The Spotlight Series amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.
Susan Shu Chang
“I supercharge software products with machine learning.”
SUSAN SHU CHANG
Principal Data Scientist
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT ONE OF YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS?
“I worked on my first video game for over two years, so I was so proud when it was finally completed and released to the world! It's called A Summer with the Shiba Inu."
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’RE WORKING ON THAT’S IN PROGRESS?
“I've been writing on my blog susanshu.com for a few years now, and I used to write once a week. Now I've entered a new ‘season of learning’, I've slowed down so that I can write more in the future.”
WHAT IS ONE PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL GOAL YOU HAVE YET TO ACCOMPLISH, AND WHAT DOES THIS GOAL MEAN TO YOU?
“Building more readership of my blog. I think there's a lot of helpful stuff that could help folks interested in data science and/or game development!”
WHAT’S YOUR DAY-TO-DAY MANTRA?
“Taking breaks in the short run sets us up for success in the long run.”
“This reminder speaks to me because it can be tempting to sacrifice health (physical and mental) to keep sprinting. But the burnout that follows actually sets me back much more, and I need to avoid that by remembering what's important.”
WHAT IS A STRUGGLE YOU’VE OVERCOME, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT?
“I struggled with impostor syndrome a lot while completing my master's degree."
"I finally learned to zoom out and not compare myself with only a small group of extremely smart and talented people.”
WHAT DOES ADVOCACY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
“I've had coffee chats to share my career story with over 50 people. I think that sharing my journey is really helpful, given that in me, many folks see representation in the tech industry at the senior and above role.”
IF YOU COULD GO BACK 10 YEARS AND TELL YOUR 10-YEARS-YOUNGER SELF SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
“I'd like to tell her to keep doing what she was doing, which was exploring many different hobbies and learning about different topics.”
WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’D RATE 5-STARS?
“This is something that doesn't have a ‘rating’, but I had a gathering with friends (everyone fully vaccinated) and it was amazing to catch up with folks I hadn't seen in person for almost two years.”
WHAT’S THE MOST ADVENTUROUS THING YOU’VE DONE?
“Solo travelling - I've met random people in Tokyo where we hung out for entire days, explored Seattle with a stranger I met on the plane, played poker with a group of strangers in Seoul, and more.”
Our Spotlight Series ↗ amplifies the authentic stories of women and underrepresented groups in tech, entrepreneurship, and leadership.