While we’re all adjusting to new ways of learning and working, here at Atrium we’re glad to showcase stability in one corner of the world: another year of Luminate! Luminate is our program for recent college graduates that provides real-world consulting training and experience.
While we all wish we could be together in person from time to time, being a virtual company means we’ve been able to move ahead with another incredible group this year without skipping a beat. We recently highlighted 2019 Luminate alums, and now we’re back to introduce some of our brand-new Luminates this fall.
What Did You Study? What Interests You?
Tyler Pollard: I studied Mathematical Economics at Butler University.
Gabbi Forsythe: I just graduated from Butler University with a degree in Software Engineering.
Galvin Olsen-Smith: I earned my Bachelor of Arts in English with a Linguistics emphasis from Boise State University (Boise, ID) in December of 2019. During the course of my degree, I studied a wide range of Linguistics topics — my favorites were linguistic typology and ESL/EFL language teaching — as well as more traditional “English major” things like literature and rhetoric. I was also in the dance program, training in ballet, jazz, modern, and choreography.
Additionally, I studied abroad in France! In the autumn of 2017 I studied French at the CEFR B2 level in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the southwest, an hour away from the border with Spain. I returned to the country in spring of 2020 after graduating to study at the C1 level — unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic interfered with my plan to take a language certification test.
While at Boise State I worked for the Office of Information Technology as a Web Accessibility Analyst, where I was able to enhance my skills in front end web development (particularly HTML, CSS, and WAI-Aria), web strategy, and quality assurance. Internships within the Linguistics program in data organization, web design, application development (on the strategy side) and academic conference coordination were additional important parts of my undergraduate experience that brought me to where I am today!
Trey Worley: I double majored in Business Management and Economics at Appalachian State University, and recently received an MS in Applied Economics from Montana State University.
Emma Jacobs: I studied Business Marketing at Montana State University.
How Did You First Learn About Atrium and the Luminate Program?
Tyler Pollard: I just happened upon Atrium’s profile when I was looking through the companies attending Butler’s job fair. I made it a priority to visit their booth and was immediately drawn to the bright smiles and outward intelligence of the employees.
Galvin Olsen-Smith: The Atrium opportunity came out of nowhere for me. As a December-graduating senior I attended the fall 2019 Boise State career fair, where Miles Dapsauski was manning the company booth. We talked about majoring in non-tech subjects with tech industry interests and connected over previous study abroad experience. At the end of the conversation, he asked me if I wanted to attend an interview the next day! I said yes, and after several more interviews, a pandemic-induced delay in the program, and a cross-country move from Boise to Indianapolis, here I am!
Trey Worley: I don’t remember exactly, but it was either through word of mouth on campus at MSU or by searching for Data Scientist jobs in Bozeman.
Emma Jacobs: I learned about Atrium and the Luminate program at the Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship’s annual Meet the Business Recruiters Event.
What Drew You to This Program in Particular?
Tyler Pollard: I was really drawn to the Luminate program’s dedication to the development of my quantitative and qualitative skills. I felt as if the program guaranteed me the chance to quickly get my hands dirty with some interesting challenges for numerous clients.
Galvin Olsen-Smith: Consulting was something I first heard about in the summer of 2019, so I entered the interview process fairly blind. Toward the end of my degree I was doing a lot of career and soul-searching: I wanted to find a position that would allow me to blend my Linguistics training with my history of work experience in information technology, but I had no idea what that would look like… and “English major” seemed to be a turn-off for many companies and representatives. By the time I attended the career fair I was kind of at a loss!
Over the interview process, though, it became more and more clear that this position was exactly what I was looking for.
The core values at Atrium of Initiative, Authenticity, and Diversity of Thought were encouraging to me both as someone with no formal academic computer science or business experience and as a woman in tech. My interviews, too, seemed more like conversations than interviews — I found I shared interests and thinking styles in one way or another with everyone I spoke to. Both the position and the company checked every box on my list.
Gabbi Forsythe: One of the big things that drew me to the program was the people. Everyone from Atrium that I talked to at the career fair and during the interview process was incredibly kind. I could tell that they were interested in getting to know me and wanted to help me get my career off to a good start. The other thing that really drew me to the program was the amount of training that goes into it. After talking with the Atrium employees, I could tell that the people that go through the Luminate program are well trained and prepared for their positions at the end of the process.
