First Black female Belk Scholar earns Master’s in Data Science & Business Analytics
This month, Taylor Ferguson will make history as she continues to break barriers as a Black woman in data science.
This week, Ferguson will become the first Black female to complete the Belk Scholars program, earning her bachelor’s degree in business analytics and Professional Science Master’s degree (PSM) in Data Science and Business Analytics in just five years.
Ferguson, from Columbia, South Carolina, first became interested in data science because of the ability to apply a myriad of her favorite applications all within one field, including math, science, art, and graphic design. She loved participating in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) magnet programs growing up, so math and science have been a part of her life for several years.
After deciding to study data science, Ferguson specifically enrolled at UNC Charlotte; the campus grabbed her attention on her first visit, where its sense of familiarity and belonging captivated her. Throughout her academic career, Ferguson has developed excellent coding skills and can write hundreds of lines of code with visualizations, whereas during her freshman year she came in without any previous computer science experience.
Earning this degree is an incredible accomplishment in itself, but just as importantly, Ferguson is also setting the tone for diversity in the data science industry. She is looking forward to representing Black women in a field where this representation is lacking.
“Having grown up in advanced classes and accelerated programs my whole life, I have become so accustomed to being either the only, or one of very few Black women in the room that I don’t always recognize the disparity even when it’s right in front of my face,” she said.
She recalls a time in her math class where, two months into the course, she realized she was the only Black woman there.
Being a minority in the DSBA program presented great opportunities, but also some challenges, Ferguson said. “There exists both real and self-imposed pressure to perform highly in everything you do and if that standard is not met, it can weigh quite heavily.”
She came to learn to avoid comparing herself to other students, and to view any obstacles as opportunities for “improvement or self-development and not a detraction of character.”
Some other notable achievements during her academic career at UNC Charlotte include interning as a graphic design assistant for the Belk College of Business and as a junior analyst for Dominion Energy, working as a teaching assistant at the School of Data Science, belonging to the National Society of Leadership and Success, and volunteering at the botanical gardens on campus.
As she approaches graduation and exits this chapter of her life, Ferguson advises fellow 49ers to look for opportunities to explore interests that lie outside of coursework. For example, Ferguson loves art but had never taken any classes, so she obtained a graphic design internship to explore her creative side.
The Belk Scholars program, created in 2013 through a $5 million gift from the Belk Foundation, covers in-state tuition renewable for four years, providing a fast-track for Belk College students with a strong academic background to pursue a graduate degree in data analytics.
Ferguson, who was also the first African American female admitted to the Belk Scholar program, will become the 11th student to complete the program and the second Belk Scholar to earn a DSBA.
Seven Belk Scholars are currently pursuing a DSBA.
After receiving her degree, she will surely be a force to be reckoned with when she enters the workforce as a senior associate market research analyst at JMP, a division of SAS Institute. We wish her the best of luck!