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Compelling Storytelling With Data Analytics | Graduate Spotlight

Written by Jessica Grande | May 19, 2021

"I'm passionate about analytics, love solving problems with data, and keen to increase insights with organizations."

With his extensive experience in Finance as an Investment Market Analyst and in Healthcare, Jeffrey Reeve used his capstone to explore the financial and economic impact of the pandemic in the United States. 

Since graduating from Full-time Data Analytics Cohort 3, he’s excited to put his research & analysis, systems thinking, and technical skill to good use in the vast world of data analytics. 

How did you choose the topic for your capstone project?

I wanted to draw on my background (finance & healthcare) and produce a piece of data journalism using the data skills I had just learned. I also wanted my capstone to be relevant and nothing is more so than COVID-19. My project was a Tableau data story entitled, "An Examination of the Cost of COVID-19 in the United States."

What was your favorite part of your NSS experience?

“The projects. Learning by doing really is the best way. In my program, we had multiple projects for each technology (Excel, SQL, Power BI, Tableau, Python). The projects allowed us to get to know our classmates, learn how to work on a team, learn Agile methodologies (important in the job world), and apply our knowledge and skill to produce something useful. NSS even brought in people from outside companies and organizations so we could do work for them that they actually used. I also now have a portfolio to show employers when they ask, ‘What work have you done that is directly related to the job duties for this position?’“

What advice would you give to current or incoming NSS Data students?

“The program will be challenging but also fun. Embrace the struggle. Don't be afraid to ask for help and collaborate with your classmates. Apply yourself and be open to learning. The new knowledge and skills acquired are extremely valuable. Take the projects assigned seriously and get all you can from them. The portfolio of projects you will have at program completion is very important to employers.”

Listen to Jeffrey's podcast to hear about his NSS experience and capstone project. Connect with Jeffrey on his LinkedIn page

Meet more of the graduates from Full-time Data Analytics Cohort 3 by visiting their class website!