Jacqueline Yu
So, Jackie, tell me a bit about yourself, year and hometown.
Okay, so I'm a third year, I'm studying Data Science with an emphasis in Cognition. And so my main professional interests lie in data analytics, business analytics, product analytics, like that sorts of things. My hometown is Castro Valley, so I live 30ish minutes south of Berkeley. It's in East Bay, so it's not too far but there's also not really anything there. So yeah, one of those places. I'm currently in Berkeley, though.
You mentioned Data Science? Would you mind telling me why and how did you choose this major?
I guess when I was applying to college, I didn't really know what I wanted to study, because I had originally wanted to study biology, and go into research there or maybe something related to environmental science. Right before I applied to college, I realized that I didn't really want to go into research. One, because I don't want to get a PhD. But also, I was like, wait, I don't think I want to work in a lab for the rest of my life, like a wet lab for some kind of biology thing. So then I was like I don't really know what I want to study. And then I remember I was taking AP Statistics senior year and I really liked that class. I would say it was one of the more enjoyable math classes in high school. Also my sister, who went to Berkeley, told me, oh, you should study data science just because a lot of her CS friends always talked about data science. And I was like, okay, but at the time, it wasn't even a major. So I applied as an Applied Math major. And then, of course, I got into Berkeley. And the fall semester when I started, the Data Science major came out. I always knew from the beginning that I was going to be a Data Science major. So I took Data 8 that semester, and I really liked it. That course really solidified my interest in data science.
What are some fun facts about you?
I really like Facebook groups, I'm in many pet Facebook groups. I'm in 50 plus cat Facebook groups, and a bunch of dog groups too. If anyone ever needs any Facebook group recs, I have those. I also like non pet related groups. I like this Facebook group called Trader Joe's Meal Ideas for Busy Moms. And of course, I like Trader Joe's. I just like their products.
Let's talk about what your hobbies and interests are. What sorts of entertainment, such as books, TV shows, movies, music, are you into?
I guess one of my main hobbies these days is watching Among Us videos on YouTube. I watch an event though like some people say Among Us is dead but I still like Among Us. I watch live streams too. So like watching many of those streamers who watch and play among us and also some of their other content. As for my other hobbies, oh my gosh, what do I do? My main hobbies probably are just watching YouTube videos and looking at pictures on Facebook. Yeah, that's all that comes to mind at the moment, which is kind of sad. The show already ended, but I liked Agents of SHIELD. It was one of those Marvel TV shows. I also like the TV show Survivor, which is one of those reality TV shows where people go to live out in the wild. But yeah, there's lots of good drama. I like trashy reality TV shows.
I see. The next question we're gonna ask is about your professional experience. So what are your professional interests? Why are you interested in those fields? And any internship experience you have?
I am mostly interested in things like data, business and product analytics, and also business intelligence. Going into Berkeley, I knew I was interested in data science, obviously, like data science is very broad. I realized at some point, I wasn't as interested in ML or AI research, or things that were as coding heavy. And so the reason why I'm interested in the aspects of data science is because I think I like the business side more as it combines data science and working with people. I appreciate that aspect. And actually, part of the reason why I found out about these roles is because of SAAS. I remember there was this past RP member and he's now working full time as a product analyst. I didn't even know what his job was, so I was like, what even is your job? And he told me about it. And I was like, oh, wait, that sounds really interesting. So SAAS is part of the reason why I discovered my particular professional interests. Yeah, and as for internship experience, I don't really have that much.
Do you have any other campus involvements?
Yeah, currently SAAS is the only club I'm in, but in previous semesters, I was in this club called FAST, which is Fashion and Student Trends. This club hosts a fashion show every semester. It's completely student run and all of the designers, models, and other people behind the scenes are students, and the designers even make the clothes themselves. And so that's really cool. I actually didn't do much when it came to that actual fashion show. I was on the professional development committee. And even though that's pretty different from my current professional interests, I still learned a lot from being in that committee because it's similar to what the EVP committee and SAAS does. For FAST, we would hold career panels and things like that and provide professional development resources. I think it's just fun to try out things that aren't even related to what you're interested in pursuing. Another club I was in was Asian American Association. That's a social club. I was a general member for some time and you don't do anything as a general member. But I was also, at some point, a member of the design committee, and you didn't need to have any experience at all. And so I joined that, and I was able to learn some graphic design skills. Because every meeting the committee chair would give us workshops on different techniques, like Adobe Illustrator. I thought that was really cool. Because I think I'm not pursuing anything design related professionally, but I do like art. And also, I don't know, I just find that interesting. I learned a lot from that, too. And what was cool is that we would like design flyers for the events. And so I got to hold actual flyers that I designed and also stickers. I don't think I have any with me right now. But we have a sticker sale, and then people got to buy stickers that I designed. So that's pretty cool.
How did you find out about SAAS? And then why did you join?
