People / Students / Class of 2024
Xinyang (Oliver) graduated in May 2023 from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics and minored in Mathematics and Business. During his undergraduate studies around the relevant fields of data science, he built a concrete background in the area by taking courses like linear algebra, deep learning, Bayesian data analysis, time series forecasting, and advanced analytics in management consulting. Along the way, he became a master in the essential tools for a data scientist, including SQL, RStudio, and Python. In addition, during his internship at Nationwide, he acquired outstanding abilities in data visualization to provide informative summaries to executives using Tableau, Power BI, and Excel. He also completed several cross-functional projects, including one assisting the National Retail Programs underwriting team to decide which specific location should the company select in order to achieve maximum revenue and minimum loss ratio. His extended passion beyond the classroom lead to his participation at the Michigan Institute for Data Science, helping research on various topics, such as sports and entertainment analytics. Motivated by his interest in the financial sector, he optimized a predictive model that help to maximize the profit of a bank telemarketing office incorporating multiple algorithms including logistic regression, ANN, KNN, SVM, and Random Forest. Besides, he implemented deep learning models including different algorithms (simple RNN, LSTM, and GRU) to predict the stock price of the Goldman Sachs Group and compared their performance based on accuracy. These and other experiences enlightened him on the power of data-driven industry and ultimately result in a determination to pursue a higher degree in data science and machine learning. Outside the classroom, he is a sports lover and was a player at the University of Michigan Chinese Soccer Club, where he earned multiple titles for the school. He was also a drama actor, making his debut by playing the main character Philip Lombard in the show And Then There Were None. During his last semester at the University of Michigan, he was selected and instructed in a finance course at the Ross School of Business, showcasing his phenomenal understanding of the subject and interpersonal skills. As an incoming student of Northwestern’s MLDS program, he is thrilled to learn from industry leaders and collaborate with talented peers. He is eager to present his dedication and creativity to the industry sponsors through the Practicum and Capstone Project, delivering on and beyond the expectations of the clients. He is always exploring, hoping to build strong and unique connections with people around him, and the next exciting journey starts here.
