MY BEYOND THESE TOWERS STORY

By all accounts graduate alumna Rosemarie Day ‘18 MS loves her career. As a data science platform engineer, Day interfaces daily with engineers and scientists to determine how data platforms can best serve their needs. From developing platform standards for teams to follow and automating pipelines to finding new methods for deploying machine learning models, Day enjoys the positive impact her data solutions have on organizations. “I find this an especially exciting space, as I am continuously working between and among various teams and often faced with new and exciting challenges.” says Day.

Offering gratitude for the role WPI played in her successful career, Day says, “The courses I took and the individuals I met at WPI helped shape my career. And although I began my development operations work before attending WPI for a master’s degree, it was WPI’s data science classes (DS) that provided the most value to my career. Focusing on real-life case studies and working with clients took me from theory to practice and prepared me to solve real-world problems.” Day enjoyed WPI’s project-based learning and DS program so much she returned to WPI for a master’s degree in business administration (MBA). Day explained how going back for an MBA helped her better understand business decisions, prepare roadmaps for program effectiveness, and work with interdisciplinary teams to ensure success.

Today, Day is most interested in operational data. She studies things like: How is the team operating today, how can we make a change that would improve their process, and how do we measure success after the project has been implemented? “I have been learning a lot about how we can use key performance indicators (KPIs) in everyday work and for every project to show the impact we are having. As well, I look forward to getting better at developing operational dashboards that folks can use to understand and better utilize platforms.” says Day.

As an active volunteer, Day also returns to campus to speak to undergraduate and graduate students about her experience in the data science field, as well as volunteers as the Global Lead for Talent Support on her company’s Business Resource Group, PossAbilities. PossAbilities focuses on promoting awareness and understanding around individuals who identify as disabled, caregivers, and allies. Last year she developed a resource page for managers with helpful guides and training related to disabilities. The site allows managers to find training on how to support their employees who identify as disabled, lead through traumatic situations and hard times, and source candidates who identify as disabled.

Looking to the future, Day says, “The first thing I look forward to in the coming years is better advocacy and inclusion of folks with differing abilities. People will excel at different things; we need to accept folks for what they are good at and advocate for the inclusion of their skills. You may look at someone and think they are not as technical as you, but it doesn’t mean they cannot learn a tool or technology. Given a chance, people can learn anything.”

It’s aways great to see WPI alumni using theory and practice to make a positive impact on the world.