Intern Spotlight #3: Alex Nakagawa
Alex is helping make Pluto smarter and more personalized by tackling the data side of things. Learn more about Alex! 😎
“I hope you can agree with me that not having to worry about your expenses is one of the most confident-boosting feelings there is. Pluto can help you with that!”
Name
Alex(ander) Nakagawa
What’s your role at Pluto?
I am a Data Science Intern at Pluto. I work on improving the automatic categorization of transactions using machine learning, as well as identifying patterns and developing insights from users’ financial behaviors to make the app more personal.
School / Major
UC Berkeley / Double Major in Computer Science & Cognitive Science
What are you currently saving for?
Currently, I’m saving to attend the Mura Masa concert 🎟 in September in Oakland. My longer saving goals also include saving enough money to visit Toronto, Canada, and a rainy day fund for the spontaneous moments of college.
What’s your go-to Pluto challenge?
If I had to choose one, it’s got to be my internal struggle to stop spending so much on expensive coffee. 😩☕️
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I am currently trying to learn the Native Hawaiian language, while at the same time embracing my inner SoCal (Southern Californian) and learning how to surf 🏄🏻.
What activities are you involved with at school?
I row for the varsity team on California Lightweight Crew 🚣🚣. I am also a member of Codeology, a club focused on helping students crack coding interviews. In addition, I am an active member of the UC Berkeley Regents & Chancellors Student Assocation (RCSA). This coming semester, I am planning to be more active in data science-oriented research groups and explore entrepreneurial programs in the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology (SCET), and maybe explore my passion for music as well 🎧.
Why did you decide to intern at Pluto?
I’ve really tried almost everything when it came to saving money in high school and college. I used to keep receipts, but I quickly learned why it was such an outdated practice. There were mountains of paper everywhere in my car. Other apps on my phone just didn’t get it done 📱💔. Pluto’s vision and unique approach to tackling this incessant issue in many people’s lives really spoke to me.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Wrangling with user data is always an arduous task, as there can be many compatibility issues when dealing with a wide variety of money transactions. Being patient with a bug in my code is one of the many challenges with trying to train models in machine learning.
What’s your favorite part about working at Pluto?
Helping people save money for their own adventures in life is such a satisfying feeling. I hope you can agree with me that when it comes to vacationing, eating out, or getting a new subscription to Netflix, not having to worry about your expenses is one of the most confident-boosting feelings there is 💪. Pluto can help you with that!
