Machine Learning Foundation Forged by Faculty

As a scholar, artist and athlete at LJCDS, Samantha Staszak ’12 took advantage of a wide range of opportunities. She credits the path she has forged in machine learning to her experiences and teachers at LJCDS.

“I look back fondly on the opportunities to explore every passion that fueled me, from performing with the Madrigals to being the cross-country team captain,” Samantha explains. “However, what really stands out in my mind was the active interest my teachers took in developing my curiosities as a student. David Schall pushed my love for mathematics, and I first learned to program in John Edman’s Linear Algebra course (both of which ultimately led me to major in computer science and become a machine learning engineer). I minored in language and literature, in part, because of how much I loved Deborah Shaul’s and Dr. Gideon Rappaport’s English courses and the Spanish department at LJCDS.”

 

After LJCDS, Samantha earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science with a minor in mathematics and language and literature from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Then she went on to conduct and publish research at UC Berkeley in artificial intelligence and robotics. She currently serves as a machine learning engineer at Block on the Fraud and Risk Machine Learning team. Previously known as Square, Inc., Block is a global technology company with a focus on financial services that is made up of Square, Cash App, Spiral, TIDAL and TBD54566975.

 

The techniques Samantha honed at LJCDS prepared her not only for college but also for a successful career in machine learning. “The biggest thing that set me apart from my classmates was the skills I learned not just in how to study effectively but also to communicate in a way that allows me to share my ideas with both technical and non-technical people alike,” she explains. “I have been fortunate to be published in the field of machine learning and robotics. I utilized the phenomenal lessons learned from Deborah Shaul and Gideon Rappaport in the art of writing. Giving presentations in our classes and being part of the Teens Respond to AIDS with Care and Education club allowed me to feel comfortable presenting at both conferences and in the office.”

 

Samantha explains what sets LJCDS apart from the experiences of others in her network. “Having unlimited access to extracurriculars and school trips is a very unique aspect of LJCDS,” she says. “From the college campus tours to the Dominican Republic service trip to being supported when I took time off to sing at Carnegie Hall, these experiences fundamentally shaped me as a person. However, the thing that impacted me the most was the amazing teachers. I remember how often I would eat lunch in David Schall’s classroom just to listen to him plan his next class. I can’t believe how kind and devoted my teachers were to developing us not just as students but as people.”

 

Samantha shares her gratitude to LJCDS for setting her up for success. “My high school education and the access to various AP classes set me apart from my colleagues in my undergraduate courses, many of whom felt unprepared for the rigorous studying required for an engineering degree. I could tutor many of my peers and become a TA because I could hone these skills at LJCDS. I will always look back with gratitude that I could attend a school with such an amazing teaching faculty.”