Category: MSBA

#TXMS Student Spotlight: Jeffrey Fulkerson MSBA 2019

by veronicasun

Program:

Master of Science Program in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Jeffrey Fulkerson

Graduating Class:

Class of 2019

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

UT Austin, Computer Science

About Jeffrey:

I have a background in computer science and studio art, with an interest in developing data visualizations. I believe that as our information age progresses and our society becomes more complex, making statistical analysis understandable is essential to the public good. I am hoping to be able to help push data science methodology further into the public sphere so legislation is based solidly in well-sourced research.

Proudest Accomplishment:

A loved one was going through a very challenging time and I worked to gain a better understanding of clinical depression and helped implement support skills necessary to make their life better. This has fueled my passion for what I hope to accomplish in my career.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I wanted to be near my family and friends and participate in a program that would prepare me to be a data scientist. The MSBA program covers most of the necessary fields that other programs do not, and will help me network with public servants here in Austin, which is where I want to apply my skills.

What are you looking forward to most this year?

Increasing my understanding of statistics. Meeting people from this technical world that I haven’t been a part of until now. Getting a well-paying job in order to get myself and some of my friends on their feet; the more money I make the more support I can offer people I know in particularly bad or stagnant circumstances. Contributing meaningfully to the City of Austin and Texas as a whole.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a recurring feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

#TXMS Student Spotlight: Sam Malcolm MSBA 2019

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science Bridge Program in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Sam Malcolm

Graduating Class:

Class of 2019

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

Penn State University, Economics

About Sam:

I grew up outside Philadelphia. After graduating from Penn State I moved to Austin where I’ve lived for the past nine years. Before joining the MSBA program I worked as a video producer creating content for brands like Infiniti, Dell, and Whole Foods. In my free time I love to ride my bike, see movies at the Alamo Drafthouse, and hang with my chihuahua/min-pin pup, Sabine. Also, I’m a die-hard Philadelphia 76ers fan. Let’s talk hoops!

Proudest Accomplishment:

I’m most proud of producing and performing in a weekly show with my improv comedy team. We’ve played to sold out houses every Friday night for the past few years and have multiple B. Iden Payne Award nominations under our belt. I’ve had the opportunity to perform at the Paramount Theatre here in Austin and guest at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. I get to start my weekends by performing comedy with some of my best friends, and I’m fortunate that people seem to really like what we do.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I loved my undergrad courses on statistics and econometrics. And even though it was never my main professional focus, I realized that my favorite work experiences always involved business strategy and working with data. I wanted to pivot my career to focus on these skills. I knew the MSBA program at McCombs was highly renowned and its coursework was extremely thorough and well-rounded, so it felt like the perfect place for me.

What have the first 3 weeks of the program been like?

These three weeks have gone by very fast but have also somehow felt like three months. I’m honestly surprised by how much I’ve learned so far. We’ve already completed the first section of our Intro to Predictive Modeling class. In just two weeks we worked our way through an entire textbook and presented group projects where we applied predictive models (most of which we had been exposed to for the first time) to attempt to solve business problems with real world datasets.

What are you looking forward to most this year?

I’m most looking forward to getting to know my classmates better. A significant part of the curriculum, including the capstone project in the spring, involves working in teams. Everyone I’ve met in my program so far has been brilliant and kind. I’m excited to learn from and work with each of them.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a recurring feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Suyi Tu, MSBA 2018

by veronicasun

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Suyi Tu

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

Zhejiang University, Information and Computing Science (Mathematics)

About Suyi:

I majored in mathematics in undergrad and have a solid foundation in modeling, programming and logical thinking. I’m fascinated by the amount of information conveyed in data and am convinced that I would love to work with data in the future.

