13th Nov: Guest lecture by Point b
‘Point b’ is a consultancy firm based in the USA. Executives from the company came to our class of Data-Driven Quality Management to explain some case studies that they had worked on. They also had freebies for who even answered their questions and also if you ask a good question. It’s a great way to understand what a consulting firm does and how it implements solutions.
15th Nov: Galvanize Event (Gaussian Learning Process)
The session was given by a data science practitioner who had immense experience in this field. He was talking about the mathematics behind the Gaussian models from the basics. By the way, these events have free food as well :). At the end of the session, I met a few other folks who were also data science practitioners and tried to get some tips for effectively solving Kaggle challenges, which have kept me busy for the last few days. Such events give you opportunities to network in-person to some of the best data scientists working in the Phoenix Area.
16th Nov: Masters Discovery Event
As a Student Ambassador, I attended the Masters Discovery Session arranged by W.P.Carey School of Business. The food at the event was also good, by the way. Ambassadors don’t get any monetary compensation for all their work. I was there to share my experience of the MSBA course to prospective students to help them make the right decision.
17th Nov: International Night (Coalition of International Students)
An energetic cultural event where all international students showcase their culture through dancing, singing, or performing. Some stalls had their regional food items for tasting, as well. We were given a passport (a booklet with names of each booth present today), and if we collect the stamps by visiting all the stalls, we will get a special plate that would give us access to express line for food being served during the event. All the countries had their stalls. We went to each stall one by one to collect their stamps. One such booth was for the Indian Student Association (ISA), as well. ISA’s patch was the Indian National Emblem with the three golden words (Truth Alone Triumphs), Chinese association’s stamp was the Great Wall, French Association had the Eiffel Tower.
Getting stamps was not an easy job; the stall members gave you some task or something like that to get a mark. It took me about 1 hour to get all the stamps, and then I got a colorful plate that would give me access to Express Line in the food counter. The food was served in batches across four tables. It was a traditional international food and not regular American food. There was something that looked like a Samosa and some roasted chicken as well.
There was Dance; there was Music. Groups like 25 º C and AZNA performed on stage. Indian Student groups also performed.