Stephanie Ta

While completing her Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Stephanie Ta discovered that she enjoyed analyzing data for biostatistics and ecology projects. Additionally, Ta’s time volunteering at the Red Cross only motivated her further to pursue a data science career.

“Volunteering at the Red Cross exposed me to clients enduring prolonged surgical wait times, sometimes exceeding three years. Seeing challenges in the Canadian healthcare system motivated me to pursue data science to build tools that improve system efficiency, address gaps, and support data-driven decision-making,” Ta explained.

 

To test her interest in data science, Ta took UBC’s DSCI 100 and 310, and completed UBC Extended Learning’s “Key Capabilities in Data Science Certificate” program in the latter part of her bachelor’s. 
“This coursework confirmed how much I enjoy learning and applying data science, and [UBC Master of Data Science (MDS) Vancouver] felt like the right next step to build on those skills,” she explained.

Ta applied to the UBC MDS Vancouver program for its practical, industry-focused curriculum and its reputation for building a strong foundation in core data science skills. In addition, Ta chose MDS for its accessibility to those without a technical background and her positive experience with UBC’s data science faculty, especially Daniel Chen and Tiffany Timbers, who taught DSCI 100 and 310, respectively. 

As well, learning data science topics from MDS Vancouver Co-Director, Varada Kolhatkar, has been a great inspiration to Ta. 

“She’s not only knowledgeable and engaging but also genuinely cares about students’ learning. During lectures, she gauges our understanding by reading our expressions and regularly checks in. Once, she noticed widespread confusion about a topic and she created an extra video to help us grasp it better,” she explained.

For Ta, the top benefits of the MDS Vancouver program have been the strong foundation she gained in a wide range of technical and data science skills as well as the connections she has built with her peers. “It’s been great to work with people from different backgrounds. I’ve learned new ways of approaching problems and have appreciated the variety of skill sets everyone brings to the table.”

Ta also saw the capstone phase of the MDS program as an opportunity to gain experience working with a partner on a real-world problem and to design and execute an appropriate analysis plan.

“The most important lesson from my capstone was learning how challenging real-world data and problems can be. Unlike in labs, more unexpected issues arise and there’s no answer key to learn from,” she added.

As Ta enters the workforce, she said that the most important thing from MDS that she will take into her career as a data scientist is the value of reproducibility and clear documentation. “They are not only essential for effective collaboration, but also for understanding your own work weeks or months later.”

After program completion, Ta hopes to work in healthcare, conservation, or biological research.

“I aim to address extended wait times and other gaps in Canadian healthcare. In modernizing our healthcare system, I plan to optimize efficiency, collaborating with provincial governments and health authorities through data-driven insights for informed decision-making.”

Stephanie’s Top 3 Tips on Succeeding in the MDS Program:
 

1. Connect with your peers. Everyone is facing similar challenges, so supporting each other can make a big difference.
2. Make it a priority to attend labs and classes to stay engaged and keep up with the material. Since everyone in labs is working on the same tasks, it’s easy to consult and learn from each other and the teaching staff. Also, labs provide a great learning and working environment.
3. Focus on truly understanding and learning the concepts instead of just aiming for high grades. This mindset will pay off in the long run.
   
   Meet our Students & Alumni