it.
