The Spotlight Series amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Molly
Rubin
“I research all areas of customer behavior through web traffic data by applying new and exciting data science techniques.”
MOLLY RUBIN
Data Scientist
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
"Not the day I was promoted to a Data Scientist role, but instead when I deployed my first model into production. For me that was the culmination of years of hard work and study, much more so than landing the job."
WHAT'S A STRUGGLE THAT YOU'VE OVERCOME?
"Imposter syndrome has always been very real for me. Unfortunately the more success I find, the more fraudulent I feel. I haven't been able to fully silence that voice, so now I try to let it fuel me."
WHAT'S YOUR DAY-TO-DAY MANTRA?
"I have a sticky note on my computer that says 'pressure is a privilege."
"For so long I fought for the opportunity to work in a role where I was truly challenged, and was paid to use my mind (rather than when I was paid to answer phones or churn out weekly reports). There are many days where work doesn't come easily and I get frustrated, and that's when my sticky note reminds me that I am exactly where I need to be."
"EVERY DAY I TRY TO BRING MY AUTHENTIC SELF TO WORK."
"I do not fit the mold of what you'd expect a data scientist to look like, both as a queer woman, and also as someone coming from an arts background (prior to analytics, I was a bassoonist performing with a symphony orchestra)."
"Early in my career these were things I kept hidden as best I could, because a) I didn't want to give anyone reason to question my abilities and b) I had not seen anyone else from my background find success. Over time, I realized I was able to excel in my career not despite my background, but because of it. It gave me a different perspective than anyone else in the room and helped me see business problems in a completely different way. Now that I've "made it" I make a point to amplify these parts of me at work with the goal of challenging people's perception of that mold, especially for those young scared new grads with a story similar to my own."
"Something new and exciting to me is that my wife and I are expecting our first child this fall! We are over the moon excited to begin the motherhood journey!"
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
“I'm naturally a 'plan for the worst' kind of person. In 2021 I've challenged myself to imagine positive outcomes, see challenges as opportunities and not possible failures, and I've seen a huge impact."
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU WISH YOU'D KNOWN 10 YEARS AGO?
"I wish I understood the value different perspectives bring to a team and an organization. I was always so shy to speak up early in my career."
WHAT'S SOMETHING YOU'RE WORKING ON THAT'S IN PROGRESS?
"I consider myself to be a life-long learner. At work I've dived into demystifying 'cloud computing', and in my personal life I'm working on my banjo skills."
Our Spotlight Series ↗ amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.