My current role and purpose at EducationSuperHighway (ESH)

70 person nonprofit based out of SF that feels a lot like a startup.

Mission: help upgrade the internet access in every public school in America by 2020 with data-driven programs and tools.

My role (at a high level): provide insights on the connectivity gap for each state and propose concrete actions to improve broadband connectivity in schools. A lot of our analyses go directly to legislators.

Also, accelerate and make the cleaning of data more efficient with Machine Learning

“What’s really made this job interesting is the data itself — the inherent relationships and structure of it are more complicated, and it’s not very clean (e.g., a lot of it is missing) - most of it comes from government forms that school districts fill out. So, it requires more rigorous and creative techniques to extract meaning from it. And I’ve also really been accelerating my learning of different programming languages and tools, so I’ve been enjoying those challenges.

It’s much smaller and more supportive work environment, no politics, you make more of an impact and the people invested in learning and employee development which has been a refreshing change for me”

Overall, I enjoy working for an organization that ultimately helps students learn in more individualized ways that work best for them, helps them become more self-sufficient (what the internet has done for me most fundamentally), and prepares them for the current job market

ESH culture in 5 words

1. Welcoming/inclusive
2. Mission driven
3. Team-oriented (rather than individual)
4. Humble
5. Fun

Analysis team culture 5 words

1. Also welcoming
2. Incredibly driven
3. Process oriented
4. Detail oriented (matches well with my personality)
5. Helpful

Why do we learn?

To improve ourselves, to find the peace of mind that we keep seeking, to find inner peace, to minimize our mistakes, and to be careful

Improving education (stolen from somewhere and wanted to remind myself)

Better health outcomes for the population, lower levels of crime, a cleaner environment, and a more stable, democratic government. For these reasons, many nations have chosen to use taxpayer dollars to subsidize primary, secondary, and higher education. Education clearly benefits the person who receives it, but a society where most people have a good level of education provides positive externalities for all.