Student Profiles

Rhea Bharadwaj

Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Anticipated graduation year: 2024
Degree: BS in business: business analytics track

Why did you choose the University of Rochester?

I chose to attend the University of Rochester because I was instantly drawn to its introspective climate and envisioned it as the place where I would transform in my next four impactful years. Meliora is a philosophy I aspire to live by and a statement that personally resonates with me as I grow to becomea better version of myself and create paths that result in social good, from using data for equity to speaking up and taking action on diversity and inclusivity initiatives. Through just a single conversation with an alumni, who explained how the interdisciplinary nature of a major like Data Science is reflected in architectural design, with the main building positioned near the center of the Engineering Quad to represent all its various surrounding intersections, I was able to connect with such an intellectual reflective answer.

Why did you choose to major or minor in business?

I chose to major in Business because I wanted to challenge myself to see through a fresh lens as a number-driven enthusiast. Coming from a Performing Arts background, there is so much importance stressed in storytelling when conveying a character on the stage in order to form a connection with your audience. In the same way, this can be extended to Data Scientists, who are confronted with the challenge of communicating their data insights in a way that is digestible and impactful to non-technical audiences. I wanted to fully unravel a more business-intensive perspective and find purpose to technical numbers and statistics in the future, so I can present them with the consumers' interests in mind.

What has been your favorite undergraduate business course and why?

My favorite undergraduate business course is MKT 203, or Principles of Marking, since the very last unit centered on "Personal Branding", which effectively encapsulated all the concepts throughout the course. I continue to apply what I learned from this to communicate my unique value brand duringinternship interviews, or setting up my elevator pitch in a way that is uniquely engaging to recruiters at a conference. It especially taught me that if I can't sell myself to any company, I won't be able to sell that company's product/services to their customers or clients.

What are your activities outside of class?

Sihir Bellydance Ensemble, International Theater Program, ROC Players, Off Broadway on Campus (OBOC), Creative Arts Club (CAC), Women and Minorities in Computing (WiC MiC), The Women's Network (TWN), Association for the Development of Interest in the Indian Subcontinent (ADITI)

Have you completed any internships?

I have completed two summer internship experiences so far from my freshman summer in 2022. One was a research internship with the University of Rochester Center for Communication and Disparities Research Lab, where I conducted research on how to improve information equity and accessibility across state online public health websites on COVID treatment information for low-literacy and language-diverse populations. In addition, I co-authored both an abstract for the Health Literacy Annual Research Conference and a manuscript for a medical journal called ‘JAMA Open’ which were accepted and published respectively. Another was a data internship on the Research & Evaluation team with Ripple Effect, a business management consultant, whichinvolved extracting government administrative data on research centers for minority institutions, performing quality control checks to clean the data and verify for any errors, and sharing my insights at weekly team meetings to debrief project progress.

What are your career goals?

I hope to become a Data Scientist/Business Analyst in the Business or Technology sector, possibly explore data applications in the Healthcare industry, and later on earn an MBA to break into Technical Product Management/Consulting.

What is your favorite spot on campus? Eastman Quad

Favorite Rochester restaurant: White Rabbit Dessert Experience

What is one piece of advice you would tell your past self the summer before starting at UR?

Sometimes the people who help you most come from unexpected sources, so never underestimate the power of your network and the possibility of crossing paths again in a meaningful way.

Feel free to share anything else that you would like to highlight about yourself.

One Community Program Panelist (Fall 2022), Actor in World Premiere of International Theater Program Production 'Fellowship' (Fall 2022), Grace Hopper Conference In-Person Attendee (Fall 2023)