Students and Alumni

Previous Degree: Masters in International Relations, Field Of Study Development Economics and International Development, Hult International Business School
Previous Experience: Data Scientist, NLP, Helelab
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2021

Back in 2017, I worked as an innovation consultant helping corporations fast-track digital transformation processes by partnering with tech start-ups. Some of these start-ups were using Artificial Intelligence solutions, so I needed to understand them to frame the right integration approach with the businesses' value chains. This experience was an eye-opening moment for me and triggered my decision to transition my career from a non-technical to a technical field.

About Juan Roesel

Before joining the MDS-CL program, Juan was working full-time running his consulting firm Helelab, which specialized in delivering and deploying digital solutions that leverage analytics, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and web development. As Juan was taking on more technical projects and learned new concepts, he realized that he was just barely scratching the surface of the data science universe, which led him to apply to the MDS-CL program. Outside of the MDS-CL program, Juan enjoys hiking, sailing, and mountain biking. Read Juan’s story.

Previous Degree: Master of Science in Computer Science, Santa Clara University
Previous Experience: Senior Associate – Data Analytics, Tredence Inc.
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2021

While I was working with a lot of data and had come to appreciate the bigger picture of data science through my training as a computer scientist, I felt the need for a closer and more rounded hands-on association with the different aspects of the discipline. The MDS program seemed to be a perfect match to help me achieve this goal and advance my career to its next level.

About Tanmay Sharma

Sharma started his career as a Hardware Development Engineer of SSD drives at a leading global data storage company. In that role, Sharma’s interest in data science was piqued as he was seeing the explosion of big data and the increase use of machine learning and artificial intelligence across all industries and its profound impact on transforming global businesses. Sharma highly recommend MDS to people looking to initiate or further a career in data science. Read Tanmay's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Food Science, from UBC Vancouver
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2021

I realized I needed to learn new data analytical techniques to analyze large amount of data. I found myself becoming really interested in data analysis. I was amazed how the data can help solve complex problems in the real world. UBC’s reputation and the opportunity to learn in immersive environment really appealed to me and now that I have come through the program, I have developed the data science skills and learning techniques that will help me step into a data science career.

About Rain Shen

Rain obtained Bachelor of Science in Food Science from UBC Vancouver, before moving into a quality assurance coordinator position with a major manufacturing company specializing in geosynthetic and medical products. It was during her time there working with historical data where she fostered a desire to learn new data analytical techniques in order to analyze large amount of data.  Situated in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, the MDS-O program, with its accelerated learning program and intimate cohort, caught Shen’s eye. Having now completed the 10-month program, Shen will be utilizing the knowledge and technical expertise taught in the MDS program on the Okanagan campus to pursue a career related to the health and food industries. Read Rain's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Arts and Science, Computer Science, University of Toronto
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2021

I decided to pursue a career in data science because I wanted to use my programming skills to work with language data. I was always interested in languages and linguistics, but I did not see myself as a translator or language instructor. I have an analytical mind, and I knew that using my skills in mathematics and programming to analyze language could be really interesting. The MDS-CL program seemed like a perfect way for me to merge my skills from both areas. 

About Darya Shyroka

After completing her Bachelor of Arts and Science in Computer Science (with a minor in Linguistics) from the University of Toronto, Darya knew she wasn’t quite done with her education. Darya was looking to specialize in a particular area of programming that she would be interested in and it led her to the MDS-CL program and its more immersive computational linguistics curriculum. Outside her MDS-CL studies, Darya loves outdoor activities such as hiking, bike-riding, swimming and camping. Darya also loves reading, watching TV, and cooking (especially trying new recipes!). Read Darya's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from UBC Vancouver
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2021

I started using interactive data analysis tools and machine learning to support my work. Much of the data science aspects that I had been incorporating in my work were learned during evenings and weekends. I felt that I wasn’t going to get where I wanted to be without diving into a program. Having now completed the program, I feel it has provided me with a strong understanding of concepts that can be better applied in my work.

