Keren Skariah, a 19-year-old student at UC Davis, is making waves in data science. Hailing from Fremont, Calif., her interest in the field was ignited during her American High School AP statistics class. This year, Skariah helped organize the first hackathon exclusively for women and non-binary students at UC Davis.
“We all support each other to close the gap”
Keren Skariah
“It was difficult,” she reflected. “We didn’t have a model to follow, but the team I worked with was great and working together made it so much easier.”
Last month, Skariah was recognized as one of Glamour magazine’s 2024 College Women of the Year in STEM, an award granted to six women across the United States for significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Skariah is the only 2024 award recipient from the West Coast.
Data scientists are in increasingly high demand; the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reported a projected growth of 36% between 2021 and 2031. Despite the growing opportunity, only 20-24% of professionals in data science are women. Skariah acknowledges that breaking down the STEM barrier is a monumental task, but she ultimately finds strength in the supportive community of women around her.
“We all support each other to close the gap,” she said.
Looking ahead, Skariah aspires to earn a master’s degree after her undergraduate studies and hopes to build a career at a company where she can grow and eventually retire early to teach high school math. She envisions a future where the gender gap in STEM has closed and is determined to foster inclusivity in her workplace.
“I would love to be part of a women’s group in my future workplace and have a community to lean on,” Skariah said.