Proudest Accomplishment:

I am a certified National Chess Master. I started playing chess at a very young age and have been playing it for over 15 years now. Chess has taught me not only to be persistent and considerate, but also to be creative. I use this creativity to apply lateral thinking in my everyday life.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I think the slogan for this program says it all: “To become a data driven story teller”. It embodied exactly what I sought to become and what kind of job I wanted coming out of school.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am really looking forward to starting work in a field that I am interested in. I am ready to apply the knowledge that I’ve learned from this program to solve real-world business problems and deliver value to my organization. And through all of this, I am also excited to learn and grow even more!
More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Texas MS Bridge #StudentSpotlight: Mark Babbe, MSBA 2019

by veronicasun

Program:

Master of Science Bridge Program in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Mark Babbe

Graduating Class:

Class of 2019

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Texas at Austin, Marketing

About Mark:

I am originally from Chicago, Illinois and moved to Texas in 2005 with a hope for better weather and a better life.  I grew up playing almost every sport and constantly spent time in the Texas outdoors.  Upon graduating high school, I came to UT Austin with the hope of becoming the best version of my self that I know I can be.  Today, I am happy to have the friends and family that support me in whatever I do, and I look forward to what my future holds.

Proudest Accomplishment:

I am definable most proud of what I have achieved academically.  I was always in competition with my friends to be the smartest, but now I realize just how beneficial that competition was.  I graduated Salutatorian of my high school and am now at a top university, achieving my dreams.

Why did you choose the MSBA Bridge Program?

I applied for an MS in Business Analytics because I have always been numbers driven, and realized that I can use it to build on my undergraduate degree. Data is what drives our future decisions and it was so exciting to see a program that offers just that.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am looking forward to learning, but ultimately doing things I never knew were possible. Technology advances every single day and to be apart of that journey will be something I’ll be forever grateful for.

More on Texas MS Bridge Student Spotlight:

Texas MS Bridge #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science Bridge Program in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS Bridge students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Siddhant Shah, MSBA 2018

by veronicasun

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Siddhant Shah

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

MS Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering

About Siddhant:

Hailing from the Silicon Valley of India – Bangalore, extensive experience in the field of analytics working with top Fortune 500 clients from industries such as retail, financial services and health insurance. Given enough money to sustain for a lifetime, I’d spend it all on backpacking across the globe, meeting new people and learning about their culture, and also playing football (soccer) in different parts of the world. HUGE MANCHESTER UNITED FAN!

Proudest Accomplishment:

My biggest achievement was being able to successfully build a prototype of a cost-effective medical device to help correct limb deformities among orthopedic patients, which could potentially make the procedure more accessible to financially distressed patients. This novel idea was built in collaboration with a reputed orthopedic surgeon himself, who was highly appreciative of our efforts. The project was also a trigger to me realizing my true analytical capabilities and love for creating out-of-the-box solutions using quantitative methods, driving me towards building a career in Data Science.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

In the constantly evolving space of Data Science and Analytics, the learning curve is extremely steep! I truly believe, on the job learning is never good enough to take your career to the next level. Therefore, even with 4 years of relevant work experience, I decided to pursue the McCombs MSBA program, being taught by distinguished industry experts, with a comprehensive curriculum designed to serve needs of students like myself.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

As we draw closer towards the end of an important semester of the program, I look forward to finishing it with a strong academic performance and apply my learnings from class to the capstone project next semester. Coursework aside, we have our fair share of fun too and I have a West Coast vacation planned with a few friends for winter break, involving a road trip along the beautiful pacific coast highway one.
More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Chloe Kwon, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics

Student Name:

Chloe Kwon

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

Rice University, Economics

About Chloe:

I started my career as a market research analyst 4 years ago at a software development company where I developed interest in extracting, visualizing, and developing patterns and trends from the data. As a business analyst, I had opportunities to utilize the skills I learned and combine it with industry knowledge to manage development projects, analyze client’s business requirements, and analyze sales operations and performances by communicating with management through easy-to-understand visualizations. I love meeting and getting to know people and I’m excited to explore Austin (hiking, rock climbing, live music, food) once we graduate!