Trey Worley: One crucial aspect of a workplace to me is being surrounded by more experienced and intelligent folks. In particular, the opportunity to be around individuals that are knowledgeable and excited about new trends in data science drew me to Atrium. The chance to create actionable insights from data, something academia often lacks, also strongly appealed to me.
Emma Jacobs: I was attracted to Atrium’s forward thinking and creativity by using the capabilities of analytics and AI to drive relevant business insights, as I strongly believe these insights are essential for companies to succeed in our data-driven world.
What Are You Hoping to Get Out of the Program?
Galvin Olsen-Smith: Although my current hope is to end up in strategy and business analytics, I am excited to be exposed to concepts and training that I’ve never had access to before — databases and programming are interests of mine. I think it’s very important for analysts and project managers to have knowledge of the tools they’re providing and working with, even if they’re not doing the back end, and Atrium’s approach to breadth and hands-on training in the Luminate program is going to give me stepping stones to hit the ground running — and then to continue to learn and grow in this line of work.
Gabbi Forsythe: I am hoping to come out of the Luminate program with extensive knowledge of Salesforce, as well as tools and tips to be a good consultant and coworker.
Trey Worley: Familiarizing myself with Atrium and its partners are on the top of my list. I am also hoping to take the opportunity to expose myself to client projects and internal conversations as a fly on the wall, so that I can create value and hit the ground running after finishing the initial training.
Emma Jacobs: I’m excited to gain a deeper understanding of how AI and machine learning are transforming the way companies look at data. I hope to gain the technical and consulting skills that will serve as a basis for being confident and adaptable on any project in any environment.
What Technology Trends or Capabilities are You Most Interested In?
Galvin Olsen-Smith: I’m especially interested in practical applications of computational linguistics — using corpora to enhance data analysis; natural language processing; neural networks and the like. All kinds of organizations can benefit from language data organization, and automating and optimizing machine learning processes allows groups to actually use their resources for the benefit of their org regardless of their employees’ tech knowledge/experience. I’m excited to be a part of the rapid growth in this industry with Atrium.
I also have a hobbyist interest in digital humanities, especially integrating databases with literature research methods and information accessibility/web publishing, as well as the use of digital and information technology to enhance artistic practice.
Gabbi Forsythe: The trend that I have been reading a lot about lately is blockchain. I think blockchain technology is in a really interesting spot right now and has the potential to be used in a lot of different ways. I will definitely be watching how blockchain progresses and is applied in the future.
Trey Worley: I think the application of machine learning in the healthcare industry is fascinating (Deep Medicine by Eric Topol is a great read on this!). Specifically, the trend of wearables like watches, rings, and continuous glucose monitors are providing huge amounts of real-time data on large samples of individuals. The future of ethically harnessing this opportunity to combat medical conditions, like metabolic disorders, and potentially lower healthcare costs is enthralling.
Emma Jacobs: I am most interested in the capabilities for AI in the healthcare industry and how it is already transforming the way medical professionals make decisions based on data to diagnose and treat certain diseases.
Where Would You Like to See Your Career Go?
Tyler Pollard: In my career I want to help lead the charge in embracing technology to create a better future for us all.
Galvin Olsen-Smith: I would love to stick around with Atrium for a while! Currently my long-term goal is to get into project management, although what that will look like is as of yet undefined. Industries I’m most interested in include higher education, nonprofits, and NGOs, but this is based primarily on what I’ve already been exposed to. I am definitely looking forward to the evolution of my interests and desires as I continue on in consulting.
Eventually I’d like to return to school to earn a Master’s (in what I’m not sure yet, but I’ve got ideas) to further my knowledge and career, and a PhD isn’t entirely off the table. But that’s a ways out. My current goal is to remain with Atrium and soak up everything I can for as long as possible!
Gabbi Forsythe: My main goal for my career is to have a job that I enjoy. I don’t really have a set career path at the moment, although I do think I would like to end up in project management at some point. I also think it would be really cool to teach high school computer science classes in the future.
Trey Worley: I want to continue my path toward a career in producing tangible outcomes from data-driven insights. If that were to coincide with creating a healthier public through some of my previously mentioned trends, I would be stoked!
Emma Jacobs: I would like to see my career advance with Atrium as the company grows and as I continue to grow my technical skill set. Further in the future, I plan to go back to school to obtain my MBA and pursue a path of entrepreneurship.
Interested in the Luminate program at Atrium? Learn more here.
