Hi! My name is Emily Pettinato. I am the second of four kids, but the oldest of the three girls, so I still consider myself the oldest. I’m originally from Greenwich, CT, but moved to Scranton, PA in fourth grade to be closer to my dad’s big crazy (and amazing) Italian family. Every Sunday night, my whole family shares a meal at my granddad’s house. Our twenty-two-person clan is loud, rowdy, and loving, always filling the house with noise and affection. Having the support of a big family that loves and cares for me has given me the confidence to take on new challenges. I know they have my back no matter what, and I will always have theirs. I am aware of how blessed I am and have realized how crucial it is to have compassion for those without people like this in their lives. Because I believe that kind of support is so vital for success, I do my best to support others around me. I always try to re-create that familial environment, from asking my peers to form study groups to trying to genuinely connect with all my fellow members of a club or team.
As far as intellectual interests go, those change every week. I love learning about random topics and have definitely been victim to quite a few google deep dives and YouTube rabbit holes. On a more academic and professional level, I want to go into the business world. Right now, I’m in between finance and business analytics or maybe doing both. However, since I can’t even apply to the business school until the end of next year, I’m trying not to worry about it too much.
I think (in the broadest and vaguest way) data science is the knowledge of how to think about new knowledge. Data is an insight into the reality of our world, a sample of what is and has gone on, a ton of information compiled together. Data science is knowing what to do with that information, how to analyze, present, and apply the data. There are infinite possibilities when it comes to what can be accomplished by using data science, because there are always new ways to think, new perspectives, new problems, new people, new data. Not only do I think it can be harnessed but that the best way to improve the lives of people, the environment, our understanding of ourselves or nature, business & economics, everyday problem solving, and everything else, will be through collaboration between data scientists and experts in each respective field.