On April 25, Seidenberg’s Computational Intelligence Lab (CI-Lab) hosted a Data Pipeline Workshop in the lab’s new space in Pace’s 15 Beekman building. The main goal of the workshop was to help participants build fully custom data pipelines and help them advance to that level after mastering simple examples. The workshop was designed for students who have a good foundational knowledge of Python and were familiar with Pandas. Students were required to have a Python interpreter and a code editor to perform the operations on the datasets themselves. With this approach, when the students tried to perform practical operations and experienced issues, they got immediate help and guidance from the CI-Lab Team.

An Introductory workshop was held the day before on April 24, and this session was specifically for the participants who needed a refresher or foundational knowledge to engage with the main workshop's content more effectively.

Participants of the main workshop learned how to create, manipulate and manage data within DataFrames, including reading from CSV files and modifying column names, and learned about the importance of cleaning and preparing data before analysis.

Different techniques of cleaning and dropping, deducing and replacing data, and handling synthetic data were discussed, as were more complex operations like concatenating DataFrames, filling null values, and generating dummy variables. The students also covered Data Augmentation methods to enhance the dataset.

The CI-Lab team used practical exercises to deepen the participants’ understanding of the theoretical concepts that were introduced, and in doing so perfectly showcased what the lab is all about: being Pace University’s venue for demonstrating its leading-edge analytics and technology.

If you are interested in collaborating with the lab, their team provides a working environment for faculty, staff, and students. You can engage in collaborative research with other faculty and students, drop in for a workshop, or listen to an industry expert share their daily involvement in data science, machine learning, or artificial intelligence.

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Kelsey Berro ’15

After helping to lead the Pace University College Fed Challenge Team to a national title—Pace’s team is now tied with Harvard for the most championships in the history of the competition—former team captain Kelsey Berro ’15, Business Economics, has taken the skills she learned in her time at Pace to a career as a portfolio manager at JP Morgan Asset Management. Berro is one of a long list of Pace economics department graduates and former Fed Challenge Team members who have gone on to work at big-name financial firms.

What initially interested you about joining the Federal Reserve Challenge Team?

I was looking for an opportunity to get involved with the department, make friends, and challenge myself academically. I have always had an interest in the financial markets. The encouragement I received from my professors in the economics department is what got me to show up and actually try out for the team. I am so grateful they did.

What skills did you learn from the Federal Reserve Challenge Team?

The list is endless. I was part of the team for three years including two years as a captain. During that time, I learned how to become a subject matter expert through hours and hours of studying in which I discovered that I was capable of much more than I thought. I also learned how to communicate messages effectively through data, presentations, and live Q&A with economists. Ultimately, the Fed Team is a team sport and so teaching the more junior members of the team is also crucial to the process and that includes interacting with a robust alumni network of former Fed Team members who are in the industry.

What is your favorite memory of being on the Federal Reserve Challenge Team?

I have so many wonderful memories: the late nights going through our presentation and debating monetary policy with Clinical Associate Professor Mark Weinstock and Professor Greg Colman, PhD; the anticipation while waiting to present at the NY Fed and being accompanied by Professor Anna Shostya, PhD, who always had snacks on hand (clementines and chocolate) in case we got hungry (I was too nervous); the three trips I took on Amtrak to Washington, D.C., where we got to present and tour the Federal Reserve Eccles building. On those trips to D.C., I shook hands with two Fed chairs: Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen. On our way back home from D.C. after winning nationals my senior year, we got photographed by Humans of New York in Penn Station.

What challenges did you have to overcome in your time with the team?

Every year is a new challenge because the economy is always changing. The learning curve when you first join the team is very steep and there are always new things to learn, speeches to read, and research papers to review. I likely spent hundreds of hours on my own reading to make sure I could bring the most informed perspective to the team. As I became more senior, I also needed to learn how to teach others and get the best out of them. As you can imagine, time management was a key challenge between classwork, internships/part-time work and Fed Team. I leaned on my professors for support as well as my teammates especially my co-captain.

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How do you feel the Federal Reserve Challenge Team prepared you for your career?

There are both direct and indirect ways. More directly, I work as a portfolio manager in the fixed income market so the skills I gained to help me analyze market and economic data, assess the US economy and Fed monetary policy have a clear translation. More indirectly, the Fed team taught me how to think critically, have an opinion and be able to express that opinion to others in a persuasive way, which is highly important in the professional world.

The Pace team has won five national championships, a mark matched only by Harvard. How does that statistic make you feel, and what do you think are the keys to Pace’s tradition of success?

Hard work, grit, determination, and a lack of entitlement. We have won because we study the hardest, prepare the most, and because we earn it.

