By Julia Aram and Ava Wang
On Saturday, November 9th, Amherst alumni Ina Petkova ‘06, Michelle Ngo ‘15, and Tara Yoo ‘15 spoke at the Math and Statistics Alumni Panel Discussion facilitated by Nika Jafar Nia. Following delicious food catered by El Comalito, these graduates offered accounts of their career paths while providing valuable words of wisdom to undergraduate students.
Ina Petkova ‘06:
Petkova didn’t initially know that she was going to be a math major when entering college, but it became clear after taking classes in the arts, foreign languages, computer science, and many more at Amherst. She was specifically drawn to the math community as well as the problem-solving inherent to the major, and she developed a particular fondness for topology. After Amherst, she attended Columbia University for graduate school and Rice University for her postdoctoral. Currently, she is a math faculty member at Dartmouth College with a research focus on knot theory.
When asked about how to best navigate the graduate school application process, Petkova emphasized the importance of talking to alumni in similar fields because this is the most direct way to understand working in a certain career. She also acknowledged the importance of personal statements because they show the admissions committee your values.
Petkova also recognized that it can be difficult to acclimate to the fast, irregular pace of research following undergraduate study. Sticking to a timeline and following through on article publication can help with navigating graduate-level research. She also values work-life balance, as it is important to remain passionate about your hobbies and loved ones regardless of the work you are doing.
Petkova not only provided important insights into career paths in academia for the math major, but also expressed her enthusiasm for research throughout the panel. By exploring many fields at Amherst, she discovered a strong appreciation for math, and that passion has persisted to this day.
Michelle Ngo ‘15:
Ngo was also originally unsure about being a math major, but the “Intro to Probability” course struck her interest––she realized that math and statistics were her passions. Following her graduation from Amherst, Ngo completed her Master’s degree in Biostatistics at the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Computational Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Now, she works at Merck as a Senior Scientist in Biometrics Research, where she uses AI and machine learning to support drug development.
All the jobs Ngo wanted to pursue required master’s degrees, so Ngo was set on attending graduate school. In the application process, her most valuable resources were her peers, who thoughtfully reviewed her statements, and professors, who prepared her to step up to the challenge. It is essential to branch out and explore new topics early on in order to learn and grow as much as possible, which she emphasized through the importance of perspective and risk-taking in this process. She acknowledged how tiring this career path can be, but also reminded students to have fun in the process and appreciate their work.
Like Petkova, Ngo was energetic about her research and relayed her love of math and statistics. Her “work hard, play hard” mentality offers an encouraging perspective on the benefits of pursuing a career at the intersection of these fields.
Tara Yoo ‘15:
After taking a math course with Professor Benedetto at Amherst, Yoo realized she enjoyed math. Yoo took a lot of number theory classes at Amherst and found them very useful because they revealed the core logic behind what people were saying.
Yoo had a more uncertain start to her career than the other panelists. Because she was an international student, she had just ninety days to find a job after graduation. She decided that law school was the only other reasonable alternative. After taking the LSAT and getting thirty job rejections, she learned about Northeastern University (NEU) graduate school admissions and was impressed by their 100% employment rate. After getting accepted to NEU, she then went on to complete their MBA/Accounting program.
After graduate school, Yoo decided she didn’t want to be in academia. Her first job was in corporate tax accounting, and while she enjoyed working with spreadsheets, she didn’t like sales. After 2016, Yoo got married and was now a green card holder, so she could switch jobs freely and explore a new sector: software development. She completed a coding boot camp after four months and found an industry job that she still enjoys.
Looking back, Yoo wished she knew about vocational programs and talked to her peers for advice. For students interested in graduate school, she recommended doing a senior thesis to decide whether you like academia. Yoo also emphasized the importance of preparing for interviews, studying effectively for admissions exams like the LSAT, and devoting time to networking. Yoo inspired students to try different fields until they find their passion.