Proudest Accomplishment:

I made a decision to move from South Korea to US by myself when I was 12 and I am proud and grateful for the opportunity to be independent and accountable for every decision in my life, including the decision to pursue master’s degree at the McCombs School of Business. Also, I’m very proud of having found great people around me that are supportive and compassionate with lots to learn from.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I realized I needed to work on building solid technical skills to be able to grow my career and find companies that will provide meaningful and impactful projects that I enjoy. McCombs School of Business has enabled me to learn from the best professors in a supportive environment from predictive modeling and database management to how to communicate models and analysis to different audiences.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

Deep Learning conference in San Francisco to meet interesting people including those from startup community and learn about the latest and greatest deep learning models and how we can apply models to business problems of companies like Google, Facebook, Netflix. I’m also looking forward to learn more about data science and having hands-on experiences within enterprise environment through capstone project with Indeed.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Alumni Spotlight: #TXMS Business Analytics Vishwa Bhuta

by canipec

This week, Texas MS Programs is catching up with Vishwa Bhuta, a 2017 alumni of our Master of Science in Business Analytics Program. Alumni spotlights give insight into where our graduates go after they finish #MasteringMcCombs and we hear some advice to current students on how to leverage their degrees!

Vishwa Bhuta

Merkle Inc
Senior Data Analyst

What was your journey to the MS in Business Analytics degree?

I’m a proud wahoo who graduated from the University of Virginia in 2015, having studied business and psychology. After college, I worked in digital marketing and quickly found that I wanted to be able to conduct a deeper level of analysis, and I needed the hard skills to do so. Therefore I found myself in the MSBA program at McCombs, which was one of the few data analytics programs that managed to balance business concepts with solid technical foundations. To me, the MSBA had some of the important teachings from an MBA mixed with those from a stats degree.

What is the most valuable skill or lesson you learned while in your MS program (either inside or outside of the classroom)?

Data is ALWAYS messier than you want it to be. Deal with that sad fact and embrace data cleaning.

What are some highlights of your career since graduating from your MS program?

I was able to completely change the way my client sets goals, transitioning from a somewhat arbitrary goal to a goal driven by consumer LTVs. I set up a test that showed the incremental lift of our marketing dollars to the business. I’ve also been able to mentor a junior member of my team who is attempting to learn python; this is particularly exciting because I didn’t know any python before MSBA, so I give the program a lot of credit for my progress.

Who was your favorite MS Professor or what was your favorite MS Course?

Advanced Predictive Modeling with Joydeep Ghosh

What are the biggest challenges you have faced since completing your MS degree?

One big challenge is one that we are warned about and prepped for by MSBA: telling the data story to non-technical people. It has been very hard to find the balance because clients want to know what and how you’re doing the analysis but they don’t want to feel lost. The other challenge has been – like I said – dealing with very messy data. You are somewhat prepped for this by the capstone, but even then, the companies did their best to provide clean data.

What should future graduates be considering as they begin their careers?

You likely won’t get to apply the “sexy” data science techniques right away (if ever, depending on your path), so while it’s important to focus on understanding those in school, it’s equally important to master skills like data cleaning, SQL, data visualization, etc., because you’ll need to showcase those skills to get to the “cooler” stuff.

We love hearing from our graduates on how they are doing, so if you are a #TXMS grad and would like to share your Alumni story, please contact us at cayce.canipe@mccombs.utexas.edu. To learn more about any of our Texas MS Programs, browse our Admissions Blog and link to our main pages.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Yannick Heard, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Business Analytics & Student Executive Committee Member

Student Name:

Yannick Heard

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

University of Texas, Chemistry

About Yannick:

I am originally English but have now lived in the US for 12 years, 5 1/2 in Michigan and the rest in Austin, TX. I went to UT for undergrad in chemistry and during my time I was able to have the opportunity to study abroad in Australia for 6 months.
I love to be outdoors and to be active in any different form, particularly running, soccer and wakeboarding.

Proudest Accomplishment:

During my freshman year, I ran a marathon and I am really proud that I was able to complete this huge distance, at a time that was below my goal time. I am also very proud of the way that I was able to commit myself to a long term training plan and wake up incredibly early in order to fit in the miles.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

Coming through undergraduate with chemistry I came to the conclusion that neither med-school or long-term research (the two main chemistry options) held interest for me. As I was also working on the business certificate at UT I wanted to find a way to combine my analytical and problem-solving skills from chemistry with the business side.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

Learning technical skills that can allow me to utilize the best available techniques to develop new insights and changes to my future roles. As well as to develop an incredible network with my cohort, and to try and learn as much from them as I do from the classes.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight: Rajat Malhotra, MSBA 2018

by canipec

Program:

Master of Science in Finance

Student Name:

Rajat Malhotra

Graduating Class:

Class of 2018

Undergraduate Alma Mater:

National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

About Rajat:

I am a highly motivated individual. I love meeting new people and getting to know their stories. I love helping people and motivating others around me. I am also an adrenaline junkie and love to spend my time outdoors. In my spare time, I am a graphic designer, and I have been a numismatist since I was eight years old.

