Each summer, students from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics acquire real-world professional skills through internships. In each installment of this series, an outstanding Lerner student will be profiled, sharing their internship experience, challenges they have overcome and what their future holds!
Felisters Wamayuyi, class of 2023, dual MBA + MS Business Analytics and Information Management, spent her summer as a data analyst intern at Christiana Care Health System.
Lerner: How did you find out about this internship? Why did you pursue it?
Wamayuyi: I found out about this internship through Handshake. This position is part of the Lerner College of Business and Economics Graduate Internship Program. I chose to pursue this internship because I wanted an opportunity to put into practice the data analysis skills that I have learned in class and over time to real-life situations and it was a great opportunity because I have always been fascinated with working in healthcare and its data. In addition, during the interview, I felt so comfortable with the team, and I learned more about the organization’s amazing culture, and the good it does to the community.
Lerner: What did you learn from this internship that you think you would not have learned elsewhere?
Wamayuyi: Healthcare data is massive and having exposure to it and having an opportunity to work and analyze it was interesting. Being able to provide support to the team and generate appropriate reports, I had to learn many tools and applications including Visio, Tableau, Minitab and Power Automate. I created value stream maps and process maps using Lean Six Sigma to help identify gaps and areas of improvement in the process flow for various hospital departments. Also, I got certified as a White Belt Lean Six Sigma.
Lerner: What is the most exciting task or project that you have done or are currently doing in your role?
Wamayuyi: Every task that I have handled during this internship period has been exciting. The one that tops the list is centralizing the department’s data analysis tasks in a g-group to access all the hospital servers and databases to facilitate SAS, SQL and Tableau reporting for various departments.
Lerner: What is an example of a time where you were able to apply what you’ve learned at Lerner to your role?
Wamayuyi: The skills and tools I learned from Lerner College, especially from my database design and implementation course and applied database management course were helpful in working with massive data using SQL and SAS in order to generate and automate reports that aided in the decision-making process.
Lerner: How do you think this internship will push you closer to your professional goals?
Wamayuyi: This internship has given me insight into data analysis, especially working with healthcare data. It has sharpened my communication skills as well as analytical skills to be able to make informed business decisions which are very key in my professional journey
Lerner: Did you face any challenges during your internship? If so, what was the issue and how did you overcome it?
Wamayuyi: As much as it was a challenge, I saw this as an opportunity for professional growth. As I began my internship, the senior data analyst left the organization and handed me the tasks she was handling. It was challenging to familiarize myself with the organization and its data as well as to ensure the continuation of report generation that was in place. This pushed me to work hard and dig deeper to be able to deliver the reports on time and learn new things. In the process I acquired many skills and learned data analysis tools application in this role.
Lerner: What are your career plans once your internship ends?
Wamayuyi: I have enjoyed working with the team here at Christiana Care by analyzing and familiarizing myself with healthcare data and I am glad that the team enjoyed working with me as well and so, I am excited that my internship has been extended until I graduate after which I intend to pursue a career in data analysis.