We asked Arnold School alumni why they chose the Arnold School, the mentors who influenced their journeys and how their degrees prepared them for their next steps. 

Job Title: Senior Data Scientist
Employer: Lubrizol
Arnold School Degree(s): Ph.D. in Biostatistics, 2023

How did you become interested in public health or your area of study? Between my undergraduate and master’s degree, I worked as a research assistant on a team that had a Biostatistician. I was curious about the programming work she was doing and started asking questions. She kindly mentored me through some statistical analyses she did for our team.

How did you decide to attend USC for your degree? I really enjoyed the flexibility of the curriculum. Aside from a few core courses, I had entire flexibility to choose my courses and align them with my professional goals.

Who were your Arnold School mentors, and how did they influence you? My favorite mentor is Dr. Alex McLain. He was also my dissertation advisor, and my academic advisor prior to my dissertation research. Alex put my interests first and allowed me not only to complete requirements we had at ASPH, but also to engage in many extracurricular activities, such as conference attendance, doing a certificate in the Darla Moore School of Business, teaching, doing peer reviews, mentoring other students, etc. It’s thanks to Alex that I had a very well-rounded experience during my time at ASPH.

What were some of the most valuable knowledge, skills or experiences you gained during your program? I think the most valuable knowledge and skill I gained, outside of academic experiences, is the concept of well-roundedness. In addition to the technical knowledge I gained during my studies, I also learned about the importance of effective communication and the need to build a personal brand of excellence.

How did you get your start in your field? Nothing earth-shattering here; I simply applied to hundreds of jobs until I got a few offers and chose the one I liked the best. It was a start up in New York City called Celmatix. I joined as employee #7 in total, and employee #3 on the data science team. This was in 2014, and the all hands on deck experience of a start up was a fantastic way to jump start my career in data science.

What do you do in your day-to-day work, and how do you use your degree in your work? In my day-to-day work, at a high-level, I develop ways to answer scientific and business questions using quantitative approaches based on data. I extensively use the technical knowledge from my classwork, and I often use the knowledge from various applications we learned about in the program.

How do you stay connected with other Arnold School alumni? I stay in touch personally and professionally with former classmates and professors, using professional social media platforms such as LinkedIn. Many fellow alumni have also become personal friends.

What advice would you give to students pursuing a similar career path? While in school and in the early steps of your career path, try to explore to find sub-areas and topics in your field which you genuinely care about and are passionate about. It will make the demanding phases of your studies and career feel less arduous and genuinely worth the big efforts.