Why I Love Data Viz
Data visualization caught my interest because of its potential to raise awareness about important issues and to improve clarity, leading to better and faster problem-solving. I believe that effectively communicating data is crucial in advocating for the necessary changes our world needs, and I’m passionate about using my skills to help draw attention to important issues.
My Background
My career path leading to data visualization has been unique. I started with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and worked in manufacturing after graduating. It was during my time as a Continuous Improvement Engineer that I began to realize the power of data analytics. I saw that there was a lot of data that wasn’t being accessed, and if I could tap into it, make it readily available, and help my team become more data-driven, we could make much better improvements compared to working blindly. This led me to analyze data that no one had used before and create my first Power BI dashboard to help managers, supervisors, and operators understand how they were performing and how they could improve.
After this experience, I completed a Master’s degree in Statistics and started working at the American Board of Pediatrics. During my time there, I conducted statistical analyses and created numerous dashboards using Tableau. I worked with stakeholders to translate large, complex data across multiple datasets into intuitive visualizations. These efforts not only made data more accessible and understandable, but also enabled informed decision-making and problem-solving in various operational domains. It was particularly gratifying to receive positive feedback from colleagues about how these dashboards improved the efficiency of their jobs, and I became more and more interested in the data visualization side of data analytics.
Currently, I work as a data designer at Lockheed Martin, where I explore the intersection between data analytics, user experience, and design thinking.