I think I found out about SAAS from Calapalooza, or Sproul flyering. So nothing too interesting. I remember, my friend had picked up a flyer one day. She told me that she talked to them about the Career Exploration committee. And so when I applied, I was like, oh, I guess this is the committee to apply to. And so I applied to it. I actually was asked for my motivations behind why I wanted to apply. As you can tell, the other clubs I was in before weren't related to Data Science at all, so I was really looking to join a club that was related to my professional interests. And I didn't want to join a club that was focused on software development, which a lot of the tech clubs are on campus. At the time when I applied, it was mostly just DSS and SAAS, that were data science related. I really liked the Career Exploration committee because of what it seemed to offer and so that's why I applied.
Cool. Out of all the committees you've been in, which was your favorite and why? What did you do and learn?
I guess my favorite semester was last semester when I was R&P director, just because that was a semester where I got more involved when it came to running things in the club, but I also got more involved socially. I feel like I'm getting to meet everyone and more people in the club. It made the experience feel very worthwhile and just like in general for what I've learned every semester.
Do you want to talk more specifically about what you do as R&P Director? And what are your responsibilities? What do you guys do in terms of either projects or education?
So for R&P director, it was an interesting experience just because the entire semester was online. When we applied, we didn't necessarily know that would be the case. But I definitely learned a lot through trying to organize and host workshops. So we would have to create the slides and demos. The topics could be something I was not familiar with. And so I had to do my own research or consult previous semester's slides. It was a learning experience. I also mentor the committee members, I think everyone has different leadership styles. I've learned to find a balance between, you know, you don't want to be super annoying and pester them all the time. But also, it's like, if you are too hands off, maybe they could just fall off and flake on the club. And so I learned to find that balance and just learn more about my own leadership style where I lead through caring. I remember Jade said that was her leadership style in her RP interview. And I was like, oh, I feel like that's my leadership style too. The best part about the semester was the Research Symposium. It was hard to organize just because we had never hosted that online. And so that was just a little bit chaotic, but once the event actually happened, we pulled it all together. I was really proud that everyone got to present their projects and all the members got to see everyone's final projects. I think that was really satisfying as directors and hopefully satisfying for the people who got to present.
So I guess your proudest accomplishment at SAAS is the Research Symposium?
Yeah, I think so.
Why did you choose to stay in SAAS?
I would say the biggest reason why I decided to stay in SAAS was for the community. I definitely appreciate all of the professional help I've gotten in the club, but I also just really like being surrounded by a bunch of people who have similar interests and that I vibe with. Even though in Career Exploration, I actually only talked to my project partners and I didn't talk to anyone else at all, I liked them enough by just having our small community of those two people. They made me want to stay in the club. And obviously, after that semester, I met a lot more people. I would say, it's for the community. I think I am not in many other data science communities, so SAAS has been a really nice one to have.
Great! I think you mentioned it previously, but how has SAAS helped you with your career or professional development, such as deciding on a career path, or learning new skills?
Yeah, so I did mention how SAAS influences which fields of data science I'm interested in, but I guess just in general, I think that Brian's recruitment workshops are really helpful. He has so much knowledge and also just other people in the club, they know so much about recruiting and all the different possible career paths. I think just absorbing knowledge from them has been really helpful in my own journey. And skillswise, in CX I definitely learned a lot of really helpful skills because I didn't take Data 100 at the time. And so I remember that I worked on a final project. And CX was cool, just because I didn't even know pandas and machine learning before. It definitely exposed me to many things before I actually had to learn them in class, which was cool. And then in R&P, being able to work on your own personal data science project with mentorship, makes me think that anyone can work on a personal project whenever they want to but they don't often get to work on a personal project while surrounded by like a bunch of people who are super knowledgeable about data science. And so that's why I think it's really valuable to be working on projects like that in a space like SAAS.
What would you say is your favorite SAAS memory?
I would say probably like recent times, being in Discord study calls, just talking about random things at 3 AM. I never got to do that in person, but you know, it's still fun. It reminds me of studying with people in person, which is nice. But yeah, just doing weird things at 3 AM with SAAS people and not studying.
How did you make friends in SAAS?
I think I mentioned back in CX, my only two friends were from my project group. But yeah, one of them is still in the club, Jay Feng. I don't know if this will be included in the profile. But if it is, shoutout Jay. But yeah, it's just like we had to work on a project with someone. I think we definitely spent a lot of time together because we had that project together. That's one way, just working together on projects. And then also, I really like donutbots because I feel like, when online I'm not that likely to talk in large zoom calls. I'm definitely more likely to get to know people one on one. I really appreciate getting to interact with people that way and also through the Discord study calls and other random socials. But I would say that's the main way. Last semester, I took Stat 140. We had this SAAS group chat. And I feel like I actually met people through that, because we were meeting every week to work on homework. Even though that class was sad, I made friends.
