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Flexibility was a major factor in Alicia Guerra’s (M.A.S. DSC 1st Year) decision to enroll into Illinois Tech’s Master of Data Science online program. As a caregiver for a special-needs sister and aging parents, she needed a flexible data science master’s program to accommodate her unpredictable schedule.

“Illinois Tech’s online program allows me to pursue a graduate education without sacrificing my family responsibilities,” she says. “I appreciate the program’s openness to nontraditional and interdisciplinary students. My background spans the liberal arts, music, and technology. Illinois Tech evaluated me based on my ability to succeed in quantitative coursework rather than a narrow academic pedigree. That inclusive admissions philosophy ultimately made this program the right fit for me.”

At Illinois Tech, Alicia has earned a fellowship with the initiative, a semester-long research program that is focused on social responsibility and social justice and that includes a stipend for the work. The fellowship provides structured mentorship, interdisciplinary feedback, and the resources needed to transform research ideas into tangible outcomes.

“Despite being an online student, I was fully integrated into the SoReMo program,” she says. “All meetings were accessible online, and I felt just as engaged as on-campus fellows. This experience demonstrated that Illinois Tech genuinely supports equitable access to research opportunities.”

Alicia’s SoReMo project focuses on developing a computational framework to detect illegal racial gerrymandering, which was motivated by recent mid-decade redistricting efforts in Texas. Excited to apply her technical training to address a real-world democratic issue, the project integrates data science, public policy, and social impact in a way that reflects her long-term research goals.

And Alicia has been invited to present her SoReMo research at major conferences this spring. She will be traveling to San Francisco on March 18 to present at the , in addition to taking part in a poster presentation of her SoReMo research at the on April 3 in San Diego.

Alicia says the faculty at Illinois Tech have been instrumental in giving her the confidence that she needed to pursue and present her research.

“They have strengthened my work and pushed it toward a publishable standard,” she says. “Collectively, these mentors have made Illinois Tech feel like a place where serious research is not only encouraged but actively supported—even to students who aren’t on campus.”

Teaching Professor Shahrzad Jamshid’s encouragement and mentorship gave Alicia the confidence to transform an abstract research idea into her SoReMo project, complete with a manuscript, website, and code repository. Through SoReMo, she’s worked closely with Professor of Applied Mathematics Sonja Petrović and Associate Professor of Applied Mathematics Robert Ellis, who have provided mentorship, feedback, and detailed and incisive critiques.

“Illinois Tech has prepared me for doctoral study by immersing me in research culture early,” she says. “From mentorship and feedback to presentation and publication expectations, I now feel confident pursuing a fully funded Ph.D. program and an academic career.”