Student/Alumni Profiles
Samantha Milano
M.S. Data Science and Analytics, 2019
Hometown – Macomb, MI
Undergraduate – B.S. in Statistics (GVSU), Dec 2017
Interned at 3M twice in undergrad, and on the Amway data science team for graduate level internship
Contact Info:
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samanthamilano/
Near the end of high school, I began looking for a university to attend. Although I knew I wanted to stay in Michigan, I didn’t know enough about each university here to select one. Grand Valley was one of the places I wanted to tour and learn more about, and once I saw the honors living centers (air conditioning, your own room, a kitchenette!) I was sold. What pushed the envelope even farther for me was the affordability. I was able to obtain various undergraduate scholarships, saved money from my three internships, and became a graduate assistant during my master’s, allowing me to graduate from college debt-free.
Financials aside, Grand Valley quickly began to feel like home. I became very involved in the statistics community by working as an office assistant in the statistics office, a tutor in the statistics tutoring center, a 1-on-1 tutor for the introductory statistics courses, and a consultant in the statistical consulting center. I also worked on a special project regarding social network analysis with the head of the Data Science and Analytics program.
The faculty had also enhanced my experience at Grand Valley and allowed me to take advantage of new opportunities to develop as a student and a professional by participating in data analysis competitions (DataFest) and attending/speaking at conferences (Big Data Ignite). Grand Valley also made sure to recognize and appreciate their students when applicable – See if you can find the three plaques with my name on them in the halls of Mackinac!
One of the other amazing opportunities Grand Valley provides in the annual career fair, where I obtained my internships and full-time job offer. In undergrad, I interned twice at 3M in Minneapolis. In my graduate program, I interned at Amway in Ada, Michigan where I worked on the data science team. These experiences, along with the courses provided through the PSM program, allowed me to become a more well-rounded professional with a better understanding of how my field integrates with the business world prior to joining the workforce.
Over Thanksgiving break of my senior year, I accepted an offer with General Motors to join the data science team. Currently, I work with a large team of amazing data scientists who are extremely helpful and welcoming. My team takes continuing education very seriously and dedicates a portion of your time towards learning new techniques, methods, and coding languages. One of the main reasons why I chose this company was the opportunity for growth and development as a data scientist. Without a doubt, the GVSU PSM program had a great impact on my success at Grand Valley and here at GM, and I am excited to see where I go from here.
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