Of the three SAAS values of community, exploration, and mentorship, could you pick one and explain what it means to you?
Yeah, I definitely would say community. I have talked about that a lot already. But I really appreciate all of the different experiences and backgrounds that people have come from in this club. I feel like I'm not in any other community that's like this one. And so yeah, I get to learn from all these people and also hang out with them.
What is your personal vision for SAAS going forward?
I think this is something that the club already does well, but of course, there are always ways to improve. I like that the club is on the more accessible side in the sense that there are less barriers to entry, because other tech clubs often expect that you have a lot of experience and a lot of people don't make the cut. And so I like that SAAS has CX and a pathway for people to gain more experience if they don't have any. Also, I was in DSS and I do like that club, I'm not trying to shame them or anything, but their general membership program, which I think you could say is like the equivalent of CX, does have limitations just because it's so much larger, but with their general membership, it's separate from the rest of the club. Here at SAAS, all the other committees see CX as a committee in the club. People in CX are actually integrated into the club culture from the beginning. And so I really like that. So moving forward, I would like to continue making the club more accessible and inclusive. In general, I imagine that Rachel's work will continue making everyone closer and I think that is what she's done. And the club has changed a lot. I think I remember when I was talking to her in my IVP interview, she was like, her goal is just that everyone makes at least one friend. And that will help them feel like they found a community even if it's just one friend. And I really feel that because of my CX experience. I literally only had two friends. And so I like the work that Rachel has done. And I hope that continues in the future.
That's great. So from this point, we're gonna switch to more general Berkeley questions. What are your favorite classes?
I feel like I'm obligated to say Data 8. It was one of my favorite classes. And then also Data 100. You know, I feel like every Data Science major says that. But yeah, I definitely learned a lot about data science from both of those classes. I also really like 61A, even though coding is not really my focus. I had a lot of fun in that class. Maybe it was because I took it in the semester it was taught by Dan Garcia, and he's just a fun person, but I liked it a lot. For the non technical classes, I like MCB C61, which is Brain Mind & Behavior. It was taught by David Presti and he's a fun man. He always uses Comic Sans for all of his assignments. But I thought that was really interesting, because my domain emphasis is cognition. And that was one of the first classes I took for my domain emphasis. I thought it was cool. I like the unit on the senses like taste, smell, and everything, which is really random. But I unexpectedly like that unit. The professor also teaches a class called Drugs in the Brain, which I haven't taken, but it's really popular. So I want to take that before I graduate, hopefully. Another class that I really liked was Italian 40. It's about Italian culture, which is very random, but I learned a lot about art and literature. I unexpectedly learned a lot about the entire world, even though it was just about Italy. Sorry, that was not a good description of that class. But I would recommend it.
Who is your favorite professor?
Oh, I can only pick one. I like Dan Garcia. I think he's like I said a fun professor. And he always makes classes really interesting. And he does the Hamilton rap at the end of every semester. I don't know if you've seen that.
What's your favorite Berkeley memory?
I would say back in the in person days, I had a lot of times where I would just go to Moffitt with my friend from like 8pm till 7am doing random things, probably not even studying the whole time. But it is similar to my favorite SAAS memories, but you know, it's just like those times that you can't even remember what you did, but it's just like spending time with people. And then once you leave Moffitt, you can hear the birds chirping. And you're like, oh my gosh, why did I stay here till 7am? But it's worth it.
What's your favorite spot on campus that more people should know about?
Oh, I think the SLC, Student Learning Center. It's near the Student Transfer Center. But the purpose of that place is for tutoring. I've never actually used their tutoring resources. I like it because there are lots of empty tables that aren't used for tutoring. And so I usually just sit at one of those and my favorite things in a studying place are that you can talk and also eat and they have seats. SLC hits all those marks, unlike MLK and Esh. Usually they're too busy and so is Moffit. And there's parts of Moffitt that you can't talk in. And so yeah, I would recommend the SLC.
What do you think is the prettiest building on campus?
I like the East Asian library. I think everyone says that. Not everyone, but a lot of people. But yeah, it looks cool. And it's near the glade which I feel like adds to the vibe.
Oh, so that's also your favorite library?
I've actually only been in there like two times. But for my favorite library, it's probably just Moffitt because I've spent the most time there. But yeah, Moffitt's kind of crusty so I just like it for the memories.
I see. What's your favorite boba shop?
I would say Asha. It's like 30 minutes from me walking so I don't get to go there very often. But I feel like their tea is high quality. And also I live on southside and all the places here are expensive or low quality, like low tier. So I like Asha in downtown.
Do you have a favorite restaurant?
Oh I really like Sliver. I like vegetarian pizza. And so I would say they're one of my favorites. And I also like Imm Thai because I really like Thai food. And so I think Imm Thai is the best Thai place in Berkeley. That's also really far from me. It's next to Asha, which is sad.