Bailey Wellen

“I would like to get a job in data science, and after a couple years of industry experience, I hope to pursue a master’s degree. I am passionate about making sure that data science practices are ethical and fair, so I want to focus on that in my career and in my continued education!”

“The professors in the Computer Science Department — Professor Erlan Wheeler, Professor Mark Mahoney, and Professor Perry Kivolowitz — have had a huge impact on my life at Carthage! Prof. Kivolowitz in particular is always willing to take extra time to explain concepts to me, to give me career advice, or to refer me to an internship that would be a good fit. 

“I have also been fortunate enough to get to know Professor Michael McShane and Professor Seemee Ali. They have been incredibly generous with their time and are always willing to discuss the truths that we can uncover from great literature; I am so grateful to them both for investing time and effort into my personal growth and education.”

“My favorite class so far was Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Modeling taught by Prof. Mahoney. It was interesting to get an inside peek into some of the newer technology that looks like magic from the outside. We spent the second half of the semester talking about machine learning, which has taken data science to the next level and has allowed data scientists to analyze huge amounts of data. Overall, I felt that I learned a lot in this class, and I found it fascinating!”

“I am involved in a lot of different corners of campus! I play viola in the Carthage Philharmonic, I am the president of Carthage’s Data Science Club, and I am heavily involved in the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the Computer Science Club.”

“Computer Organization was by far my toughest class. Our first few projects were all in assembly language, which was really challenging because you have to approach it completely different than most other programming languages. By the end of the course, I felt that I had a pretty good handle on assembly, but it took a lot of work to get there.”

“I had an internship at The Commons in Milwaukee. Once a week, I drove up to Milwaukee to create an innovative project for West Bend Mutual Insurance. Through the internship, I learned a lot about networking, design thinking, and professionalism. The Commons team has been a huge asset to me because they also helped us plan Carthage’s first ever on-campus hackathon.

“I also had an internship at Abbvie in their decision sciences team. I was an “experiential intern,” which meant that I organized networking, educational, and social events for the team throughout the summer. I really enjoyed getting to know my team and the other interns throughout the summer, and I gained a much deeper understanding of how professionals approach real life data science problems.”

“For my previous J-Term trips, I went to Austria and Germany with the Carthage Philharmonic. We had the opportunity to rehearse and perform in Vienna, visit Mozart’s home in Salzburg, tour beautiful architecture in Munich, and many other experiences! It was such a great chance to improve as a musician, to get to know the other members of the orchestra, and to learn more about the culture and art of Europe!

“Soon, I will be going on a religion J-Term trip to Tanzania, and I am looking forward to making even more memories and learning about another culture that is so different from ours.”

“I received the Clausen Presidential Scholarship. This scholarship has been a blessing. It has lightened the financial burden of college and has allowed me to take advantage of opportunities like J-Term trips!”

“Many of my favorite Carthage moments have been with the Carthage Philharmonic! I am so grateful to be a part of that community — everyone in the orchestra is so accepting of each other, and Professor Edward Kawakami makes it a super comfortable space to learn and make great music. Getting to perform in Vienna and to be a part of the Christmas Festival each year has been a huge blessing.

“In addition to Philharmonic memories, I really enjoyed going to Urbana, an InterVarsity conference, last winter. There were 12 students from Carthage and 10,000 students from all around the world, and it was a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better and to learn more about the Bible.”

“The upstairs of the Campbell Student Union is always a quiet place to study, read, or catch up with a friend!”

“I have been really surprised by just how many opportunities are available at Carthage. Professors are always letting us know about projects, hackathons, internships, etc. I have been so impressed with all of the professional, academic, and social opportunities here at Carthage.”

“I think eight-year-old me would think I was nerdy for being so invested in math and science! When I was a kid, I wanted to stay as far away from the sciences as possible because my dad was an engineer, and I thought that ‘wasn’t cool.’ Looking back on it now, it comes as no surprise that I ended up in the major that I did. I have always enjoyed puzzles, logic, and problem solving. I can now say confidently that I love being a computer science major and that I am, in fact, ‘not cool.’”

“Don’t be intimidated by computer science or data science. In middle schools and high schools, every student learns the basics of math, history, biology, chemistry, etc. Unfortunately, schools don’t usually teach programming or analytics, so the subject can feel intimidating.

“If you are a hard-working person and you like problem solving, then you will do well as a computer science or data science major! Don’t be afraid to take a class and see if it is the right fit for you.”

“All signs pointed towards Carthage being the right fit. I visited the beautiful campus, sat in on a couple of classes, interviewed for a scholarship, emailed back and forth with both Coach Leanne Ulmer (the women’s volleyball coach) and Professor Edward Kawakami, and before I knew it — Carthage floated to the very top of my list!”