College Studies & Work Experience = Career Success

During the 2016 World Economic Forum, heads of states, business leaders, economists, and journalists gathered in Davos examining the theme of mastering the fourth industrial revolution. The summit explored a major concept of governance in a ‘Brave New World’ and its impact on society. In this new world, data has changed the fundamental landscape. However, in this new world, there are many ethical questions in the realm of data that remain unanswered. Heinz in the interdisciplinary program explores a similar idea of people, policy and technology.

My interest in pursuing the MSIM program at Heinz college stems from the vision I share with the institution in “positively impacting the world through intelligent action”, and in the fifty years since its establishment, the program has continued to impart knowledge onto future leaders addressing social, moral & ethical issues raised by technology.

I want to be part of this institution, challenging my curiosity, approaching complex societal problems and implementing innovative solutions. I believe my liberal arts background coupled with my quantitative studies will help succeed in the program.

My previous interdisciplinary projects and work experience display my interest in challenging my curiosity and making an impact through the use of intelligent action. My studies in computing and information science in college have been very rewarding. I have been able to apply computational concepts in interdisciplinary studies with my aptitude for problem-solving. I worked on a project combining the study of network analysis and macroeconomics.

In this project, I built a network model that mapped bilateral trade flows within the ASEAN (Southeast Asian) countries from 2000-2010.

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I specifically chose ASEAN as I come from a developing country and because I wanted to understand the economic impact of free trade agreements in the region. I worked on the project to examine the correlation between the growth rate of trade and gross domestic product (GDP). The hypothesis in the model was that economic growth can be explained by a country’s trade positions and global role in the network. The study showed that the volume of trade engaged by countries significantly correlated with higher GDP growth rates. In this project, I enjoyed the flexibility and creative approach towards designing a simple model, using my passion for problem-solving. I challenged my curiosity by creativity building a model that successfully examined the impact of bilateral trade flows on annual GDP figures.

In addition to my academic projects, during my work experience with Mylan Pharmaceuticals, I supported an ongoing data migration project into the company’s existing enterprise-resource-planning (ERP) system. The purpose of this data migration was to bring an acquired company’s new data into Mylan’s existing platform, optimizing production efficiency with real-time data. I worked with a team of managers and interns to first identify and understand the system, and then map and sequence data migration plans into Mylan’s ERP system. As a result, the new integrated data facilitated the flow of real-time information across all of Mylan’s departments, automatically updating business transactions to make data-driven decisions. The biggest challenge in the internship was that this was largely a self-initiative learning process, which required understanding an ERP system, something that I had never used before.

To address this challenge, I worked collaboratively with my group to proactively engage with managers, meeting them on a regular basis and getting feedback. My work experience with Mylan helped me understand IT solutions required for a corporate environment, and the collaborative skills needed to execute projects. I believe that my self-motivation to learn, solve problems, and creatively implement solutions will greatly serve me during my time at the Heinz college. Coming into the MSIM-BIDA track from a liberal arts background, I bring experiences of working on interdisciplinary research projects and working collaboratively with people from different academic disciplines. I am eager to apply for the MSIM program at Heinz College in Carnegie Mellon for the academic excellence of the program and the community involvement opportunities for students. I am interested in the blend of the program in quantitative rigor, technical mastery and the cross-disciplinary research.

I am applying for the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics track because I am passionate about looking into trends, analyzing data in meaningful ways, and making informed decisions. Numbers can tell powerful stories, they can look into the past, present and project future outcomes. The BIDA program will help me gain advanced analytical skills. I hope to build on my technical and analytical skills through coursework in data analytics, predictive modeling, and machine learning. I am also be interested in the general MISM program with a concentration in the Business Intelligence. The general MISM will allow me to obtain a comprehensive education in technology and implantation, business strategy and management, preparing me directly for making an impact. During the program, I am also very interested in the experimental learning program where students are able to translate their ideas into action.

I admire the collaboration of cross-disciplinary research, solving real-world problems to understand the intersection of people, policy and technology. For example, a project included compiling assessment tools for digital transformations in the workplace for the World Economic Forum in Davos. Such notable industry partnership projects will help me challenge my knowledge and implement solutions to real-world applications. I am interested in engaging in research assistantships with faculty through research centers. In particular, my strong background in Economics would help me add value to the ‘Centre for Economic Development’. I am very interested in working with Dr. Lowell Taylor in his area of research in economic demography and taking his class in Applied Econometrics. I previously completed a research during my undergraduate in Econometrics, exploring determinants of internal migration flows in the US. Beyond the academics at Heinz, I am interested in the unique focus on community engagement and personal development. Heinz College has so much enrichment to offer students through competitions, student organizations, and guest speaker series fostering a spirit of camaraderie.

In the program, I hope to apply technical knowledge to solve common societal problems through the Keith Block entrepreneurship competition. I was intrigued to learn about a recent (Nov 2018) winning idea of ‘SensorX’, which uses recycled sensors of smartphones for environmental data collection such as tracking endangered species, monitoring toxic waste and rising sea levels. The idea promotes an inexpensive method for solving societal problems by tracking and analyzing such data. In addition, I also hope to proactively engage in student organizations such as Heinz Analytics, consulting, international development and out and allied club, building a network and leadership role on-campus. I previously completed my undergraduate in Washington PA and recognize the thriving tech sector in Pittsburgh. I am very interested in being part of this innovative atmosphere among major tech companies and in research partnerships.

In the long-run, the MISM-BIDA program at Heinz college will equip me with the practical knowledge to make an impact. I am very interested in pursuing a career in the role of a Data Scientist in consulting or banking. The BIDA program will help me apply knowledge directly into industry problems through capstone projects. My previous experiences will allow me to quickly grasp concepts and solve industry problems. The program at Heinz will help me understand theoretical knowledge and apply analytical techniques into a wide variety of problems. Through research and internship experiences, I am confident that I can translate knowledge into practical situations and make an impact through intelligent action.