I come from the eclectic border city of Tijuana, Mexico, where I grew up exposed to, and cognizant of, differences between cultures and countries. Thirsty to understand our world and its inequalities, I pursued a degree in International Relations and soon after headed to West Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer. My time in Africa introduced me to amazing people and cultures, showed me the power of grassroots development, and exposed me to a wide array of inefficiencies in our systems.
Emboldened to acquire more technical and academic knowledge, I obtained an MA in International Political Economy and Development and an MA in Economics. During the course of my studies, I had the opportunity to intern with the United Nations Development Programme, work as an Evaluation Consultant with a microfinance in Haiti, and support an international organization as a Program and Evaluation Assistant. Through all these experiences, I found myself naturally gravitating towards research, towards monitoring and evaluation, and, especially, towards finding effective strategies to implement lessons learned.
After graduating, I worked at a social service non-profit as a Research and Evaluation Analyst. My role was dual; I supported programs wherever research was needed, and I objectively identified areas of strength and weakness. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my work, I found myself pulled by the potential of combining my strengths and experiences with the technical skills of a data scientist. I longed to acquire the capacity to analyze massive amounts of data and appropriately communicate findings to create effective strategies and programs that have social impact potential.
In January 2017 I joined Metis, and my journey as a Data Scientist began.