This year as a Student Technology Assistant has been a period of growth, learning, and new responsibility. I was promoted to STA II, which came with higher expectations and more opportunities to lead. I focused on becoming more independent with troubleshooting and better at mentoring newer STAs during our shifts. Whether it was providing technical support for campus events, troubleshooting classroom technology, or answering tickets, I’ve learned how to solve problems more efficiently and communicate more effectively with both peers and professional staff.

One of the highlights of my year was working with my supervisor Jax on a project for the Education Department. The goal was to design a centralized data pipeline to automate form submissions and visualize engagement data using Power BI. Initially, we planned to route Microsoft Forms data through Power Automate into a SharePoint list. But as the project evolved, we realized that PowerApps offered a better solution for custom form creation. We’re now building an app that feeds data into a SharePoint list, which then distributes results to a separate SharePoint destination for tracking and analysis. While the project is still in progress, it has taught me a lot about systems integration, user-centered design, and how to adapt midstream when requirements shift.

This role has also given me a strong foundation in technical tools like PowerApps and Power Automate, along with valuable experience in problem-solving, team collaboration, and communicating with clients in real time. These are skills I’ll carry into my upcoming internship at Goldman Sachs, where I’ll be working with the Ayco Executive Wealth Team in Chicago to support client financial planning and wealth management services.

Longer term, I plan to pursue a career that blends finance, technology, and data analytics, and my experience as an STA has helped me build core competencies for that path. Whether it’s building tools to automate workflows, supporting high-pressure events, or helping users navigate technology, I’ve grown in ways that will directly translate to fast-paced, professional environments. I’m thankful for the opportunities I’ve had this year and excited to keep building from here.