Volunteer Spotlight: Lisa C

Lisa has been a vital, brilliant member of our community from day one. She’s taken on lots of roles, from hosting DataDive weekends, to leading the Community Committee. On top of this, she’s been working with data for more than 20 years!

• Pronouns: She/Her
• Roles: Lead Data Science Instructor at Digital Futures, and Community Committee member at DataKind UK
• Links: https://wumga.com

What skills do you specialise in?

I’ve worked with data ever since I had the opportunity to take part in the Oracle Academy at College, which was now 20 years ago! Getting involved in data at just 16 means that I’ve seen so much evolution in the industry. I would say that I specialise in learning, picking up new things very quickly, and embracing technology change.

What roles or projects have you been involved with at DataKind UK?

I started as a DataDive weekend participant at one of the first virtual events during Covid. I loved it so much that I went on to act as a Data Ambassador for FareShare’s DataDive project. It was amazing to work so closely with such an amazing charity. They are incredibly data mature, so it was fun to be part of their journey as they continued to explore what data science could mean to them.

I’ve also been involved with the Community Committee for two years now, which is a fantastic opportunity to work a little closer with the DataKind UK staff team. I stepped up to be Community Committee Lead in 2023. For 2024, I’m looking forward to being a member of the Community Committee while Dan takes the lead, so that we can get an even more diverse mix of people leading.

DataKind UK has such a fantastic, diverse, and dedicated volunteer community. It’s been incredible to consider the ways that DataKind UK and the community can engage together.

How did you first get into data?

Getting into data was a fluke, I was actually avoiding a General Studies A Level. Taking something called Oracle Academy meant I could avoid the General Studies Classes.

It turned out to be my favourite subject: I learned about database design, SQL, and Java programming. I consider myself very lucky to have gotten the opportunity to study data at college, and then at university.

What advice would you give to someone getting started?

Back when I graduated in 2010, data didn’t seem like a valid career path on its own — which is definitely not the case now! So I wish back in 2010 I had known that data would be its own fully fledged career with so many fantastic opportunities.

At the moment I work in training and developing people for their very first data roles. I have the amazing opportunity to share lots of advice as the students go through their data journey. I think my main advice is to not forget about the professional skills and don’t get too focused on purely technical skills. Data is worthless if we can’t effectively communicate and share it with others!

What is a data project that inspires you?

One of the DataDive weekends. I had the pleasure of getting to host the event and watch the amazing charity representatives, Data Ambassador team, DataKind UK staff team, and weekend volunteers, without being directly involved.

I remember one particular charity who were very new to analysing their data. There were some seemingly trivial outputs that were hugely insightful and impactful to them. It was inspiring and a lovely reminder of how incredibly lucky we are to have the skills, knowledge, and opportunity to work with data. Watching the charity team get excited about the data, what it meant, and fully embracing working with data was fantastic!

What have you learned in your time volunteering with DataKind UK?

I have loved getting to apply my data skills in new industries and new contexts, as well as working on things that I wouldn’t typically get to explore too much. I really enjoy working with GIS/mapping data, which isn’t something I would usually get to do. There’s quite a few DataDive projects where I’ve produced maps, and I feel much more comfortable with GIS now thanks to this.

Thank you to DataKind UK and the amazing community for all of the fun times! I’m really honoured to be part of such a fantastic organisation that is so welcoming, inclusive, and having a real impact!

What advice would you give new or potential volunteers?

Absolutely just go for it! I actually did not get a place the first few times I applied for a DataDive weekend. Places are filled according to skills fit, so if you aren’t successful at first, then keep on trying!

Tell us something completely non-data-related about yourself!

I’m a bit of an adrenaline chaser — I love trying out adventurous activities like skydiving and via ferrata. Stand up paddle boarding (SUP) was one of my favourite hobbies, until I learned how to swim — I still love SUP but it’s not quite as adrenaline filled now.