Meet Taylor Crockett, a Master’s student in Social Data Analytics and Research, who headed to Taiwan this past weekend to pursue a dual degree in Data Science.
EPPS is committed to providing our students great studying abroad opportunities. The Dual Degree in Data Science allows students to study one year in UTD and another in NCHU to graduate with two degrees in the master’s program, simultaneously. There are language scholarship and research internship opportunities while studying on the beautiful island state of Taiwan. More information is available on the Taiwan Studies Program website: https://epps.utdallase.edu/taiwan.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
This is my fifth year at UTD. I enrolled in 2019 as an undeclared undergraduate because I had absolutely no desire to be forced to choose between my many interests. My experience at UTD helped me reconcile these interests rather than pick between them. In 2023 I graduated with a B.S. International Political Economy, and now I’m working on my M.S. Social Data Analytics and Research with another M.S. Data Science to come in Taiwan. Outside of school, I currently work on the data team at the Child Poverty Action Lab where I provide data support, answer research questions and design visualization tools across many different policy areas.
What made you want to study abroad in Taiwan?
I can’t discuss my motivations without first mentioning my mentor Dr. Karl Ho, who would have still dragged me to Taiwan in his suitcase even if I said no. Luckily for the both of us, I have long wanted to both study abroad and also finish my Chinese language learning journey, which I have been on for eight years now (without too much to show for it, yet). He has been keeping me in the loop as the dual degree program has progressed from an idea to full fruition, and I was fully on board as soon as he proposed it to me. It goes hand in hand with the master’s program I already wanted to do, so it was a perfect situation. I’m really passionate about data-driven approaches to policy issues, so I hope the math-heavy data science program at NCHU will teach me many new tools to put in my tool belt.
What are you most excited for in Taiwan?
What most people are trying to get me excited for is the food. What I’m really excited for is being within biking distance of a Uniqlo.
Any advice you want to share to EPPS students interested in studying abroad?
Be your own best advocate. Leaving the country gets complicated and messy, and there are many moving parts. Unfortunately, nobody will have all the answers, so you will have to do the legwork and be proactive. This effort makes it all the more rewarding when everything comes together!
Also: just go for it. This is the youngest you will ever be.