Sophomore pushes through her fears to find success

Sophomore Bailey Barnard is not staying home in Keystone, Iowa, for the summer. Instead, she’s taking on an internship as a summer analyst at Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, Utah, in their Operations Global Market division. 

Ringer Distinguished Professor of Economics and Business Santhi Hejeebu says, “Her classwork is what made her resume,” enabling her to land this big opportunity. 

Barnard is majoring in business analytics with two minors in applied statistics and computer science. She says she was drawn to business analytics after taking a few business classes during her first year. Her Data Visualization class sealed the deal. 

“I absolutely love studying business analytics at Cornell,” Barnard says. “I enjoy every minute of it and all of the professors are incredibly nice and helpful!”

For her final project in Hejeebu’s Data Visualization course, she collected data on vulnerable, endangered, and critically endangered species from around the world, including the species binomial name, status, and location. Then Barnard worked at cleaning the data and building a dashboard to present the data visually. Her biggest find was that over half of the critically endangered species are in the United States. 

Barnard is a superstar in her studies, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t experience the same human conditions as the rest of us. Self-doubt still rears up its ugly head when she starts a new course in her chosen field of study—business analytics. Perhaps, in part, because she is so passionate about the field and invested in pursuing it as her career. 

“The most challenging aspect of studying business analytics is the fear that I can’t do it,” she says. “Every time I begin a new major class I am always worried that I won’t be able to do it, which is terrifying, because I know this is what I want to do with my life, so if I can’t do it, I’m in trouble.” 

Still, Barnard persists despite her fears, including studying subject matter that very few other women seem to be pursuing. “It can also be kind of intimidating in some classes because there are few women in the business analytics field, so a lot of the time I am either the only female in my class, or I am one of a very few,” she says. 

Despite those challenges, she moves forward. She tries to take it all in one day at a time. Soon the first week is over and she says she’s more comfortable in class and knows she can count on her professor to help her if she needs it. 

What’s the single most important thing Barnard has learned after almost two years at Cornell? 

“Definitely time management. Being on the block schedule has really helped me see that it’s possible to do all of the things you like as long as you keep a schedule and stay organized,” she says.

UPDATE:

After completing her internship at Goldman Sachs, Barnard was offered a full-time analyst position at Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City after her projected graduation in May 2021.

“Internships are a great way to get your foot in the door of a company you may want to work for after graduation,” says Senior Director of the Berry Career Institute Jodi Schafer. “Many internship programs are set-up as a way for organizations to try out talent and serve as the primary means for recruiting full-time, entry-level employees. Those who complete a successful internship at the organization can receive early offers in their senior year for a full-time opportunity upon graduation. It’s a win-win for students and the organization.”