“The goal is to turn data into information, and information into insight.” – Carly Fiorina, Former CEO of HP
As an employee of Chicago Public Schools, my overarching mission now is to make the goal Carly Fiorina speaks of, a priority across the school district. Though I would add, for the goal to be complete, we must also transform that insight into action. We must transform data into meaningful and positive action that will result in improved student outcomes, a more fulfilling student experience, and an overall better school system for the student’s, their families and the city. However, before I can effectively lead in this data driven mission I must first prepare myself to be a strong data analyst and thus the reason I am applying to …show more content…
I was fortunate enough to be selected for the UIC Urban Public Policy Fellowship, which included an internship at the Latino Education Alliance (LEA). This organization partnered with several CPS high schools to work with their at-risk freshmen population in an effort to get them back on track. LEA’s work was driven in large part by the research published by U of C’s own Consortium on Chicago School Research, which indicated that freshman on-track rates are the number one indicators of future high school graduation. Guided by this research, LEA assigned mentors to students they deemed at risk in the hopes of placing these students back on track. As part of my internship, I was tasked with identifying these potentially at-risk students by analyzing behavior, attendance and academic data and developing an algorithm that would flag these students moving forward. Once I identified these students at the 3 high schools LEA partnered with, I was assigned 5 students from Benito Juarez High School to mentor in the spring …show more content…
Like me, these kids came from low-income Latino families who, by and large, were living in the shadows as undocumented immigrants. These life circumstances often times present a great deal of obstacles for these students, which is reflected by their poor performance at school. I could relate with these five students because I too faced many of them same challenges growing up. For the majority of my childhood and through my college years I grew up as an undocumented immigrant in a low-income household. I performed especially poor in high school, eventually graduating with a 1.5 GPA. Low-income, undocumented, poor performing high schools graduates rarely attend college, much less finish. Ultimately though, with a strong family support system and a determined mindset, I was not only able to attend college but graduate as well. My personal challenges allowed me to connect with these kids on a very personal level. I was able to provide a clear example of someone in very similar circumstances as their own, overcoming the obstacles and succeeding in
As an employee of Chicago Public Schools, my overarching mission now is to make the goal Carly Fiorina speaks of, a priority across the school district. Though I would add, for the goal to be complete, we must also transform that insight into action. We must transform data into meaningful and positive action that will result in improved student outcomes, a more fulfilling student experience, and an overall better school system for the student’s, their families and the city. However, before I can effectively lead in this data driven mission I must first prepare myself to be a strong data analyst and thus the reason I am applying to …show more content…
I was fortunate enough to be selected for the UIC Urban Public Policy Fellowship, which included an internship at the Latino Education Alliance (LEA). This organization partnered with several CPS high schools to work with their at-risk freshmen population in an effort to get them back on track. LEA’s work was driven in large part by the research published by U of C’s own Consortium on Chicago School Research, which indicated that freshman on-track rates are the number one indicators of future high school graduation. Guided by this research, LEA assigned mentors to students they deemed at risk in the hopes of placing these students back on track. As part of my internship, I was tasked with identifying these potentially at-risk students by analyzing behavior, attendance and academic data and developing an algorithm that would flag these students moving forward. Once I identified these students at the 3 high schools LEA partnered with, I was assigned 5 students from Benito Juarez High School to mentor in the spring …show more content…
Like me, these kids came from low-income Latino families who, by and large, were living in the shadows as undocumented immigrants. These life circumstances often times present a great deal of obstacles for these students, which is reflected by their poor performance at school. I could relate with these five students because I too faced many of them same challenges growing up. For the majority of my childhood and through my college years I grew up as an undocumented immigrant in a low-income household. I performed especially poor in high school, eventually graduating with a 1.5 GPA. Low-income, undocumented, poor performing high schools graduates rarely attend college, much less finish. Ultimately though, with a strong family support system and a determined mindset, I was not only able to attend college but graduate as well. My personal challenges allowed me to connect with these kids on a very personal level. I was able to provide a clear example of someone in very similar circumstances as their own, overcoming the obstacles and succeeding in