What have 2025 graduates who participated in the JoAnn Patrick-Ezzell ’75 & Andrew Ezzell Data Science Student Fellows Program been doing since they graduated? We talked with eight amazing alumni and invited them to share what they have been up to and to reflect on how DCDS impacted their career trajectories.
Kelly Peterson ’25
Life Science Consulting Analyst, Axtria
“Being a Data Science Student Fellow gave me the opportunity to analyze real-world datasets, collaborate with faculty, and strengthen my skills in Excel, Python, and presenting— skills I use every day in my current role. The fellowship also helped me realize I wanted a career that combines data science and health sciences, ultimately solidifying my interest in life sciences analytics.”
Major: Biology
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Quantitative Cartography: Mapping Soil Bacterial Abundance by Landscape
Viveka Kurup ’25
Data Analytics Graduate Student, Georgia Institute of Technology
“DCDS is what sparked my interest in data science in the first place, giving me hands-on exposure to the field that made me want to go deeper, which directly pushed me to pursue my master’s in OMSA at Georgia Tech. It also helped me realize I wanted to work at the intersection of data science and real-world impact, which is part of what drew me to my current work with Stanford CARE Explorers, applying AI and data analysis to precision health research.”
Major: Computer Science
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Expanding User Functionality of LEAF Turning Engine Tool
Gavin Moore ’25
Mathematics Graduate Student, University of Alabama
“Participating in DCDS was a fantastic way to be introduced to all sorts of useful, interesting data science / analysis applications that I would otherwise not have known about, namely through exposure to the many projects conducted there. Leveraging skills from your area of study (math, biology, economics, etc.) to solve problems involving real-world data provides a taste of what is possible using the tools you develop at Bucknell, and this was personally very helpful in identifying ways I could use math outside of a purely abstract setting to address challenges that matter in science more broadly.”
Major: Mathematics
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Finding Cluster Patterns in Bot-Infested Twitter Data
Marina Anglo ’25
Associate IT Analyst, Federated Hermes
“My experience in DCDS helped me prepare for my current position in so many ways – I improved my technical skills and learned so much about what it meant to do statistical analysis. I learned how to use different tools to make observations about my research. One of the most important skills I gained, however, was not a technical one, but how to communicate with stakeholders about the work I was doing and how to make effective analyses that helped with their goals.”
Major: Computer Science
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Alumni Engagement Survey Analysis
Claire Engel ’25
Compliance Program Specialist, PNC Bank
“DCDS gave me a new perspective of the wide variety of industries data science impacts. Working on a data science project outside of the computer science classroom showed me that I can use my skills and knowledge almost anywhere, not just in a data scientist or software developer role. This pushed me to broaden my job search and I ended up finding a really cool opportunity working with data, AI, and modeling for a bank!”
Major: Computer Science & Engineering
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Just Dance: Automated Movement Extraction of Children’s Dance
Lissandro Jose Alvarado ’25
Associate Software Engineer, Optum
“DCDS helped me build a strong foundation for approaching real-world data problems and understanding how technical work connects to business needs. It also helped clarify my interest in data-focused roles, which I have applied through my work in data engineering and app development on my data architecture team, especially through data cleaning and practical problem-solving.”
Major: Business Analytics
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Using Data Science and Exploratory Statistics to Predict the Presence of Invasive Species
Linh Nguyen ’25
Software Development Engineer, Amazon
“At DCDS, I had the chance to analyze Bucknell engineering camp data using statistics to uncover insights about student demographics and interests, turning raw data into meaningful conclusions. Besides technical skills, that statistical thinking gives me an edge in my current work, where I not only built our ad latency dashboard but also apply statistics to help the team analyze performance data, identify trends, and pinpoint the root causes of slowdowns. I believe that with the skills developed through DCDS, you can succeed in any career.”
Major: Computer Science, Business Analytics
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Engineering Camp Survey Data, 2010-2024
Rebecca Beneroff ’25
Biology Graduate Student, Bucknell University
“This program is an invaluable asset to Bucknell and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to not just participate in it, but contribute to it… DCDS showed me that you don’t need to be a mathematician to both do and enjoy stats. There is far more to data analysis than math, there is an underlying story to decipher and convey and countless methods to go about doing just that.”
Major: Biology, Environmental Science
Data Science Student Fellows Project: Exploration of Veterans in the Survey of Prison Inmates