Isabella McCoy Charts Her Path to Senior Walk

Fort Smith native Isabella McCoy has always been curious about how things work. Fortunately, her choice to major in data science was a good fit.  

“Going into data science gives me the opportunity to do work across a wide variety of fields,” she says, “and the ability to analyze these fields and learn about why they are the way that they are. 

“While I enjoy working with data across the board, I find sociological and criminological data interesting because it directly applies to peoples' lives. In particular, I am interested in data around criminal behavior and how we can predict what factors lead to crime.”  

Isabella was also impressed with the opportunities offered through the Honors College, such as different study abroad programs. In fact, this May, she intends to enroll in the Honors Passport - E-Bike Italy program. 

“I really enjoy my degree program as a whole,” she says. “It is a smaller program, so it's still a very close-knit environment even within a large school, and the instructors are very passionate about what they do and about student success.” 

Now a junior, Isabella is on track to graduate in 2027 with a bachelor’s in data science, with concentrations in business data analytics and social data analytics, as well as a minor in mathematics. “The skills I have gained in data science help me to answer my own questions about how things work, something I find very fulfilling,” she says. 

After graduating, Isabella plans to attend graduate school for applied mathematics, with the goal to become better prepared to work in data science and analysis in a more in-depth role. 

“I’m excited to work in a field that has so many advances being made, and my goal is to contribute to building methods of data science that help us to make real peoples’ lives better.” 

For more student and alumni success stories like Isabella's, check out some of our previous #MyPathToSeniorWalk features: Michaela Parks, Mishek Musa, Ashton Laurent, Allison Primm and others at our #MyPathToSeniorWalk website. If you'd like to be featured in the #MyPathToSeniorWalk series, please fill out the nomination form.