The Pace team also has a history of having a strong representation of women on the team. What does the Pace economics department do to empower women and how was this impactful to you?

The economics department saw potential in me and encouraged me to harness it. I continue to see them do that time and time again for all people in the department. I mentioned earlier that the Fed Team taught me how to have an opinion and not be scared to share it, essentially to have confidence in myself. I think my professors did an excellent job empowering those who may be less "seen" in a room, perhaps because another male counterpart initially jumps to the front, and giving everyone a chance.

As the Class of 2024 prepares to cross the stage on May 20 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, graduating students shared their plans for the future and reflected on their most memorable moments from their time at Pace—from meaningful mentorship from professors to career-altering courses to unforgettable extracurricular experiences.

New York City Campus

Kelly Ann Stephen

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Economics, BA/Applied Quantitative Economic Analysis and Policy, MS

Post-grad plans?

I will be moving to Austin, Texas, to work in Global Wealth Management for PIMCO, a global leader in fixed income investment management. After interning last summer, I realized that the job was an amazing fit for me based on skills that I learned at Pace. I also plan on potentially going to law school in the future.

Why did you pursue your major/degree program?

I chose my degree in economics because of how versatile it is. Money is a major part of our world, and learning about incentives and how our economy works is crucial to understanding a big part of our society. Also, any industry can be studied through an economics lens. I personally love to look at environmental economics. I chose to pursue my master’s degree because I knew it would give me an advantage in the job market. I also loved the professors at Pace and was able to complete my bachelor’s, master’s, and two minors in four years thanks to careful planning.

What were your favorite course(s) and why?

Any class with Professor Sam Baruch is such an amazing class. He teaches many of the math-based economics courses and is the best math teacher I have ever had. I also really enjoyed taking the introduction to macroeconomics and microeconomics courses, and they were a major reason I decided to pursue my degree. A non-economics course that I really enjoyed was the mock trial seminar class. I have been a part of the mock trial team for the past four years and as president and executive captain for two. The class allowed me to expand my knowledge about the federal rules of evidence and improved my confidence in competing.

Mia Lastrella

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Film and Screen Studies, BA

Post-grad plans?

Immediately following graduation, I will be attending the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival with my production company, Western Star Entertainment Group, which I co-founded in January 2023. After returning, we hope to expand our slate of film and stage musical projects and grow our financial and creative reach as a company. I also plan to pursue production coordinator positions with agencies in New York and continue exploring my creativity as a writer, director, and actor.

Which faculty member(s) had the most impact on your experience?

Professor Ando Arike in Critical Writing truly inspired me at an early point when I was feeling discouraged, and taking Performing Shakespeare with Professor Sid Ray was a highlight of my AOK’s (Areas of Knowledge). Professor Chris Ramos helped me make a smooth transition into an Arts and Entertainment Management (Lubin) minor and gave me an opportunity to apply for my first film internship with my former boss and current mentor, Marisa Vitali. Within Film and Screen Studies (FSS), someone I have worked with consistently throughout my college career is Professor Gloria Vela. Not only has she believed in me, but has offered me glowing recommendations, invaluable advice, and a support system I could not have gotten through college without.

What were your favorite course(s) and why?

I really enjoyed the FSS production courses, including 16mm Filmmaking and Cinematography. I also liked the screenwriting courses (Writing on Film, Beginner Screenwriting, and Advanced Screenwriting), as well as Theories of Film. Outside of FSS, I enjoyed Performing Shakespeare and Arts and Entertainment Management.

Faith Gregory

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Psychology, BA

Post-grad plans?

I am currently enrolled in Pace’s combined degree BA/MA in Psychology program, so I will be receiving my master’s in psychology next year in May 2025. I am also planning to conduct some research and work as a mental health technician at a hospital over the summer.

Which faculty member(s) had the most impact on your experience?

I am a sociology/ anthropology minor, and took Introduction to Anthropology with Professor Claire Panetta, who really impacted my experience and interest in that field and provided me with a strong foundation for conducting qualitative research. In Meaghan Brewer’s Writing About Culture: Ethnography class, I wrote a paper about Harry Styles stan Twitter and it was one of the best projects that I’ve ever done—my paper won an English Department Writing Award. Professor Sid Ray in my Performing Shakespeare class made me feel so comfortable doing something I’ve never done before: acting (and Shakespearean acting, nonetheless!). Further, Professor Christopher Godfrey, in Experimental Psychology, helped me learn many things related to conducting research.

What advice would you give students in their first and second years at Pace?

