At Collibra, we strive to connect with our community both locally and globally. This past month, we focused on our local community in New York City where Collibra is headquartered, and invited a group of students through Tech NYC’s Summer Bridge program to intern with us for the month of August. As a true New Yorker, born and raised in Brooklyn, I was thrilled to participate in this program and help cultivate an impactful work experience for this group of college students.
For this program, our marketing team created a project focused on expanding our Data Intelligence messaging to reach Millennials and Gen Z students who may not have a background in technology. Our interns deciphered our messaging, reflected on what Data Intelligence means to them, and considered how we can make data meaningful for all Data Citizens including college students. Below we highlight two of our interns, Anna Ho, a statistics major at Baruch College, and Jordaan Scott, a popular music major at Brooklyn College, who both came up with great examples of what Data Intelligence means to them and its importance to all people.
What does Data Intelligence mean to you?
Anna: As a stats major, I was intrigued by Data Intelligence, however it took some time for me to wrap my head around what it actually is and what it means. To me, Data intelligence is making sense of all the information that is around you. Large numbers and large amounts of information can be difficult to interpret. Data Intelligence helps us wrap our heads around objects that may otherwise be too difficult for us to picture in our heads. This is especially helpful for companies who have lots of customers or clients to keep track of.
Jordaan: As a popular music major, I never really thought about how I use data in my everyday life. But after learning more about Data Intelligence, I realize that the music industry uses data all the time to understand what type of music people are interested in and then use that information to suggest new songs and genres. To me, Data Intelligence is basically understanding and using your data the proper way. It is not specified to a particular group of people or discipline. Instead, it gives everyone the chance to better understand data and use their data to innovate and help their business prosper.
Why is Data Intelligence important in the world?
Anna: Data Intelligence is important both in the office and outside in the world. For example, Data Intelligence can help solve climate change. It can help people know the impact of taking shorter showers or using reusable grocery bags. More broadly in big companies, Data Intelligence is an important step to making essential business decisions. When large companies are dealing with lots of money, the slightest difference in numbers can result in a huge margin.
Jordaan: I see Data Intelligence as being important for colleges and universities. It can help students understand the differences in tuition across various establishments and choose the right school for them. For large companies, Data Intelligence is important because it can help businesses have a better understanding of their data. This better understanding leads to trust in their data, innovation, collaboration and the ability to anticipate any challenges that might arise in the future.
What was your favorite part of the program?
Anna: I simply loved just being able to talk to you guys and having exposure to real people who actually work in Data Intelligence. I also loved learning about networking and hearing from Collibrians on their career paths.
Jordaan: Understanding more about what Data Intelligence is and how it can help future businesses in the corporate world, as well as my generation at school. It is clearly a hot topic right now and I see Data Intelligence only getting more valuable and important in the future.
Embracing and driving change
At Collibra we truly believe in the importance of embracing and driving change within our organization and beyond; that is why this phrase is a key tenet of our values. Through this partnership with Tech NYC and the Summer Bridge program, we focused on driving change within our Collibra community and the tech industry at large. Historically, there is a lack of representation in the technology industry across gender, race and socioeconomic status. And the tech industry can be rather exclusive and hard to enter for many minority groups. This year, Summer Bridge prioritized low-income students from the communities hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic throughout New York City. Through this partnership, we were able to bring interns from all different backgrounds together to teach them valuable skills such as networking, interviewing and presenting. This initiative is just one piece of our broader social good and diversity, equity and inclusion program, which we’re dedicated to building and evolving in the coming months and years. Thanks to all the Collibrians who participated and dedicated their time, as well as the Tech NYC program who gave us this opportunity.
