Patricia Yoshida

I was a member of STATCOM for four semesters while a M.S.– Applied Statistics student.  It had always been my intention to obtain employment after my degree, and it was important for me to have a broad range of experiences in the application of statistics for that purpose.  In addition to strengthening my resume, I saw STATCOM as a way to gain practical experience in using statistics for real life situations.  Throughout the four semesters, my role in STATCOM grew from project member to project manager.  I was involved in a few of the typical STATCOM projects (one for the public library, another for a school corporation), and was also active in the P-12 Outreach activities.

Though it requires some explanation of what STATCOM is and does, I have found that potential employers have always been impressed with the group.  I always referred to my STATCOM involvement during interviews to give examples of my communication skills, leadership abilities and working in groups.  I am currently employed as a statistician in the analytics group at a technology firm that does marketing research and development.  The activities of STATCOM do not directly relate to the work I do now, or the types of positions that I was seeking, but I think that my participation with STATCOM was a definite advantage in finding employment.