Students on the Blog: JetBlue Site Visit and Data Analytics

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By Luz Elena Rodriguez (MS Quantitative Methods and Modeling '16)
 Luz Elena Rodriguez

On October 28, 2016, JetBlue and its crewmember resource group Women in Flight hosted 12 Baruch graduate students for a speed networking session and panel at their Long Island City offices. I was among the twelve fortunate MS and MBA students to visit the company to learn more about JetBlue’s culture and get valuable advice for my career development. As a Master’s student studying Quantitative Methods and Modeling and looking to contribute my skills in a data analytics role in the future, the event also gave me meaningful insights into how a company like JetBlue leverages information across different sources to better serve its customers.

Our visit started with a warm welcome from everyone on the JetBlue team. LaToya Jordan, Director of Talent Management and Diversity, gave opening remarks that touched on the importance of diversity and networking.  Danielle Moss of JetBlue’s Talent Management team then moderated a panel discussion with four leaders from different areas in the company:

  • Andrew Biga, Director Talent Acquisition, and Assessment
  • Mandy Gargano, Director of Revenue Accounting
  • Andi Azzolina, Director of IT Data Services
  • Tracy Lawlor, VP Financial Planning & Analysis

Through the conversation, I found a common denominator to success at the company: that is passion.  Passion seems to help JetBlue professionals give their best, go above and beyond their responsibilities and have an open mind to accept new challenges. The enthusiastic panelists also highlighted to us about the importance of speaking with professionals and having informational interviews in order to make informed decisions in our careers.

In the second part of the event, we had one-on-one speed networking sessions with six professionals. This was a great opportunity to learn more about specific areas such as Marketing, Finance and IT, and understand the uniqueness of JetBlue as a young disruptive company that embraces constant change.

Zicklin graduate students at the JetBlue Women In Flight site visit.
For me particularly, learning about some of the ways JetBlue uses data analytics really inspired me. For example, JetBlue uses data analytics to assess candidate performance from a human capital perspective. In marketing, data analysts research customer behavior in response to digital advertising, which helps the company improve how it reaches travelers. In the IT area, analysts work on projects using real-time data to help assist customers when last-minute issues occur, like a missed flight connection. It seems clear that data analytics is one of JetBlue’s competitive advantages, and I really appreciated learning more about that outside of the classroom.

There is no doubt we were privileged to get to know more about JetBlue in this networking event. I am deeply thankful to JetBlue, the Zicklin Women in Business club and the Graduate Career Management Center for making this opportunity possible.

Luz Rodriguez is an Industrial Engineer with experience in data analysis, inventory management and optimization. She is pursuing her master’s degree in Quantitative Methods and Modeling, pursuing a role in data analytics that leverages cutting edge tools and techniques.

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