School of Data Science Welcomes 100th Undergraduate Student

Charlotte native Sunnya Hadavi joined the UNC Charlotte School of Data Science for spring 2022 as the school’s 100th undergraduate student.

Hadavi believes data science is “a field with a lot of potential and is crucial in our changing world. People in the public and private sector utilize data to make informed decisions with positive results. Knowing that data science plays such a role made selecting it an easy and great choice for my major.”

Currently, Hadavi is planning to double major in data science and international studies with a minor in security and intelligence studies. Having the opportunity to study these multiple areas attracted Hadavi to UNC Charlotte.

She added that UNC Charlotte’s overall atmosphere also played a part in her decision to enroll. She visited the campus as a high schooler. “The environment is so nice, and there are so many hidden gems. Some of these are After Hours and Peace Haven in the Cone University Center and the different labs in the library (Multimedia, Photogrammetry, etc.). Aside from those, one of the places I also really enjoy is the new Science Building. There weren’t classes taught there during the fall semester, so it was a really great place to quietly study.”

Hadavi looks forward to learning from industry experts in her various classes and the chance to apply all her acquired knowledge outside of the classroom. She anticipates graduating in 2024 and plans to apply her knowledge of analytics in the private or public sector.

“Being interested in how everything works on the international level, I hope to pair that with data science in whatever way possible,” she said.

Beyond a passion for data science, Hadavi enjoys studying different languages, cultures and countries, as well as graphic design and photography. She is an intern for the Bureau of Global Talent Management (U.S. Department of State) and a Hawkes Student Ambassador for UNC Charlotte. Additionally, she is an assistant layout editor for the Niner Times and an Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence Scholar.