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Meet your 25-26 Statistics Ambassadors!
The Department of Statistics at the University of Illinois is home to a group of exceptional student leaders known as the Illinois Statistics Ambassadors. These passionate and driven individuals are committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment for new and prospective students while showcasing the exciting opportunities within the field of statistics. In this blog post, we will introduce you to some of these outstanding ambassadors and learn about their experiences, passions, and valuable advice for freshmen.
Divya Chappa
Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minors: Computer Science, Data Science
Hi, my name is Divya! I’m a senior majoring in Statistics, and minoring in Computer Science and Data Science. Outside of school, I enjoy cooking, crocheting, and being outdoors. I also love animals, and petsit in my free time.
What draws you to studying Statistics?
To me, the beauty of statistics is its application to any field. When I learn about the math behind stats, I’m learning how the world works, and how to obtain the answer to almost every problem. At the end of the day, data is everything. Being able to make sense of data and use those findings to predict the future is a superpower, in its own way.
Not only that, statistics is an ever-evolving area of study. What once used to be formulas, calculations, and manual predictions, now gives us powerful techniques that we use to program, train ML models, and uncover patterns that would be otherwise impossible to detect by hand. Statistics is the perfect mixture of traditional mathematical theory and modern computational tools, making the field more relevant and essential with each passing day.
Leah Decatus-Haddad
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
I am a Statistics major graduating in May of 2026! I plan on attending grad school for Biostatistics, with a concentration in clinical trial and experiment design. In my free time I love to cook and read!
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
Advice I would give my freshman self is not to be worried about what others think of you, and don’t be shy to talk to classmates and professors!
Yihe Fan
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minor: Kinesiology
Hi! My name is Yihe. I majored in Statistics major with a minor in Kinesiology. I will be graduating in May 2026. I enjoy playing tennis, traveling, and cooking for myself :)
What draws you to studying Statistics?
What draws me to Statistics is its ability to turn abstract numbers into meaningful insights that reflect real-world phenomena. It’s incredibly satisfying to uncover trends or relationships that are otherwise hidden beneath the surface of data. I appreciate that Statistics is grounded in reality—it allows me to ask practical, impactful questions and use evidence-based methods to answer them. Whether I’m working on sports analytics, psychological research, or social patterns, the work always feels relevant and purpose-driven.
Rohan Gavankar
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics & Computer Science
Hi! My name is Rohan Gavankar and I am a Junior studying Statistics and Computer Science with my Data Science certificate. On campus, I am a Project Manager for Illinois Business Consulting and I work at Research Park as a Data Science Intern. I really enjoy traveling, and I am going abroad next semester to England. I also love playing and watching any sports.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
My advice to my freshman self would be that it is completely okay to change paths. Whether this pertains to clubs or classes or majors you are young and have so manny years ahead of you, so this is the perfect time to figure out what you truly love and want to do. It is not worth sticking it out for something you aren’t passionate about, so take your time freshman year to explore activities, classes, and other things that you truly love.
Ananth Hariharan
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics & Computer Science
Hi! My name is Ananth Hariharan, and I’m a junior majoring in Statistics & Computer Science planning on graduating in the spring of 2026. I’m passionate about research and enjoy using both statistics and computer science for problem solving, especially using machine learning. Beyond academics, I enjoy reading, clay shooting, and playing tennis. I also teach Sanskrit as part of an RSO on campus and love getting to explore new things!
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
Two main pointers: don’t rush through courses and get involved in research soon. Required courses in college aren’t like high school – they really do teach you things that matter in the future by helping you build understanding. It’s always in your best interest to spend time thoroughly learning and mastering the material; otherwise, you’ll spend a whole lot of time in later courses playing catch up and getting stressed out. It also helps to get a feel for what you’re passionate about and participate in research to start applying your skills and get guidance from our world-leading faculty. You learn so much more by working with people, and regardless of your future goals, research can help you get started and feel more comfortable with whatever you’re passionate about.
