Alumna ZaNiya Sconiers earned her bachelor’s degree in business at Holy Cross College in 2022 and is currently enrolled in the Saint Mary’s College 4+1 Master of Science in Data Science Program using the graduate study pathway program option at Holy Cross College. An interest in technology led her to the NICE Consortium allowing her to stay at Holy Cross College to earn her bachelor’s and take prerequisites for Saint Mary’s.

“Holy Cross College prepared me for this opportunity by being small, which is how I met a professor who wanted to help me get where I wanted to be academically and kept track of my progress, as well as meeting a couple of people to study with from classes at Holy Cross when our schedules aligned,” said Sconiers. “I was taking 18 credit hours per semester on top of working part-time, so at times it was overwhelming, but having a professor and a couple of people keep track of my progress and study with me helped prepare me for this program.”

Interning as a requirement to graduate is another way that Holy Cross College prepared her for the undergraduate program. According to Sconiers, “The company I interned with from the summer before my senior year of undergrad until now helped me professionally and got me where I want to be during my time in grad school. I went from interning in more business-related areas since my major was business, and after graduating and networking with others, I now intern in Business Intelligence which is giving me great experience because I am learning and doing things that pertain to my studies in Data Science.”

“I would recommend the pathway option to students who want to finish their degrees in business, biology, or any major that has a foundation in mathematics if they are interested in problem-solving, mathematics, programming, working with data, and are interested in a versatile career path in which you can work in business, healthcare, and other industries that utilize data,” commented Sconiers. “I strongly recommend it to students who want to start their graduate program their senior year of undergrad, which is hard work, but receiving  2 degrees in 5 years is worth it!”

Click here to learn more about pathway programs offered at Holy Cross College.

Pictured is alumna ZaNiya Sconiers ’22.