Carpe Datum

Celebrating two years of stories, insights, and inspiration from women in STEM and data-driven fields. We’re also expanding our focus to digital literacy and the evolving role of AI!

As we wrap up the 4th season of Carpe Datum , we want to celebrate the incredible women who shared their journeys across data, STEM, leadership, and creativity. This season is a reminder that meaningful data work starts with people. Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to seize the data!

Winning Competitive Scholarships: Success is driven by strategic preparation, consistent personal growth, and long-term persistence through challenges. Student-Led Advocacy in STEM: Grassroots leadership can expand opportunities, visibility, and access to STEM programs through sustained student initiative. From Idea to Impact (Gold Award): Meaningful projects emerge from aligning personal passion...

Career Journey & Daily Work: What sparked their path into data science and what energizes their day-to-day problem-solving. Sustaining a Two-Decade Career: A growth mindset that supports adaptability, curiosity, and purpose across shifting missions. User Needs From the Ground Up: How real-world, hands-on experiences shape more empathetic, user-centered data tools and events. Guiding Real-World...

Influence of a Secondary School Teacher: Early encouragement can lead to long-term impact of belief and representation in STEM. Problem-Solving Approach: Complex challenges are tackled through structured thinking, practical questioning, and a focus on clarity over complexity. Making STEM Accessible: STEM is made approachable by connecting concepts to everyday life, encouraging curiosity, and remov...

Mentoring at UofT: Helped students see hidden opportunities (like work-study programs), shaping a mentorship style grounded in practical guidance and empathy. Project Coordination at Canada Bread: Learned to simplify data communication by focusing on outcomes, not visuals but answering “So what?” for non-technical stakeholders. Adapting Across Projects: Staying curious and doing deep research into...

Supporting Teams & Embracing Challenges at Aize: Data solutions through collaboration and adaptability, ensuring they’re intuitive and aligned with user needs. NHIF Internship & Interest in Data Analytics: NHIF spark to explore data’s role in healthcare, blending purpose with problem-solving. Teaching Diverse Learners in STEM: Adapting content with pliability, switching methods and tools b...

Short Intensive Courses (e.g. Kaggle x Google Gen AI): Short intensives give you concentrated exposure and momentum for testing new skills quickly without a long commitment. Breaking Into Data Science Without a Formal Background: Credibility comes from consistency like personal projects and public contributions. Overlaps Between Draco Work and Academic Research: Even across different domains, prob...

Consulting to Data Science: Structured thinking and stakeholder empathy are just as critical in data science as they are in consulting. Choosing Tools in Evolving Environments: Letting the problem dictate the method. Mentoring vs. Judging at Hackathons: The key is timing to guide with empathy, clarity, and fairness during and at the end of the process. Personal Interests Shaping Professional Ident...

Community STEAM Access: Bringing STEAM into community spaces helps break barriers to access and makes learning feel more approachable and inclusive. Engaging Young Minds: Making STEAM fun, hands-on, and adaptable across ages keeps young learners curious and engaged. Designing for All: Teaching across educational stages informs the creation of activities that are both developmentally appropriate an...

Global Engagement & Leadership: Her work across global orgs like UN Women UK and Code.org is driven by a commitment to inclusive tech leadership and creating accessible entry points for women in STEM. Lowering Barriers with Visual Tools: Using AppInventor’s visual programming allows beginners to grasp coding concepts without fear, often creating functional apps in their very first session. Rep...

IT Support Misconceptions : She shares the surprising fulfillment and common misconceptions about working in IT at IKEA. Women in Tech : She explains why women-centered tech spaces still matter and how they empower community in 2025. Event Impact : She reflects on the feedback and moments that make hosting events like Tech Trivia Night worthwhile. Data-Driven Mindset : She discusses how real busin...

Purposeful Multitasking: Running both a coffee brand and a creative/engineering career requires finding shared values that guide work across disciplines. Pivoting with Purpose: The shift from physics to analytics was driven by curiosity and a desire for real-world impact, revealing unexpected similarities like problem-solving and system thinking. Creative Data Vision: Creativity plays a powerful r...

