{"id":3339,"date":"2017-04-27T13:53:31","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T17:53:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news-new\/2017\/04\/27\/data-driven-future\/"},"modified":"2023-03-04T15:11:03","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T20:11:03","slug":"data-driven-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/2017\/04\/27\/data-driven-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Data-Driven Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the book and movie Moneyball<\/em>, an enterprising general manager turns pro baseball upside down by analyzing data in new ways to build a successful team.<\/p>\n

For graduating NC State senior Joshua Gandy, analytics is helping build a future \u2013 one that might include that same type of data-driven sports career.<\/p>\n

Gandy enrolled at the university planning to become a lawyer, eventually specializing in medical law. Like many freshmen, he thought he could predict his life\u2019s general direction. He was, he said, a little timid and a little less mature.<\/p>\n

As his time in college progressed, all of that changed.<\/p>\n

He is completing his bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and honors in\u00a0business analytics, and finishing his career on the NC State track and field team<\/a>. His time on campus won\u2019t end May 13, however. He has been accepted into the intensive master\u2019s degree program at the Institute for Advanced Analytics<\/a>, where he will focus on crunching data to help businesses and other organizations innovate and overcome challenges.<\/p>\n

As an undergraduate \u2013 thanks in part to receiving Poole College of Management\u2019s<\/a> John Deere Marketing Award scholarship and to being a student-athlete \u2013 Gandy recalibrated his road ahead through extraordinary leadership and service opportunities. These hands-on experiences, especially the chance to mentor other students, altered him, too.<\/p>\n

More than anything, Gandy said, he thinks differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve developed a more open mind, but I\u2019m also more focused. If I see something I want to achieve, I\u2019m going to go for it,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough the things I\u2019ve gotten involved in at State and through networking, I\u2019ve found like-minded people and people who have motivated me to be bigger than I was and to do more than I thought I could.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I developed that mindset, it really elevated my game, I guess you\u2019d say. My grades shot up, my track times started to drop and, most importantly, I realized that it\u2019s not all about me \u2013 it\u2019s about making an impact and bringing other people along, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing up in Michigan, Gandy expected to attend college there. When he was a high school senior, his father\u2019s job transfer brought him to the Triangle. A phone call from an NC State hurdles coach brought him to campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis really seemed like a place where there was a lot of energy and excitement \u2013 a place that was evolving,\u201d Gandy said.<\/p>\n

Soon, his goals evolved, too. He enjoyed his classes in political science and biological sciences before an introductory business class lit the first spark of his passion for digital marketing and analytics. He liked what he\u2019d started out doing \u2013 but he loved PCOM.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed being part of a lot of new things. For example, I got to be part of the first group going through the new undergraduate business analytics program,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are several things like that, where I\u2019ve been able to be part of organizing, starting or helping change things at PCOM. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Gandy\u2019s favorite experiences has been serving as a PCOM Peer Career Coach, advising younger students on topics including elevator pitches, resumes, interview skills, business attire and workplace behavior. Similarly, he served as a mentor for the PCOM Student Network Groups program and as leader of the African-American group.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has given me a lot of joy and satisfaction to play a small role in helping other students succeed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gandy has volunteered for the on-campus food pantry Feed the Pack, the Special Olympics and other organizations, and participated in additional NC State mentoring and leadership programs. He focused on career and servant-leadership skills at the NCAA\u2019s annual, by-application Leadership and Career in Sports Forum, held at its Indianapolis, Indiana, headquarters.<\/p>\n

As for track, Gandy \u2013 injured much of his senior year \u2013 most enjoyed his junior outdoor season, when the Wolfpack finished as ACC runner-up and he achieved many personal bests.<\/p>\n

He also completed an internship at Cisco, applying skills learned in his classes.<\/p>\n

Gandy is keeping an open mind about where analytics will take him professionally, although he definitely leans toward sports \u2013 which could mean anything from helping shape draft-day decisions to figuring out how to improve a team\u2019s marketing and ticket sales. His advice for new students is simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let fear influence your destiny and never be afraid to bet on yourself, because you never know your true potential until you put yourself out there,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, I see myself doing bigger and better things. NC State laid that foundation to be successful, and for that I am forever grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

