I was born and lived most of my life in the business capital of India, Mumbai. As a child, I was always fascinated by the way a computer and math can work together, in its functionalities and how it performs tasks effectively and efficiently. So, choosing a career in the STEM field was always what I wanted to do.
After completing my bachelors in Computer Engineering I started working full time for a multinational company TATA Consultancy Services, wherein I was working on many projects dealing with the analysis of huge amounts of data. I was aware of the popularity of Statistics and Mathematical models, Big Data and Hadoop technologies and to gain expertise in this, I decided to take up Data Science as my major for my Master's degree. Of course, I was very nervous by a thought of moving into a new country, but the faculty at Mercyhurst are always there to help out and provide you with the best guidance needed. As an International student, I was bound to have lots of questions before joining the program. I contacted Dr. Charles Redmond who gave me a clear idea of the course work. I went thru the coursework for each semester and planned my entire MS before moving into the US at Mercyhurst University and that helped me to envision where I want to head in my career.
I was fortunate to have received multiple internship offers during summer break, and I made a final decision of joining as a Graduate Intern for a US-based bank known as KeyBank Corp located in Cleveland, OH. That really helps me to shape up my perspective towards the application of Data Science in the real world and motivated me to approach the Data Science problems in an analytical thought process. I was also in constant touch with my professors to help me out with my internship projects, I reached out to them whenever I felt for a need of an extra pair of eyes and guidance for an academic approach.
After my graduation, I got a full-time opportunity at a lending company, that goes by the name as Solar Mosaic Inc located in Oakland, CA. I moved to the bay area in Oct 2017 and have been working as a Data Engineer for a Data Engineering and Insights team. Most of my day is spent in developing data pipelines, developing data models, building reporting systems, brainstorming with other engineers and product managers, etc.
1.What motivated you to choose Mercyhurst University as your study destination? What were the key factors that you took into consideration while choosing this institute?
The major motivation and the sold-out factor for me to choose Mercyhurst University, was the "coursework" - In 2015, Data Science was very new in US Universities and schools were still trying to figure out the coursework for Data Science. But, the Mercyhurst University had very aptly identified and included the "top notch" and "hot in market" coursework which not only helped me to gain knowledge academically but also career wise to be successful at my job duties.
2. How is the teacher-student relationship at Mercyhurst University? Do the faculty guide you and mentor you in your career building?
The teacher-student relationship is very open and friendly. We never had any difficulty in reaching out to our professors and always got more than we had expected from them in our "stop-by and say-hello" meets. Also, the most "advantaging" aspect of having low student-teacher ratio was, attention to detail in each student. I'd often seen professors being very dedicated to each student to learn and understand the concepts by playing with students strengths and frailty. Never in my entire time at Mercyhurst University, I'd miss the classes. It had always been fun and exciting to attend for me.
3. How is the teaching methodology at the institute, also tell us about the unique learning benefits that you received from Mercyhurst University.
The teaching is majorly focused on practical assignments and real world projects. Data Science coursework is best taught, with hands-on learning and is less inclined to theoretical aspects. Professors made sure to know how best to tackle each academic problems with creativity and real world examples. I never had a need to read again the same topic taught once in a class. It has always been concise and to the point. During my pursuance of MS and also a part of my coursework, I'd also an opportunity to work on numerous projects contributing to real world applications under the mentorship and guidance of professors.
4. Apart from the regular curriculum, tell us about the various leadership activities that you have been a part of. Do you have any student groups and associations enhancing your growth at Mercyhurst University?
I've not had a chance to be a part of activities a lot - but we had a lot of cultural initiatives and college festivals where my friends were actively involved in. We had a coursework specific groups too such as for Data Science, Intelligence Studies, etc. We also had a lot of opportunities to attend various visiting speakers which helped us to stay abreast with the current trends and market needs.
5.Throw some light on the campus environment of Mercyhurst University and tell us about your journey during the course at the University.
I'd a best time of my life in Mercyhurst University and Erie, PA. I came down to US with no connections. I was very nervous with a thought of living for 2 years in an unknown city and country but after having interactions with the academic and non-academic staff, I kind of fell for instant love affair with the campus. Both - academic and non-academic staff is super nice and is always been very helpful to students by all means in their capacity. Also, the campus is pretty. My favorite time of visiting campus is Fall.
