Please join the University of Washington Information School in welcoming the Master of Science in Information Management offered online’s inaugural cohort!
We are so proud to be welcoming such a talented group of students to be the inaugural class. This class set the bar high for future cohorts. Students represent so many disciplinary backgrounds, computer science, humanities, education, to name a few. Though these students come from varied backgrounds, they’re united by a shared desire to use information as a tool for positive change. The iSchool launched MSIM online to increase access to our program especially for students from historically marginalized backgrounds. Our inaugural cohort is good evidence of our early success. Here are a few quick facts about our inaugural cohort:
- 22 students enrolled.
- 50% women and 50% men.
- Students’ work experience range from under 1 year to 5+ years.
- Students come from a variety of organizational backgrounds, as follows: 8 private sector companies, 11 public sector, 2 governmental organizations, and one NGO.
- 17% were first-generation college students.
- Of 21 students reporting, 30% are Asian, 22% are white, 22% are Hispanic, and 13% are African American.
- These students represent a variety of ethnicities, including:
- African American
- Asian Indian
- Bolivian
- Caucasian
- Chinook
- Ethiopian
- Filipino
- Hispanic
- Korean
- Mexican/Chicano
- Somali
- Thai
- Vietnamese
The diversity of this student cohort creates a rich learning environment, where students can gain new perspectives and benefit from the differing experiences of their classmates.
Furthermore, this exceptional group of information-management-leaders-in-the-making hail from five states and bring professional experience from companies such as Disney, Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, Zillow, T-Mobile and Amazon.
Allow us to introduce you to some of the socially conscious, data-driven professionals embarking on the next chapter of their academic journeys at the iSchool:
Danny Bullis
A Marine Corps veteran and UW iSchool undergraduate alum, Danny has transitioned from front-end web development to software engineering and data architecture at Disney. He’s excited to return to the iSchool for his MSIM degree, which he plans to use to further his career in data architecture and engineering management.
Halie Davidovas
A former financial analyst, Halie works in the IT/IS department of an executive search firm. Her career has exposed her to a variety of data-driven concepts, including data visualization and automation, sparking her interest in pursuing an advanced degree in information management.
Jeffrey Ingham
Jeffrey has built up more than two decades of IT experience, most recently focusing on enterprise security, identity, risk and compliance. An advocate for security identity and regulatory compliance through his role at Microsoft, Jeffrey channels his passion for follow-through, ownership and inclusion to establish a growth mindset across his teams.
Kalyanashis Chakraborty
A product manager with an eye toward user experience design, Kalyan’s successful 10+ year career in IT has allowed him to work with clients such as BP, Starbucks, American Express and Amazon. In addition, Kalyan co-founded an e-commerce business that sold custom Indian art. He hopes to eventually start another company and to tap data to solve social and environmental issues.
Lauren Santos
A UW undergraduate alum, Lauren is currently a researcher at a local cancer hospital. She’s pursuing an MSIM degree to better understand how to manage and interpret the scores of potentially life-saving data she encounters in her work.
Marquisha Hicks
Marquisha is enrolled in the Mid-Career MSIM track and will specialize in Business Intelligence. As a lead application developer, Marquisha designs, tests, implements and maintains new software applications for the California Department of Insurance. Marquisha boasts more than a decade of experience in IT, having worked as a business analyst, system administrator and project manager.
Nikhil Navkal
In addition to being a professional opera singer with multiple music degrees from Yale University and Mannes School of Music, Nikhil currently serves as a software developer and data analyst at an e-commerce company. He will specialize in Data Science and Business Intelligence.
Trevor Dickson
Trevor is a software engineer for a Las Vegas government contractor developing aviation warfare systems. He develops and maintains multiple data-driven operations that power much of his organization’s day-to-day work. Prior to his current role, Trevor worked at Oracle.
We are excited to watch these students grow into transformational, socially conscious information leaders. Over the next couple of years, these students will engage in an innovative curriculum that provides a holistic socially conscious approach to information management. They will develop the skills and tools that are needed to make data-driven strategic decisions, becoming highly sought-after strategic leaders.
Are you interested in becoming a data-driven, socially conscious information leader too? Apply to the program today.