Alumni Spotlight: Steven Smith

Can you tell us about yourself?

I’m the Learning Technology Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History, where I administer their online education platform through the Moodle LMS and conduct tech workshops for their MAT program. I graduated from Baruch College with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Computer Information Systems and recently graduated from Teachers College, Columbia University, with a Master of Science (M.S.) in Learning Analytics. I’m interested in leveraging data to determine what makes an effective earth science teacher and how we can tailor these educator preparation programs for underrepresented communities, close the opportunity gap, and raise awareness for these pressing global issues.

What was your experience like when you were in CTP?

CTP was a terrific addition to my undergraduate studies because much of the material complemented my courses and motivated me to build a portfolio outside of school. Zack DeSario was a great mentor and instructor, helping you build a foundation and appreciation for data science. Each week, we were held accountable for submitting assignments that demonstrated proficiency in the course material, using tools commonly used in industry, such as Git, GitHub, and Visual Studio. I also had the privilege of being a Data Science Teacher’s Assistant (TA) for Cohort 9, which also helped reinforce the program topics and keep myself up to date on emerging technologies like LLMs and Hugging Face.

What is your biggest takeaway from CTP?

In order for CTP to work, students need to consistently practice outside the classroom with a project of their own. It really helped me gain an appreciation for data science and understand the fundamentals of what makes some common applications tick, like ChatGPT. As a prior student and TA, they genuinely care about their graduates and go the extra mile to help you get a foot in the door.

What advice would you give to job-seeking fellows during this time?

Much of what CTP is to find a project that interests you and start working on it. Personal projects are considered experience because it demonstrate your expertise, and even the topic alone may grab your future team’s attention.

Why does CTP matter? 

The program offers a helping hand to students who are curious about coding and its practical applications in the real world. Sometimes you need the extra push to find a niche in data science and web development; CTP gave me the opportunity to tie my personal interests with data science, giving me a new purpose. 

What is your biggest hope for the following ten cohorts of CTP?

I hope the next few cohorts will continue to look for new topics in data science, AI, and their applications. If it’s not being implemented yet, maybe the next cohort will expand on open-source LLM software like Ollama and build multi-agent workflows. Although there are limitations to using free-tier platforms, students who are experienced in utilizing transparent and ethical AI will definitely have a leg up in the job market.