Presenting at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University’s Community Engagement Day
BARR’s Founder and Executive Director Angela Jerabek recently enjoyed a unique experience to go back to her roots and share her entrepreneurial journey with students! After being named the 2020 Social Entrepreneur of the Year from her alma mater, the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University, she received an invitation to speak at Community Engagement Day with Senior Research Scientist Anu Sharma.
During the event, they talked to students from various majors about six key principles of data that can be transformational in any career endeavor. Check out the full event experience!
Throughout decades of working, researching and collaborating together, Jerabek and Sharma illustrated how data can help make a true difference in others’ lives. They shared stories about how valuing data, teaching others how to use data, and embracing both quantitative and qualitative data is critical to helping any organization achieve success. Sharma shared a lesson she has learned that has been pivotal in analyzing data: surprises are your friend.
“You often will find that on the way to success, something else pops up that ends up being highly informative,” said Sharma.
They shared how these data principles shaped BARR Center into the non-profit organization that it is today, serving more than 100,000 students across the country.
“Data has been critical for the school to transform, but it’s also been critical for our organization to grow.” Jerabek said. “Our data has been our proof point.”