When I arrived at the University of St. Thomas to pursue my Master of Science in Business Analytics, I came with experience.

I had already spent years working across technology, consulting, data and business environments. I had lived and worked across countries and cultures, and I was comfortable with numbers, systems and complex problems.

What I did not fully anticipate was how much St. Thomas would challenge me to think beyond the technical side of my career.

My experience at St. Thomas became much more than earning a graduate degree. It became a period of growth, academically, professionally and personally.

Learning to Connect Data to Decisions

Business analytics can easily become a conversation about tools: SQL, Python, Power BI, machine learning, dashboards and models.

I certainly strengthened those skills at St. Thomas. But one of my most important lessons was that being able to analyze data is only part of the job.

The more important question is: What decision will this analysis help someone make?

Throughout my coursework and projects, I learned to approach problems from both sides. I could think about the data, methodology and technical implementation while also asking what mattered to the organization and the people who would ultimately use the information.

That shift has influenced the way I work today.

I no longer see a dashboard simply as a dashboard. I see the decisions behind it.

I don’t see artificial intelligence simply as a new technology. I think about the business problem it should solve, the data it requires, how we govern it and, most importantly, how people will actually use it.

Taking Learning Beyond the Classroom

Some of my most valuable experiences at St. Thomas happened when classroom concepts met real organizational problems.

Through my work at the university, I had opportunities to contribute to reporting, operations, analytics and process improvement. I saw firsthand how organizations can have enormous amounts of data and still struggle to turn that data into accessible and actionable information.

That gave me opportunities to improve reporting processes, develop dashboards and explore how analytics and AI could support better decision-making.

My capstone project provided another opportunity to put this learning into practice. As part of a team, I had the opportunity to work as a consultant for a consumer goods company, on a real business challenge.

Our work focused on forecasting, business intelligence and performance measurement. We had to move beyond academic analysis and think like consultants. We needed to understand the business problem, work with organizational data, collaborate with stakeholders and translate our findings into practical recommendations.

The experience showed me the importance of bringing technical knowledge, business understanding and teamwork together.

It also reinforced something I now strongly believe: analytics creates value when it leaves the analyst’s desk and becomes part of how an organization makes decisions.

Discovering the Leadership Side of Analytics

St. Thomas also gave me opportunities to grow outside of analytics.

Serving as president of the Graduate Student Business Association gave me the opportunity to represent and support a community of hundreds of graduate business students.

Leadership in that environment was very different from solving a technical problem.

There was no dataset that could tell me exactly what to do.

I had to listen, communicate with people with different priorities and backgrounds, organize, advocate, collaborate and sometimes make decisions without having perfect information.

That experience helped me understand that leadership and analytics actually require many of the same qualities: curiosity, listening, judgment and the willingness to ask better questions.

It also taught me that leadership is not necessarily about having all the answers. Often, it is about creating the conditions for people to contribute, collaborate and move forward together.

Finding a Bigger Purpose for Technology

Perhaps one of the most meaningful parts of my St. Thomas journey was learning to connect technology with problems that mattered deeply to me.

During my time at St. Thomas, I developed Nuse, an initiative focused on using accessible technology to support women entrepreneurs, particularly women operating in informal economies.

The idea grew from a simple observation.

Many small entrepreneurs generate valuable financial information every day through their sales, expenses and business activities, but traditional bookkeeping tools are not always designed for their realities. Language, literacy, technology and access can all become barriers.

I began asking a different question:

What if technology adapted to people instead of always asking people to adapt to technology?

St. Thomas gave me an environment where I could take that question beyond an idea. Through entrepreneurship opportunities, mentorship, feedback and conversations across the university community, I was able to continue shaping Nuse and thinking more deeply about its potential impact.

One particularly meaningful milestone was participating in the Fowler Business Concept Challenge, where Nuse won second place.

For me, that recognition was about much more than a competition. It validated the possibility of combining analytics, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship with a mission centered on financial inclusion and economic opportunity for women.

Nuse brought together so many parts of my St. Thomas experience: analytics, AI, entrepreneurship, strategy and leadership.

It also taught me a lesson that continues to influence how I think about innovation:

Innovation does not always begin with technology. Sometimes, it begins with listening.

The Importance of Community

Graduate school can be intense. There are deadlines, projects, presentations, work responsibilities and the constant question of what comes next.

But when I think about St. Thomas, I also think about people.

Professors who challenged my thinking. Classmates who brought experiences completely different from mine. Colleagues who trusted me with meaningful work. Students I had the privilege to represent. Mentors and professionals who took the time to have conversations about careers, leadership and possibilities.

Those relationships mattered.

One of the biggest lessons I would share with another student is this: do not experience graduate school only through your classes.

Go to the event. Talk to the professor. Apply for the opportunity even when you are unsure. Introduce yourself to the person whose career interests you. Volunteer to lead something. Ask for feedback. Use the career resources available to you.

And build relationships.

Sometimes a conversation that feels small at the time becomes important months or even years later.

More Than a Degree

I came to St. Thomas expecting to become a stronger analytics professional.

I did.

But I left with something I value even more: a broader understanding of the kind of professional and leader I want to become.

Someone who can move between technology and business.

Someone who understands that good data requires governance and trust.

Someone who sees AI as a tool rather than an objective.

Someone who can lead while continuing to listen.

And someone who believes that technology can and should create opportunities for people who are too often left outside traditional systems.

As I move into the next chapter of my career, I know there will be new technologies to learn, new industries to understand and new challenges to solve.

St. Thomas did not give me every answer.

It gave me something better.

It taught me to ask better questions and gave me the confidence to pursue the answers.