Analytics for Business Decision Making
Graduate, 2016
Business analyst grad turned intern turned employee couldn’t be more pleased
ishawna Peck embodies the success story that all college hopefuls dream about—she is that intern who did so well that it turned into a job.
After graduating with her Analytics for Business Decision Making post-graduate certificate with honours in June 2016, Peck started as an intern analyst at debit and credit card payment company Moneris Solutions. The same month as her internship ended, the company made her position permanent as a data analyst for the company's product department.
With an economics degree from York University in 2014, Peck realized her skills would be boosted with a post-graduate certificate. "I was searching for a program that was hands-on and taught by instructors who have worked in the field. George Brown provided all these things and was the only program I could find that had a business focus and hands-on learning with analytics," says Peck.
In the program, she learned the software and programming skills required in her field, as well as critical and analytical thinking. She also found support and mentorship. She particularly recalls the advice of a mentor leading up to her internship at Moneris. "I was scared that I couldn’t go to school full time and intern full time. He told me that I could do it," recalls Peck.
After the program, Peck is even more confident about her skills. "I am a better problem solver now. I know how to question everything to ensure my reports are accurate. I can use the tools necessary to clean data and communicate the results of the data in a way that makes sense to different audiences," says Peck.
Currently, Peck is the manager of Financial Data Analytics at HomeStars, a Canadian company that helps homeowners connect with home improvement professionals. In addition to her innovative work at HomeStars, Peck is also a founding member of the Toronto Womxn in Data Science conference, which aims to celebrate the diverse career journeys and accomplishments of womxn in data science in Toronto and beyond. The community has helped create a platform for these womxn to both share their own journeys and increase their knowledge of data science as a career path. Peck is also an active alumna and was involved in staging George Brown’s 2020 Analytics symposium.
She also has advice at the ready for fellow dreamers. "These two semesters are yours to soak up the knowledge of the instructors, learn in class and attend industry events. The outcomes of this program will vary depending on your inputs. Work hard and the rest will follow," she says.