Don’t be afraid to branch out and do things you’ve never done before; Pace has a lot of amazing opportunities, so put yourself out there! I never imagined I would be able to conduct two grant-funded research projects during my undergraduate career, but I was able to because of the resources and Center for Undergraduate Research (CURE) that Pace has. Also, don't be afraid to ask your professors about their interests and never hesitate to ask them for help or advice.

Pleasantville Campus

Nicolina Gabriella Barone

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Writing and Rhetoric, BA/Publishing, MS

Post-grad plans?

After graduation, I plan to pursue a writing career in the medical field, and specifically, in medical writing, copywriting, and editing. I also plan to begin submitting my novel to agents. In my sophomore year, I began drafting the first 25 pages of a novel for which I won the Billie and Curtis Fiction Writing Award, and I was later chosen for the Provost’s Undergraduate Student-Faculty Creative Award, which allowed me to complete a finished first draft of my manuscript at 65,000 words.

Why did you pursue your major/degree program?

Since I was a little girl, I have always been passionate about literature. I have also always known that my career would involve writing, but it wasn’t until my internship with WebMD that my interest in writing for the medical field solidified and proved to me that I could use my talents for the greater good. I chose Pace to pursue a master’s in Publishing to widen my career path options, learn from those in the industry, and access the connections in the program.

Which faculty member(s) had the most impact on your experience? Professor Dana Cadman has played an essential role in my years at Pace. We met early in my career when I was elected president of CHROMA, Pace’s literary and arts magazine, and as the faculty advisor, has allowed me to present my visions and gave me the space to promote the growth and success I longed for. She has also been a mentor in my writing career and has supported my novel, from being my advisor for my Honors thesis, to faculty mentor for the Creative Award. Professor JoAnn Schlesinger’s power of belief in her students pushed me to succeed, and Professors Rob Mundy, Bette Kirschstein, and Alysa Hantgan encouraged my writing in ways I couldn’t have known.

In the MS in Publishing program, Paul Levitz introduced me to the world of transmedia, and his class inspired my master’s thesis. Jessica Napp helped me overcome challenges, and I later interned with her as a publicity intern at Rizzoli International Publications. Eileen Kreit and Jennifer Romanello helped me get acclimated to being a dual-degree student, and my classroom learning with them will be indispensable for my career.

Osei Owusu-Afriyie Jr.

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Digital Journalism, BS

Post-grad plans?

My post-graduation plans are to move back to Manhattan, work on my publication, Fountain Magazine, and find a full-time job in the journalism field. I look forward to seeing my friends again and having adventures in Brooklyn and the East Village with them, although I’m going to miss the quiet, calm atmosphere of Pleasantville.

Why did you pursue your major/degree program?

I chose to pursue my degree in Digital Journalism because I love to write, meet new people, and travel to new places. This degree was a great investment for my writing skills and personal network and has taught me so many valuable skills from audiovisual production to news editing.

What were your favorite course(s) and why?

My favorite courses were Audio Storytelling, Ethics in Action, and Principles of Forensic Anthropology. I loved going around campus interviewing students about what they were doing, and presenting my cool, wacky topics in Audio Storytelling. In Ethics in Action, I loved talking about the impact of humanity on the environment and what we can do to accomplish core humanitarian and ecological goals to make the world a better place with Professors Sue Maxam and Len Mitchell. Finally, in Principles of Forensic Anthropology, I felt like an investigative journalist on Law and Order, studying archeology for homework.

James Kennedy

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Personality and Social Psychology, BA

Post-grad plans?

In fall 2024, I will be continuing my education at the University at Buffalo, starting a five-year social-personality doctoral program, which will allow me to further my research in personality and social psychology as well as in psychophysiology.

Why did you pursue your major/degree program?

I have always been curious about the workings of physical things. At a young age, this meant tinkering with mechanisms and trying to determine what purpose items had in our world. As I prepared for college, I considered a career in architecture, as I liked to design and create; however, I realized that there was more that could be discovered, and my love of social and personality psychology stems from that. Humans are far more complex and fascinating, and I want to explore how we are shaped by our social environment and our relationships and how individuals’ emotions and goals drive their behaviors and decisions.

Which faculty member(s) had the most impact on your experience?

Professor Courtney Gosnell has taught me how to develop and conduct research as well as empowered me to run my own research projects from idea to publication. Through her mentorship, I have had the opportunity to analyze topics such as cross-political-party close relationships; social behavior in both romantic and non-romantic relations; and college student experiences, emotions, and mindfulness-based coping practices. Professor Len Mitchell has shared his wisdom through his studies in philosophy, and has furthered my education, including my research through the Society of Fellows (Dyson College's honor society). And Assistant Provost Maria Iacullo-Bird has provided me with the opportunity to present my research to a vast audience both at Pace and outside at national and international conferences, as well as obtain funding to further my studies.