Chaifetz Senior Puts Data Analytics Skills to Work for Boeing

The Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business offers a strong data analytics focus in both its undergraduate and graduate programs to prepare students for successful careers in today’s business environment. Trevor Halliburton, a Chaifetz School senior whose data analytics skills earned him an internship with Boeing, considers his academic background at SLU an essential part of his current success in the position.

Halliburton, a senior student athlete with a double major in marketing and analytics and enterprise systems, has kept busy this semester. On top of his coursework and the hours he devotes to SLU’s swim team, he currently works as a data analytics intern for Boeing’s compliance division. In Halliburton's six months as an intern, he’s tackled some advanced projects--most notably, a new program to optimize Boeing’s data analytics he designed. 

“They brought me in to take a fresh look at their data analytics process, and I was able to use the skills I’ve learned in class to diagnose a few areas where they could be more efficient,” Halliburton said. He credits his time at the Chaifetz School for preparing him well for this task and others in his internship. 

“I’m really thankful for the skills I’ve learned in school--I’ve been able to put those to work. I’ve also been able to learn new skills on the fly: how everything works together in this field, how to be a decision-maker. I think SLU prepared me well for that.”

Halliburton notes the profound impact of Abhimanyu Gupta, a professor of operations and IT management at the Chaifetz School, in his academic and professional development. 

Halliburton has taken two of Gupta’s classes, both of which were “extremely valuable,” but Halliburton highlights Gupta’s availability and dedication to his students outside of class. 

“He’s been a real mentor. He’ll even schedule a Zoom meeting with you if you’re stuck on a problem during your internship, or if you want to understand something a bit more. He’s taught me everything I know about the field of data analytics.”

Halliburton is far from the only student to praise Gupta’s teaching prowess: Gupta is widely popular with students in the business school for both his accessibility and passion for his subject matter, and regularly updates his LinkedIn page with tips for excelling in the business world. 

For other students looking to find an internship in data analytics, Halliburton stresses the importance of persevering throughout the internship process, and recommends that students be willing to take an unpaid internship to gain valuable experience. 

“Prioritize that internship experience more than anything. That real-world experience is extremely valuable and will pay off when you start your career.”