This post was originally published<\/a> in Giving News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"In the book and movie Moneyball<\/em>, an enterprising general manager turns pro baseball upside down by analyzing data in new ways to build a successful team.\r\n\r\nFor graduating NC State senior Joshua Gandy, analytics is helping build a future \u2013 one that might include that same type of data-driven sports career.\r\n\r\nGandy enrolled at the university planning to become a lawyer, eventually specializing in medical law. Like many freshmen, he thought he could predict his life\u2019s general direction. He was, he said, a little timid and a little less mature.\r\n\r\nAs his time in college progressed, all of that changed.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nHe is completing his bachelor\u2019s degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing and honors in\u00a0business analytics, and finishing his career on the NC State track and field team<\/a>. His time on campus won\u2019t end May 13, however. He has been accepted into the intensive master\u2019s degree program at the Institute for Advanced Analytics<\/a>, where he will focus on crunching data to help businesses and other organizations innovate and overcome challenges.\r\n\r\nAs an undergraduate \u2013 thanks in part to receiving Poole College of Management\u2019s<\/a> John Deere Marketing Award scholarship and to being a student-athlete \u2013 Gandy recalibrated his road ahead through extraordinary leadership and service opportunities. These hands-on experiences, especially the chance to mentor other students, altered him, too.\r\n\r\nMore than anything, Gandy said, he thinks differently.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve developed a more open mind, but I\u2019m also more focused. If I see something I want to achieve, I\u2019m going to go for it,\u201d he said. \u201cThrough the things I\u2019ve gotten involved in at State and through networking, I\u2019ve found like-minded people and people who have motivated me to be bigger than I was and to do more than I thought I could.\r\n\r\n\u201cOnce I developed that mindset, it really elevated my game, I guess you\u2019d say. My grades shot up, my track times started to drop and, most importantly, I realized that it\u2019s not all about me \u2013 it\u2019s about making an impact and bringing other people along, too.\u201d\r\n\r\nGrowing up in Michigan, Gandy expected to attend college there. When he was a high school senior, his father\u2019s job transfer brought him to the Triangle. A phone call from an NC State hurdles coach brought him to campus.\r\n\r\n\u201cThis really seemed like a place where there was a lot of energy and excitement \u2013 a place that was evolving,\u201d Gandy said.\r\n\r\nSoon, his goals evolved, too. He enjoyed his classes in political science and biological sciences before an introductory business class lit the first spark of his passion for digital marketing and analytics. He liked what he\u2019d started out doing \u2013 but he loved PCOM.\r\n\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve really enjoyed being part of a lot of new things. For example, I got to be part of the first group going through the new undergraduate business analytics program,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are several things like that, where I\u2019ve been able to be part of organizing, starting or helping change things at PCOM. It\u2019s exciting.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of Gandy\u2019s favorite experiences has been serving as a PCOM Peer Career Coach, advising younger students on topics including elevator pitches, resumes, interview skills, business attire and workplace behavior. Similarly, he served as a mentor for the PCOM Student Network Groups program and as leader of the African-American group.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt has given me a lot of joy and satisfaction to play a small role in helping other students succeed,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\nGandy has volunteered for the on-campus food pantry Feed the Pack, the Special Olympics and other organizations, and participated in additional NC State mentoring and leadership programs. He focused on career and servant-leadership skills at the NCAA\u2019s annual, by-application Leadership and Career in Sports Forum, held at its Indianapolis, Indiana, headquarters.\r\n\r\nAs for track, Gandy \u2013 injured much of his senior year \u2013 most enjoyed his junior outdoor season, when the Wolfpack finished as ACC runner-up and he achieved many personal bests.\r\n\r\nHe also completed an internship at Cisco, applying skills learned in his classes.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nGandy is keeping an open mind about where analytics will take him professionally, although he definitely leans toward sports \u2013 which could mean anything from helping shape draft-day decisions to figuring out how to improve a team\u2019s marketing and ticket sales. His advice for new students is simple.\r\n\r\n\u201cDon\u2019t let fear influence your destiny and never be afraid to bet on yourself, because you never know your true potential until you put yourself out there,\u201d he said. \u201cNow, I see myself doing bigger and better things. NC State laid that foundation to be successful, and for that I am forever grateful.\u201d"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As an undergraduate \u2013 thanks in part to receiving Poole College of Management\u2019s John Deere Marketing Award scholarship and to being a student-athlete \u2013 Joshua Gandy recalibrated his road ahead through extraordinary leadership and service opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,9,14],"tags":[1784],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-3339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-giving","category-students","category-undergraduate","tag-_from-newswire-collection-59"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3339"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11275,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3339\/revisions\/11275"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3339"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/poole.ncsu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=3339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}