About Nathan Smith

A resident of Squamish, B.C, Smith obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering from UBC Vancouver. It was during his time working as a senior water resources engineer where he fostered an interest in further developing his technical skills.  Situated in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, the MDS-O program, with its accelerated learning program and intimate cohort, caught Smith’s eye. Having now completed the 10-month program, Smith will be utilizing the knowledge and technical expertise taught in the MDS program on the Okanagan campus as he continues his career. Read Nathan's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the National University of Colombia
Program: MDS Okanagan, Class of 2021

Working in the finance industry, I realized how data can shape the future of industries and companies. I wanted to be part of that and help as much as I could. Having now moved through the MDS-O program, I can say the quality of the program is world-class, the students come from many different industries and backgrounds, and the campus and surrounding areas are beautiful. I recommend it completely.

About Samuel Velez

Samuel obtained Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the National University of Colombia, before moving into a career in the world of finance. It was during his time where he discovered how data can shape the future of industries and companies. The MDS-O program, located in in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, offered an accelerated program and intimate cohort, caught Velez’s attention. Now that he has successfully completed the 10-month intensive program, Velez feels more than ready to begin a career where he can help to shape the future. Read Samuel’s story.
 

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Physics, McGill University
Previous Experience: Data Science Intern, BMO Financial Group
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

It was around my third year of undergrad that I started hearing and learning more about data science. My first real encounter with data science came through my passion for soccer, as I discovered articles and blog posts explaining how data science is used to inform decisions across various departments in professional clubs. I was particularly interested in learning about these models and algorithms that were capable of uncovering meaningful insights about soccer games from data which did not seem to contain obvious patterns

About Rob Blumberg

Prior to MDS, Rob obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics from McGill University. Right before starting the MDS program, Rob interned as a data scientist at BMO, where he worked on the People Analytics team. His team analyzed employee data, and his job was to analyze employee exit surveys to find out what was driving voluntary turnover. Read Rob's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Queen's University in Kingston, ON
Prior Experience: Lead Product Developer and Head of Product, I Will Teach/GrowthLab and Management Consultant at Accenture Strategy
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

At the startup I worked for prior to MDS, I was facing big questions around our product and market strategy. We had plenty of data from our 40,000 customers and 500,000 email list subscribers, but we were only performing superficial analysis. I knew there were insights we were missing, but no one had the skills or experience to use and interpret the data effectively. I discovered the field of data science while looking for new tools and techniques to analyze our data.

About Alistair Clark

Prior to the MDS program, Alistair was the Lead Product Developer and Head of Product for I Will Teach/Growth Labs, an online e-learning startup. He also worked for 4 years as a management consultant with Accenture Strategy focused on financial modelling and business cases. Alistair came to the world of data science while looking for a better way to analyze customer data and make decisions about product and market strategy. Alistair holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Queen's University at Kingston.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Computer Science, Vancouver Island University
Prior Experience: Performance Analyst Co-Op, TELUS
Program: MDS Computational Linguistics, Class of 2020

I was fully committed to finishing my bachelor’s and moving directly into a software position. My senior project in undergrad was a basic machine learning project where I attempted to look at social media metadata over time (number of likes, shares, etc) and try to predict the next most popular musician. This led to an 8-month co-op with TELUS which focused heavily on machine learning and text processing. This changed my perspective and interests from programming for software to programming for data science.

About Ravi Gill

After obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, BC native Ravi Gill didn’t want to move too far away from home to pursue a master’s degree in data science. Ravi’s 8-month co-op with TELUS changed his interest from software programming to programming for data science.

Read Ravi's story.

Previous Degree: Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University
Previous Experience: Analyst, Consulting Team, Risk Management Solutions (RMS)
Program: MDS Vancouver, Class of 2020

I decided to pursue data science because it combines everything I like about research -- uncovering insights, the thrill of discovery, working with new and interesting data -- but is extensible across all fields. I love the idea that I can apply this skill-set effectively in completely different topics from day to day. It makes the future very exciting, because rather than looking for a specific type of job, I can instead look for a specific type of company whose mission and values I really believe in.

About Cari Gostic

New York-native Cari came to the MDS program after previously working as an analyst on the consulting team with Risk Management Solutions, a catastrophe modeling company. While working with RMS, Cari worked to streamline the integration of RMS software into clients’ workflows and complete custom projects like in-depth analyses of exposure or custom app development. Cari holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Atmospheric Science from Cornell University. Read Cari's story.