Student Spotlight: Sara Elhassan ’27
Today we are highlighting Sara Elhassan (’27) and her experience with Vanderbilt’s Data Science Minor!
“During move-in day, I stopped by the Data Science minor table and got the chance to speak with Dr. Charreau Bell, the director of the undergraduate Data Science minor. I asked her about the importance of Data Science and if AI was going to impact the field. At the time, I wasn’t even considering taking a coding class. Dr. Bell got super excited about my question and told me the program embraced the development of AI and incorporated it into some electives. After that, I attended a Data Science minor info session and I decided to enroll in DS 1100 (Applied Programming and Problem Solving with Python).
About halfway into my first semester, I declared the minor. Even though I had no prior coding experience, I found the class to be very beginner friendly.
Learning to code was an amazing and rewarding experience. I realized just how powerful data visualization can be. I now feel much more connected to the tech world and I can keep up with the rapidly evolving industry.
The undergraduate Data Science minor complements every major and opens up various opportunities. I encourage everyone to try at least one DS class during their time at Vanderbilt.”