Kaytlin Hoey
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Class of 2027
Major: Statistics
Minors: Computer Science, Data Science
Hello, my name is Kaytlin, and I am currently a junior planning on graduating in Spring 2027. I am majoring in Statistics with minors in Computer Science and Data Science. On campus, I enjoy participating in the Women in Computer Science RSO and am the membership director of the Illini Wushu Club. In my free time, I love crocheting, spending time with my cats, and anything music related!
What draws you to studying statistics?
I am drawn to studying Statistics because I find it fascinating how it enables us to draw useful conclusions and bring clarity to previously complex data. By turning raw data into a more accessible/understandable resource, statistics makes it possible for the insights to be useful to a broader range of people which is something that I think is valuable in any field. I am also drawn to how powerful statistical inference is since it allows us to gain insights about the unknown by using what we do have access to. In all, statistics is impactful to me because of its versatility and ability to bring clear and supportive evidence.
Joey Li
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Class of 2027
Major: Statistics & Computer Science
My name is Joey, and I’m currently a Junior majoring in Statistics & Computer Science and planning on a double major in Geography & GIS. I am expected to graduate in May 2027. I enjoy listening to Lofi, Jazz, and a variety of music while I study. In my free time, I love watching TV-shows and anime with some of my favorites being The Office, Parks & Recreation, Breaking Bad, and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
What draws you to studying Statistics?
I am drawn to studying Statistics because it is applicable to a diverse range of industries. For me, studying Statistics gives me an opportunity and the capabilities to pivot into different fields. I always have multiple interests, and I can never quite stick with one single interest. By studying Statistics, I can learn the ins and outs of multiple industries through their data and by analyzing their processes and performance. As data gets easier and easier to collect, the Statistics discipline becomes more and more important, and I truly appreciate how many problems could be solved utilizing Statistics to extract insights and find hidden patterns in our world. Statistics will give me the foundation to solve problems and make data-driven decisions, and ultimately, I hope to postively contribute to the future of our world through logical thinking and extensive studies of data.
Sarah Michalec
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Class of 2026
Majors: Statistics, Economics
Minor: Business
Hi! My name is Sarah Michalec and I am currently a senior graduating in May 2026. I am majoring in Statistics and Economics with a minor in Business. In my free time I enjoy spending time outdoors, going on walks or on bike rides. If I am stuck indoors, I like to crochet and cross stitch while watching movies.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with someone thinking of joining the Statistics major?
As someone who declared a second major in Statistics, I would highlight that it was one of the best decisions I have made at the University. Statistics has given me a solid understanding of modeling and experimenting, especially highlighting what is going on behind the scenes. My foundational statistical knowledge, coupled with my second major in Economics, has opened the doors for me to see what can be done to help predict changes in the economy affecting the lives of everyone. Many students I have talked to also add on a minor or double major, which helps make that connection between statistics and another personal field of interest. As a result, the biggest piece of evidence I would stress even if the student is not interested in declaring extra coursework, is how many great electives are offered to encourage that personal connection between the major and your own personal goals and passions.
Rohan Nadkarne
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Class of 2026
Majors: Statistics, Economics
Minor: Urban and Regional Planning
I’m a senior this year in statistics and economics, with a minor in urban planning. I plan to graduate summer 2026. On campus, I’m currently a part of Scholarly Reading Circle for Economics and Students for Environmental Concerns. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks, watching sports, or taking public transit anywhere.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
I would tell myself to approach the statistics major and my four years here with an open mind. The stats major is designed to give you tons of flexibility to pursue other fields/courses that you otherwise may not have taken. I’d also tell myself to try to take gen eds in courses and fields that I’m genuinely interested in, rather than what my friends or people online recommend as “easy A” courses. I originally took UP 101 as a gen ed last year as a junior because of my interest in public transit, and almost immediately declared the minor because of how much I enjoyed the course and the field.
