MBA Students Start Data Analytics Club

Georgetown McDonough students from the Evening MBA program launched a club this semester focusing on statistics and data analytics. The club, which is named HoyAlytics and is pending official sponsorship by the MBA Program Office, has drawn wide interest from a diverse group of students, boasting students of both genders and several nationalities among its leadership and membership. The board is comprised of an even number of Full-time and Evening Program students.

HoyAlytics is the first club organized by Evening MBA students and was created with the purpose of unifying the two MBA programs. The organization has two main objectives: to create a community for those interested in statistics and analytics and to help those who are not already data-savvy gain quantitative skills.

Kenny Tan (MBA’19), one of HoyAlytics’ founders, realized there was a need for an analytics-focused club during his first year in the Evening Program. When some of his classmates struggled with their statistics course, he decided to hold open review sessions before exams. Leading the review sessions for his peers has been one of the most rewarding experiences at Georgetown, said Tan, who also is the associate director of data analytics for MBA admissions at the McDonough School of Business.

In recent years, the use of statistics and analytics has become prevalent in many industries, ranging from marketing to finance, and HoyAlytics hopes to prepare students for their post-MBA careers. Some students have found that the mere mention of their involvement in the club has helped them in the interview process.

“The club is on the cutting edge,” Tan said. “Students are taking it in their own hands to make things happen.”

Other key student leaders include Ryan Siok (MBA’18), Eddie Dejesus (MBA’19), Harsimrat Singh (MBA’18), Christina Maruna (MBA’19), and Mary Palmer (MBA’19). 

The club recently held a free Excel workshop with nearly 40 Full-time and Evening MBA students in attendance. They plan to continue holding workshops to teach different skills and softwares, such as Tableau, SAS, R, and SQL, and to bring in guest speakers.