Lessons from a year of transformation : After a year of meeting over 1,000 people, Manik reflects on the most surprising personal and professional lessons that shaped his growth and leadership. Scaling beyond courses: Shares how insights from the “Anyone Can Build a Community” course helped him grow Girls Leading Tech from just 5 participants to over 1,900 members, and how intentional community-bu...

Teen Skill Gaps: Teens often struggle most with self-doubt and direction bridging that gap means building confidence through exposure and mentorship, not just hard skills. Leadership vs. Creativity: True collaboration thrives when structured leadership is balanced with space for creativity and diverse thinking styles. Resumes & Communication: A standout resume quietly tells a story, and confid...

Real-World Spark : Early exposure to how data can uncover hidden patterns in social issues inspired a passion for using it as a tool for change. Building Carpe Datum : Starting the podcast and community stemmed from a desire to humanize data science. Leading as a Student : A key challenge was listening first and leading with empathy. Data for Tough Topics : Data gives young people a credible voice...

Inside the Northwestern Prison Education Program: Mena shares her role as a volunteer, what it’s like teaching inside correctional facilities, and how data could help evaluate or improve such programs. Founding Women in Statistics at Northwestern: The story behind launching the group, how it created community, and how it led to her regional ambassador role with Women in Data Science (WiDS) Chicago...

In this special Season 3 recap of Carpe Datum , we revisit 12 inspiring conversations with women who are shaping the future of data science. From AI innovation and healthcare analytics to digital storytelling, career reinvention, and advocacy in STEM, each guest brought unique insights and impact. Join us as we celebrate their journeys and reflect on the powerful themes of growth, mentorship, and...

Building Professional Relationships : Insights into how Maheen has built strong professional connections, leading to numerous recommendations on LinkedIn, and tips for fostering meaningful professional relationships. Volunteering in Data Science : Advice for data professionals on leveraging their AI/ML expertise in volunteer work, making a meaningful impact, and transitioning into the volunteer sp...

Balancing Multiple Projects: Discusses strategies for managing excitement and challenges in multiple tech initiatives. Importance of Digital Presence: Emphasizes the value of having an interactive portfolio and advice on building one. Excelling in Academics and Tech: Tips on staying focused and motivated while balancing a demanding academic schedule with tech fellowships. Diverse Internship Experi...

- Statistics in Community Services and Education : Discuss the application of statistical principles in optimizing local garden projects, enhancing public health initiatives, and improving educational programs at universities like UC Berkeley. - Statistics and Personal Growth : Explore how statistical methods can offer insights into personal growth stories, such as those discussed in Soyoung’s Med...

Data Storytelling and Practical Advice : Maggie discusses how she uses storytelling in her newsletter to inspire and support aspiring data professionals and shares a project that significantly impacted her approach. Impact of Volunteer Work : Maggie reflects on her roles as a WiDS Ambassador, Mentorship Organizer at Data Angels, and Social Media Manager for MeasureCamp Chicago, and the rewards of...

Use of Newsletters : Discuss how following the newsletters ‘Hiring For Tech’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence’ has influenced Riya's approach to data science projects and interview preparation. Returning to Microsoft : Explore Riya’s experience taking a break from Microsoft to go back to school, how it changed her perspective, and the new skills or lessons she brought back. Speaking Engagements: Share...

Research Impact: Insights into Vaibhava's research on knowledge graphs, machine intelligence, IoT, and stock price forecasting, including challenges and rewards in transforming research into publications. Community Engagement: Experiences and impact of roles as an ambassador for Women in Data Science, Pie and AI, and Adobe, and strategies for balancing tech education promotion with community conne...

Computational Humor and Context : Role of context in pun interpretation by language models and the impact of language ambiguity on pun recognition. Irony Detection in Tweets : Distinguishing types of irony (e.g., sarcasm) in tweets and the challenges of detecting irony in short, informal texts. AI in Enterprise Solutions : Evolution of AI and Machine Learning roles in enterprise solutions over the...