Current position and employer: Data Scientist, Environmental Policy Innovation Center

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Current City: Washington, DC

Why did you choose McCourt? I chose McCourt because of the MS-DSPP program's unique offering of not only a graduate-level degree of expertise in the technical skills required to work in the data science field, but also the crucial domain knowledge necessary to tackle meaningful and challenging problems.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Prior to attending McCourt, I worked as a Data Modeler for the College of Charleston's Office of Enrollment Information where I used predictive modeling to help enhance student retention. I also served as a Data Analyst for a local eCommerce team and spent several years working in the digital marketing and communication space.

What has been the best part of your experience so far? While I've enjoyed my coursework and the opportunity to interact with our professors, the best part of my experience so far has been getting to know and work alongside my cohort. Because we share such a wide range of background experiences and domain interests, we collectively get to learn so much from one another while studying together or collaborating on assignments and projects.

What internships have you had so far during your time at McCourt? In my first year, I've served as an MDI Scholar for the Massive Data Institute. In this role, I was able to work with a partnering organization to investigate racial disparities in drug arrests using prosecution data and machine learning techniques. I've also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant where I helped produce data visualizations for publication and conducted research on behalf of McCourt's faculty.

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: College of Charleston, Data Science

Hobbies/ Interests: When I'm not working, you can find me planning my Dungeons & Dragons campaign, cheering on the New Orleans Saints, or exploring DC with my wife and our senior rescue pups.