After moving here from Kenya, Nancy Odhiambo, Master of Science in Data Science and Analytics student, has taken full advantage of everything GVSU has to offer. Between her two graduate assistantships and rigorous academic program, she stays busy whilst working toward her future. Prior to attending GVSU, Nancy received her Bachelor of Business Information Technology from Kenya Methodist University. Post-graduation, she accepted a position with the Kenya Red Cross’ Global Fund HIV Program as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. The position involved responsibilities such as data management, data analysis, key performance indicator monitoring, information visualization, and writing reports detailing insights and recommendations based on the collected data. Her work with the Global Fund HIV Program motivated her to further her education in Data Science & Analytics. Specifically, she noted that the responsibilities of her job helped her to narrow down the specialty within Information Technology she wanted to pursue.  

Nancy’s decision in coming to Grand Valley was influenced by a multitude of factors. Most significantly, the program here serves as a specialization of her Business Information Technology degree, rather than the broader course of study she might have completed if she had accepted an offer from another university.  

Throughout her time at GVSU, Nancy’s favorite class has been Statistical Computing and Graphics with R (STA 518). She completed the course in her first semester, and it greatly helped in laying the foundation for the rest of her coursework. Nancy now works as a graduate assistant for the same professor that taught this course.  

In the future, Nancy would like to work in a health or public health related field, completing work with an emphasis on intensive data analysis and research. She believes that her time spent at GVSU obtaining her M.S. in Data Science and Analytics will be vital in her future career, granting her the ability to improve her analytical capabilities and look at data in depth not only as numbers, words, or representations, but also the answer to health-related questions. Post-graduation, Nancy is considering applying for PhD programs in Data Science, Epidemiology, or Biostatistics.  

During the week, Nancy can be found completing work for either of her two graduate assistantships in the morning, while her nights are spent in lectures. When she is not working on school, she enjoys spending time with her friends, either preparing Kenyan dishes or exploring Grand Rapids.  

To new graduate students, a piece of advice from Nancy:  

“To new graduate students, planning and organization are the best gifts to maintain sanity in graduate school. You are not only responsible for your academic life but also your professional development and growth as an individual. It involves much more than just passing your courses. Lastly, apply for all those assistantships and reach out to professors for research involvement. This greatly builds your capacity and confidence in executing bigger tasks.”