Hamza Belafia (M.S. in Commerce 2021), Business Analytics Track
Undergrad: B.A. in Foreign Affairs and Spanish
We live in the data age. Many companies are generating, collecting, and storing a multitude of information used to drive business value. Recently, I had the opportunity to virtually attend Careers in Analytics, an event hosted by McIntire’s Center for Business Analytics, in partnership with Commerce Career Services. This event highlighted the practices used to examine data and performance as a way to gain insights and make data-driven decisions. The session included McIntire alumnus Arun Balasubramanian, Kristin Moody, and Michelle Snyder, who all spoke to the fast-growing career paths in analytics and their respective achievements professional careers in the industry.
Having been born in Morocco, where I spent half of my childhood before immigrating to the United States, I have developed into a student of two distinct cultures. My transition from a developing country to a developed one changed how I perceive the world. My attention is drawn to the considerable discrepancies in welfare, diplomacy, and economic development. As a student passionate about business analytics, I hope to gain knowledge in big data and analytics to enable better two-way communication and real-time decision making to drive effective outcomes and facilitate meaningful impacts on people’s lives in the developing world.
As my time at McIntire continues to unfold, I am excited by the opportunities that lay ahead both academically and professionally. The faculty, students, and alums of the M.S. in Commerce Program will enable me to develop a broader understanding of the business analytics field and bridge the gap with my undergraduate degree, thus preparing me for a successful and rewarding career.
