Stanford MS&E: Stories & Voices

Exploring and Foreshadowing. Yeganeh explains how her love of applied math brought her to the operations research area of MS&E and how multidisciplinary exploring sparked an interest in modeling epidemic infection spread a full year before the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as how her work helped schools in Los Angeles and New York return to in-person teaching, and her future plans for continued research for societal impact. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Curiosity and Conversation. Shreyas shares how his intellectual curiosity, love for getting to know people, and multicultural background led him to not just explore interdisciplinary academic work at the intersection of AI, health and society, but also create the Beagle Cafe, a salon for ideas and stories. Based out of his Stanford dorm room, the conversation project brought together hundreds of students from across campus in small groups for some of the most meaningful conversations of their lives, and Shreyas was recognized with a Community Impact Award for his efforts. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Friendship and Involvement. Nathan talks about how his involvement in student organizations—especially since COVID-19 meant that it was his sophomore year before he arrived on campus—has been a key element of his time at Stanford and in MS&E, leading to enhanced leadership and entrepreneurial skills, lifelong friendships, and dream teams for group coursework, all culminating with their (ultimately award-winning) Senior Project experience. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Inspiring and Teaching. Josh describes how his interest in criminal justice, data science, and statistics brought him to MS&E, where he's been able to tap into his teenage years’ tutoring background to fulfill his love of teaching and mentoring students, as well as how he embraces the challenge of making classes exciting and engaging by including real world data collection and showing the relevancy to future careers. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Networking and Empowerment. Daniela discusses the extensive benefits to her sense of empowerment, initiative, and productivity that came from a change in perspective around career-related networking and developing an understanding that it's about building relationships and friendships, as well as from being intentional about setting aside non-negotiable self-care time each day as she juggled work and studies. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Confidence and Challenge. Belle (2024 PAC-12 student athlete of the year for women's rowing) discusses how multiple aspects of her rowing career, and embracing challenges and difficult situations, encouraged the emergence of her self confidence and strong leadership skills. She also describes why it's so important for young girls to maintain their involvement in sports and find mentors as they develop theirs. Note: Transcriptions are generated automatically and may not be reliable. For a version with verified captions, find us on YouTube (Stanford Management Science and Engineering).

Quantifying and Understanding. Brian discusses the value of multi-disciplinary work and how he has combined economics, computer science, and the natural sciences with MS&E to quantify the threats of extreme temperatures and flooding on the economic risks and prospects for companies in various industries, and how an understanding of these can inform mitigation efforts as well as create a competitive advantage.

Impact and Meaning. Isabelle shares how her work examining major healthcare issues such as equitable vaccine allocation and the opioid epidemic from an operations research lens has been able to have an impact in decision making and policy development, and how she takes meaning from knowing how many lives can be saved. She also discusses her journey from childhood hours spent in her dads office at a major university to her continuing research career in academia.

Values and Principles. Shreya talks about how her exposure as a teen to the challenges faced by trafficking victims led her to co-found the Foundation for Girls with her sister, and how her values and principles continue to inform her work, decisions and future plans. Shreya shares how her personal ‘board of directors’ has guided, advised and mentored her as she’s explored a wealth of internships and established a startup with her friend Justin Lui (who just so happens to be another MS&E grad).

Community and Flexibility. Jeff shares how and why he became an advocate for building community amongst the Honors Cooperative Program (HCP) students, aided in part by the flexibility offered by varying structure options in the degree program. Jeff discusses the realities of juggling work and study while also raising a family, putting his studies and the range of feedback sources into immediate use in his work, and how the community that he helped bring together benefitted so many peers.

Discovery and Blending. Kelly talks about her discovery that she could complete her degree while working, and discusses how invaluable this opportunity to study while managing projects with the Microsoft Azure Space team has been for her. She also explores how she is leaning into her imperfect perfectionism as she blends her passions for engineering and all things theatrical.

Initiative and Relationships. JC discusses how joining the Fleet Street acapella group and becoming a practice player and manager with the womens basketball team were two of the best decisions he made at Stanford, how his initiative in reaching out to people for informational conversations helped guide him into MS&E and onto his career path as he embarks on his next steps, and how building relationships brings him joy, meaning and success.