It was 8th grade for me. The seeds of my passion for Data Science were planted back in Middle School, though I hardly would have recognized it then. It started with a love for Mathematics. The truth and beauty found within Math spoke to my heart like reading a great classic novel. I soaked up every bit of it that I could and eventually grew to love Calculus and Statistics. Finding patterns in data, ordering chaos, understanding deep logical truths – I loved it so much that I got a Bachelor’s Degree in Math and then found its application as a Data Analyst in Oil and Gas. It was here that the seeds planted years before finally bore fruit.While still working full time, I decided to get a Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering. I loved the industry I was in, and wanted to make a career out of understanding how to use data in areas that are often hard to understand. There is so much that is known, yet so much that is still to learn and I want to spend my career pushing into that space between the known and unknown. Operations mixed with technical designs, hundreds of wells completed and analyzed, tons of data streaming in all waiting to tell a story. I love to read that story and make sense of it all.In the oil industry, I quickly became the technical lead for Completions serving as a Subject Matter Expert for all company projects. Though I thoroughly enjoyed this role, the main thing I discovered was how much I loved mentoring, guiding, and teaching others.From there, I decided to transition into Data Science so I could more fully engage my love of math, data, and storytelling. I loved the chance to create complex models that predict values for large data gaps, develop innovative reports that highlight the risks within a portfolio, and help the Air Force know where to invest the next dollar to ensure the mission succeeds. I excelled in this role and quickly was given a leadership position guiding a team of data scientists. Our team grew, roles expanded, and I currently lead 4 teams of data (and some non-data) professionals ranging from data science, analytics, development, and SharePoint automation. Areas of expertise include:• Leadership: Project Management, Team Development, Extreme Ownership• Data Science: Regression, Random Forest, Classification, NLP, Neural Networks• Microsoft Office Suite: Excel, Access, Word, PowerPoint, Power Apps• Technical: Data storytelling, Data Analytics, Big Data, and cloud-based software• Programming Languages: Python, R, SQL, VBA• Completion Modeling: Kinetix, StimPlan, GOHFER, MFrac