In our first post-Thanksgiving spotlight we return to Boston. The team at Insight Data Science is ensuring a whole new generation of data scientists has the skills it needs on two coasts!
Who are you?
April Minsky, Program Coordinator for the Boston Health Data Program at Insight Data Science (pictured right).
What problem are you trying to help solve?
We are trying to bridge the gap between academia and industry, as well as ease the hiring process for companies. We hold a free seven-week fellowship to help PhDs solidify their skills, make connections to leaders in the data science world, and get awesome data scientist jobs.
How is your company changing the world?
We are helping people find their dream jobs and helping companies find their dream candidates! Our data scientists and data engineers go on to become leaders of their teams and organizations, and the Insight network is 700+ and growing.
Why do you like being a part of the bigger CIC puzzle?
I like that CIC fosters a space where people are doing all sorts of different things but can easily connect. Somehow they have managed to just bring together a bunch of really smart, really nice, and really awesome people, which makes for a great community to be a part of. Also: the snacks.
What do you hope your company’s next milestone will be?
We hope to expand our capacity in helping people by adding more fellows to our session and connecting with more companies.
What’s cool about your team?
We are a tight-knitted team spread out across four offices and two coasts. Despite being physically far, we invest in fostering close working relationships through Team Weeks (getting the entire company together) twice a year!
What causes are you passionate about?
While I don’t directly have a technology job, I do feel that by virtue of the company I work for I am in the tech space, which has a huge gender gap. One of my Insight colleagues and I collaborate with another women in the industry here in Boston to host a Women in Tech group.
Who is your hero?
As the risk of sounding cliché, right now I have to say Hillary Clinton! I feel she has ignited a huge movement of women fighting for their rights and the rights of others, taking action, and taking up more leadership roles in the government. I am sad by her presidential loss but empowered by the effect she has had which I believe is going to have a long-term impact.
What is your biggest fear?
I never want to let down my Fellows or my team!
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I’m really proud of where I’ve gone in my career. I graduated with a psych degree, intending to work in research and then go on to get a PhD. I took a lot of pride in having a plan and “knowing” what I wanted to do, only to learn that I was really unhappy in research and that a PhD was not for me. To have been able to switch fields and find a job that I feel is not only a great fit for me, but is also at a company I am really proud to be a part of and doing work I am passionate about means a lot for me.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
My dad is a piano teacher and also used to publish music books. He was writing a song for children and wanted it to be about our dog, and asked me to write the lyrics. I did, and it got published! I was 12.
in Client Spotlight, Innovation in the Community, Women in Startups