Proudest Accomplishment:

My proudest accomplishment so far is helping three of my close friends in college quit smoking. It was quite a challenge, but I am not one to shy away from challenges. I motivated them, kept a check on them, helped them through their addiction and accepted a pizza as my reward for doing so.

Why did you choose the MSBA Program?

I love solving problems. I wanted to apply my quantitative skills to a field where I was challenged on a daily basis. The field of Analytics happens to be one of the most challenging and amazing fields to be working in. My engineering background taught me how to define and structure a problem, so I applied to the MSBA program in order to become better at analysing problems.

What are you most looking forward to in your program?

I am looking forward to becoming a better version of myself. I hope to become more self-confident, and I am looking forward to making lasting connections with the people around me and adding value to their life.

More on Texas MS Student Spotlight:

Texas MS #StudentSpotlight is a new feature showcasing the talent, background, and aspirations of the McCombs Master of Science Program students! Learn more about the Texas Master of Science in Business Analytics on our homepage.

Current Texas MS students interested in appearing in our student spotlight should contact their Program Coordinator regarding access to the Student Spotlight Survey.

Attending JupyterCon with MSBA Shreya Trivedi

by canipec

We all might be returning from a long holiday weekend, but for some of our MS Programs students, now is the time to hit the ground running with research and preparing to take their skills into the real world. We had the opportunity to catch up with Texas MSBA 2018 Shreya Trivedi, who recently attended JupyterCon in New York. JupyterCon brings together professionals, researchers, and students in the world of business and data science to talk best practices and provide networking opportunities.

What piqued your interest in this conference?

In my first semester of MS in Business Analytics, I pursued a course on programming for data science which gave me an exposure to Python’s Jupyter Notebook. I attended this conference to understand how data scientists and business analysts are using python to solve real world business problems. It was an opportunity to get hands on experience with skills I had learned in the classroom.

Tell us a few of your takeaways from the conference.

The conference had several tutorials that gave me an exposure to technical skills, new features and applications, and best practices in Python. It also helped me learn the fundamentals of an end-to data science workflow in Jupyter. Apart from the tutorials, the conference had several speakers including Nadia Eghbal (GitHub), Fernando Perez (UC Berkeley), Demba Ba (Harvard), Brett Cannon (Microsoft) and many more. Some of the interesting topics covered were:

  • Fernando Perez explained how Project Jupyter fits into a vision of collaborative development of tools that are applicable to research, education, and industry.
  • Demba Ba explained how he designed and implemented two Harvard courses that use cloud-based Jupyter notebooks.
  • William Merchan shared fundamental trends driving the adoption of Jupyter and its deployment in large organizations.
  • Kyle Kelley shared how Netflix uses Jupyter notebook and explained how we can learn from Netflix’s experience to enable analysts at other organizations.

Sounds like there was great opportunities for networking. Did you get a chance to make interesting connections?

There were data scientists from different industries from across the globe as well as professors and post-doctoral researchers who research focuses on machine learning and AI. There were also data analysts and business analysts from a number of different industries. There were networking sessions where I got to interact with a variety of people and even to talk about McCombs’ MSBA program. I was able to get contact details and hope to stay connected with them, not just for myself to but connect my MSBA peers, too!

The MS Programs are excited to support students like Shreya in their attendance at conferences like JupyterCon. Check back in on our blog to hear of more Recent Happenings with #TXSMS2018! Questions about our blog? Contact our page admin.

Contributions to this blog were made by Texas MSBA & Student Executive Committee member Anurag Agarwal and Texas MSM & Student Executive Committee member Mariah McFadin.