Statement of Purpose

Today's technology can extend life expectancy, connect people indelibly across borders, and data is at the
heart of this revolution. The skill of analyzing and processing enormous amounts of data can aid in
making wise decisions, which can then lead to the implementation of more creative solutions for
successful outcomes. I am motivated to study Data Analytics because of the potential it has, which I want
to exploit to the fullest for the benefit of businesses and society. I want to acquire the skills needed for
efficient data exploitation as well as the top analytics tools. Earning my MS in Data Analytics from your
prestigious university will help me pursue a fulfilling career as a Data Analyst.

The roots of my interest in the field of analytics dig down to my school days when I was fascinated with
Mathematics. Their implementation in real-life processes intrigued me a lot. I finished fourth in the
Divisional Mathematics Olympiad in seventh grade and my interest in problem-solving grew. Scholars
International School which was my high school has instilled in me the desire to acquire knowledge, and to
be analytical, innovative, and hard-working at the same time. I had good grades all throughout high
school and my result in O’Level and A’Level are a reflection of that. I got the Daily Star Award for
getting 3A’s in A’Level which was a really proud moment for me. Also, I have had an affinity for
technology ever since I was a kid. I clearly recall the day we got a computer at the house, and ever since
then, I have used it in some capacity daily. My career obviously had to follow a path involving technical
knowledge and problem-solving. That is why I chose Computer Science as my undergraduate program
and got admitted to BRAC University. I tried to gather various experiences during my undergraduate
degree so that my graduate studies could build on this solid basis. Thanks to the courses, I now have a
strong foundational understanding of programming, web and Android technologies, data science, database
systems, data structures and algorithms, Statistics, and Computer Architecture. The practical nature of
computer science is one of the things that drew me to it. I have always looked forward to practical
assignments because of this. I started with simple projects like an eCommerce Website using the MERN
stack. The complexity of my projects increased as I gained mastery of more advanced concepts. The
following projects I worked on included a sea level predictor using Python, a transportation ticket
management system using advanced Javascript and PHP, and a dental clinic service-providing application
using ReactJs and SQL. Propelled by my passion for learning, I took up the CS50 Introduction to
Computer Science course of Harvard University on Edx and the Python for Everybody course of the
University of Michigan on Coursera which helped me build the foundation even better.

In College, I became a member of the BUCC (Brac University Computer Club), where I first started
learning about contributing to open-source projects, and competitive coding. I decided to expand upon my
research by adding a layer of intelligence to it because I was intrigued by the rise of data science and how
it had an exciting fusion of technology and mathematics. In order to understand the various fields of data
science, I enrolled in classes in machine learning, artificial intelligence, neural networks, and pattern
recognition in the upcoming semesters. For my thesis in my final year, I applied these ideas by creating a
diabetic retinopathy detector application that used deep learning models on data of eye images to
determine whether a person had none, mild, or severe diabetic retinopathy. I tried to use both single-label
and multi-label classification to get more accurate results. I developed a keen interest in deep learning
while working on this project, which inspired me further to take up the Deep Learning Specialization
course on Coursera. I worked on another healthcare-related application with a few of my other friends
where I tried to use the ensemble technique on different CNN models to get better accuracy. We used
chest CT scan images as data to detect lung cancer and classify it into four groups, namely,
Adenocarcinoma, Large Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Normal. We wrote a paper on it
and presented it at the “Information and Communication Technology For Development” organized by
Springer in 2022 and it was finally published. After working on this project I realized how data science
and machine learning can have a vast impact starting from healthcare, and businesses to everywhere and
this intrigued me even more. We worked on another project where we introduced an enriched dataset
using an action recognition method with the most common phrases translated into American Sign
Language that are routinely used in professional meetings. We further proposed a sign language detecting
and classifying model employing deep learning architectures, namely CNN and LSTM. We presented our
work at the “International Conference on Computer and Information Technology” organized by IEEE
Bangladesh in 2022 and our paper got published.

From a very young age, I have been really passionate about teaching and sharing knowledge. Having a
strong base, I started taking tuitions right after my O’Level and eventually plucked up the confidence to
start my own coaching center. It was one of the most fulfilling jobs that I took up since my class was
always full to the brim and the students were so eager to learn. I used to take computer science and math
classes mostly. After that, I was given the honor to join my school as a teacher. All of these experiences
have not only made me financially independent but also aided me in truly absorbing the core of the
subjects better. Consequently, during my bachelor's, I was appointed as a Teaching Assistant to take
computer lab classes. This propelled my understanding of the subject to a higher level and further
polished my programming skills. I was able to point out bugs even faster than before so I could practically
visualize my growth over the years. In the meantime, I established “Reyansh”, a cloud kitchen, which
primarily makes Indian desserts and vegetarian delicacies. Furthermore, “Bookland”, an online book store
is also one of the ventures that I established and is proving to be fruitful. Regulating and working on these
businesses allowed me to expand my knowledge of how customer data can be utilized effectively in
generating profits and to make numerous ground-breaking strategies for the firms. Finally, in the previous
year, I joined Daraz as a trainee in the IT department. My work revolved around the system and server
team as I was assigned to maintain those servers that have to deal with huge amounts of data regularly. I
also had to collect the data, filter the given requirements and analyze the data by understanding the
business requirements. This not only gave me a better understanding of business and processes but also
helped me in improving my analytical skills day by day.

It is important to choose the right university to acquire critical subject knowledge. So, I've made the
decision to pick the University of Illinois Springfield for a Master of Science in Data Analytics as it will
help me unlock my full potential as a prospective data analyst. It would be the right choice for me, as it is
one of the most versatile universities, offering individualized attention, significant academic resources,
and high-quality education. I will obtain an education that gives me both the technical skills and the
intellectual discipline to become a leader in the industry. I've always wanted a career that requires
innovation, creativity, and the ability to adapt to any circumstance. I am confident that higher education at
University of Illinois Springfield will definitely help me succeed in my chosen sector of interest and reach
my professional ambitions.