Building the Skills Behind Better Business Decisions
Seeking to build on her experience as a Data Analyst, Aishwariya Veerabatiran Umamaheswari, M.S. ’26, information systems, chose the Department of Information Systems program to strengthen her expertise in data science, cloud computing, and analytics. Through a combination of hands-on learning, collaborative projects, and industry-focused coursework, she gained the skills and confidence to tackle complex business challenges and prepare for a future in data-driven decision-making.
Information Systems: Tell us about yourself and your journey at UMBC.
Aishwariya Veerabatiran Umamaheswari: I’m Aishwariya, a recent graduate from the Department of Information Systems specializing in Data Science. Before UMBC, I earned a B.E. in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Anna University in Chennai, then spent over two years at Accenture as a Data Analyst working on SAP integrations, ETL pipelines, and reporting dashboards. I came to UMBC in 2024 to deepen my technical foundation in data science and cloud — turning the patterns I’d seen in industry into real frameworks I could build on.
IS: How has UMBC and the IS Department helped prepare you for your future career?
AVU: The IS Department has given me a balanced education that I think is rare — equally strong on the technical side (databases, cloud, data analytics, systems analysis) and on the business side (process analysis, project management, stakeholder communication). That blend is exactly what most data and business analyst roles ask for, and I feel genuinely prepared to walk into either kind of role on Day 1.
Beyond the coursework, the department’s emphasis on hands-on projects and collaborative problem-solving has helped me grow my confidence in tackling open-ended problems where the right answer isn’t obvious — which, as it turns out, is most of the interesting work in the field.
IS: What experiences, projects, or opportunities have been most meaningful during your time at UMBC?
AVU: Three stand out. First, my coursework in Database Management and Data Analytics — both reinforced and elevated the SQL and data skills I’d built at Accenture. Second, my Cloud Computing exposure, which directly motivated me to pursue the AWS Solutions Architect — Associate certification alongside my degree. And third, my independent project work, which is where I felt I grew the most. Being able to scope a problem, build something end-to-end, and learn from what worked and what didn’t has been the most rewarding part of UMBC for me.
IS: Have you participated in experiences outside the classroom connected to your field?
AVU: Outside formal roles, I stay active through self-directed projects (cloud architecture, ML), my AWS Solutions Architect certification, and engagement with the broader data community on LinkedIn.
IS: Describe a project, internship, research experience, or role you are most proud of.
AVU: I’m most proud of my Malicious URL Detection project, where I built a machine learning system to classify suspicious URLs at scale. I processed and analyzed over 600,000 URLs, engineered 12+ statistical and lexical features, and built classification models that achieved 96% detection accuracy while reducing false positives by 18%.
What I valued most about this project wasn’t the model performance — it was the full lifecycle ownership. I had to think about what cybersecurity teams actually need (not just accuracy, but explainable patterns and manageable false-positive rates), how to engineer features that captured the right signals, how to validate the results honestly, and how to write it up so a non-technical reader could understand the impact. That mix of technical depth, business framing, and clear communication is exactly the work I want to keep doing.
IS: What tools, technologies, or skills have you used throughout your academic or professional experiences?
AVU: Data & analytics: SQL (PL/SQL, T-SQL), Python (Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn), Power BI, Tableau, advanced Excel.
Cloud: AWS (EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda), Terraform, CloudFormation.
Enterprise: SAP, ETL pipeline design, data integration.
Process: Agile/Scrum, JIRA, Git, requirements gathering, UAT, documentation.
IS: What advice would you give to current or future students?
AVU: Three things I wish someone had told me sooner:
- Build, don’t just study. Coursework gives you the vocabulary; projects give you the judgment. The students who stand out in interviews aren’t the ones with the highest GPA — they’re the ones who can talk about something they built end-to-end.
- Get comfortable being the person who asks “why.” Whether you end up in data, business analysis, product, or engineering, the most valuable skill in this field is genuine curiosity about how things work and why. Cultivate it.
- Don’t optimize for the perfect role at the perfect company on Day 1. Optimize for the role where you’ll learn the most and the people you’ll learn from. Careers are long; the brand on your first business card matters far less than the skills you build in your first job.
IS: Which skill or area are you most excited to continue developing after graduation?
AVU: Applied AI and large language models. AI is moving from research into the daily workflows of analysts and decision-makers, and I want to be one of the people figuring out where it genuinely adds value versus where it’s just hype — especially in business intelligence, reporting automation, and anomaly investigation.
IS: What are your career goals or roles you are you interested in pursuing?
AVU: I’m open to both Data Analyst and Business Analyst roles. Both let me do what I love most — taking ambiguous business questions, finding the right data, and translating findings into clear recommendations that drive decisions. Longer term, I’d love to grow into a role that combines deeper technical work (AI-enabled analytics, advanced data engineering) with the strategic, cross-functional thinking that BA roles develop.
To learn more about Aishwariya and her work, connect with her on LinkedIn.
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