Data Curiosity
Data is everywhere and we’re often analyzing it every day whether we realize it or not. And yet, the idea of working in data as a career often feels intimidating or unimaginable for many. Some believe you have to be good at math or love numbers to work in data. Others may take one look at a coding language and think a career in data is not for them. At Women in Data, we believe all you need is a little curiosity.
In early 2022, we launched our first Data Curiosity class for kids with the goal of inspiring young minds (ages 12-13) to discover the world of data analytics. We took the basics of data literacy and guided learners through a curiosity journey. This journey included exploring data careers, discovering the data project process, and completing and presenting a data project.
This program was made possible by Women in Data’s amazing volunteer instructors: Krystal Marks, Rodi Tountcheva and Monica Canavan.
As an educator, Krystal was thrilled to be able to combine her love of data with her love of teaching.
“This program was a wonderful experience,” said Krystal. “This experience allowed me to combine my passion for teaching with my excitement for data science.”
She also shared that the best part of the program for her was seeing the students share their interests throughout the data cycle and present their capstone projects at the end of the course.
Rodi also highlighted her positive experience of working with engaged learners.
“We had great conversations exploring a wide range of topics with the key goal of increasing data awareness and building foundational data literacy,” said Rodi.
These volunteers not only created and taught engaging lessons, but they inspired data curiosity in their students. When asked about what they found the most interesting about the class, here is what some of the students said:
"It is learning about how data is used in ways we don't usually consider, and how it is applied in the world."
"That I got to work hands-on with data and learn a bunch of new skills."
"Learning how to make new charts and knowing how data is used in our everyday lives."
Women in Data hopes to expand this program moving forward to not only spark more data curiosity in young learners, but also increase data curiosity in adults. Even if we don’t work in a data-focused role, it can be helpful to understand how to ask the right questions as well as the basics of analyzing data. We may not all be data scientists, but we can all be data enthusiasts.