Rishab Sakalkale
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics & Computer Science
Hi, I'm Rishab Sakalkale, a current junior majoring in Statistics and Computer Science. I plan on graduating early in May 2026 and continuing my statistics studies in a Master's program. Outside of class, I'm involved in research in the iRisk Lab, and I love to spend my free time taking pictures with my Nikon D5200 (hopefully upgrading to the Zf soon)!
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with someone thinking of joining the Statistics major?
I know the tried and tested (and probably cliched) advice is to get involved - college is the time to join interesting clubs, meet new people, engage in challenging classes and research - but I think in order to do that, the advice I would give - no, SHOUT - to everybody, from incoming freshman to second-semester seniors, is to "CHECK YOUR EMAIL!!!!"
The STAT department and the university at large are constantly providing students with information on opportunities like research (checking an email is how I got my research position last Fall), new classes (new electives like STAT 430 are announced to STAT majors), general advising opportunities, and career events. Checking your emails is the first and probably easiest step in getting involved on campus, and it's something everybody should be doing!
Charlotte Sampson
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minor: Computer Science
I'm Charlotte and I am currently a junior planning to graduate in May of 2026. I am majoring in Statistics with a minor in Computer Science. I am very interested in psychology, and in my free time, I enjoy reading and working out. I also love spending time outdoors!
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
I would tell my freshman self to relax. When I was a freshman, I was always stressed about what I should be doing and what I am going to do in the future. You do not need to have everything figured out right away, there is time. I wish that I hadn't put so much pressure on myself in figuring out what I want and had instead taken my time exploring different things and appreciating where I was at. I would also tell myself that it is so important not to compare yourself to your peers. Everyone has different paths, and your journey is uniquely yours!
Jiayi (Carrie) Song
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minors: Informatics, Public Health
Hi! My name is Jiayi Song, I’m a rising junior and I’m planning to graduate in 2026. I’m majoring in Statistics with two minors in Informatics and Public Health. One of my favorite things to do is hanging out with my dog – we pretty much go everywhere together! Other than that, I love gaming and collecting CDs.
What advice would you give to your freshman self?
Go try out different classes from different departments or even different colleges! Find something that truly interests you instead of taking whatever your friends say is easy. Also there’s tons of opportunities around campus no matter if it’s an internship or a research lab, all you need to do is to find them and grab onto those, you don’t lose anything by trying anyways.
Jinna Yoon
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minor: Data Science
Hi, my name is Jinna! I’m currently a Junior majoring in Statistics with a minor in data science, planning to graduate May 2026. Some things that I enjoy doing on my free time are reading, gaming, drawing, running, and working out with friends. My favourite dessert shop is Cocomero (as seen by the picture). If you ever see me on campus, feel free to say hi!
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with someone thinking of joining the Statistics major?
Don’t be afraid of doing hard things. Take that hard course, ask questions during lecture, reach out to research labs- we often limit ourselves because we often think we can’t do it. By exploring more of the opportunities here, you’ll be able to find what you like to do and have the chance to collaborate with all types of people in fields that you may never have thought of joining. Reaching out to the faculty in the statistics department can also give huge insights to what they personally experienced in their work and education. There’s so much to experience, so put yourself out there!
Tyler Yu
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Class of 2026
Major: Statistics
Minors: Mathematics, Data Science
Hi! My name is Tyler Yu and I’m a junior majoring in Statistics. I plan on graduating in the spring of 2026 with minors in Mathematics and Data Science. I’m an RA at ISR, and I’m also involved with the board game RSO Game Night. I love playing volleyball and tennis, and I enjoy eating, traveling, and spending time with my family.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with someone thinking of joining the Statistics major?
The one piece of advice I’d share is: you can do Statistics and so much more! Unlike some majors that take up a lot of time in a four-year plan, the Statistics major has a lot of flexibility. You have plenty of room to explore your interests outside of Statistics, and tack on another major or a few minors while you’re at it. Furthermore, I’d encourage you to talk with academic advisors often. They’re incredibly helpful in course planning, discussing future endeavors, and making the most of the department’s opportunities and resources.