Alumne Spotlight: Kenya Roy '15

After graduation, I attended American University to study Political Science and African & African Diaspora Studies. I interned for Eddie Bernice Johnson and helped out with criminal and youth justice policy work in her office. I also interned for Campaign for Youth Justice as a Policy and Research Fellow. This work inspired me to pursue social science research focused on adult and youth reentry at American Institutes for Research in Washington, D.C. As a research associate, I was introduced to data science techniques and have since been able to develop my qualitative and quantitative skills using them. My interest in data science at work inspired me to pursue a Master in Data Science at SMU. 

I am working with Dr. Bivin Sadler, Laura Day, and Hockaday's Lower School administration to track student outcomes. We're currently exploring what we want to focus on.

Initially, data science as a concept seemed intimidating to me, having little programming experience. After doing some research to understand applications of data science in everyday life and the foundations of data science (statistics, programming, domain expertise), I realized I had something to offer to the field. I suggest students get a good grasp on statistics and have fun with coding projects–really focusing on their passions since that's what will keep them interested in honing their skills. 

Data science isn't just about statistics and programming and studying. Data Science doesn't necessarily mean you need to have your sights on working in tech or finance. You really need to have subject matter expertise in whatever field you intend to work. Data science can be applied in any space–as long as you have passion behind your field of interest and a commitment to lifelong learning, you'll be able to thrive in any field using data science.