Celebrate the Class of 2022: Brian Hernandez

June 3, 2022

Native New Yorker Brian Hernandez completed his undergraduate degree in computer science at Hunter College and worked as a software engineer for JPMorgan Chase & Co. before enrolling in the M.S. in Data Science program at Columbia University.

Instead of pursuing an internship between his first and second years at Columbia, Hernandez launched a YouTube channel called BrainBrewing. The platform allows him to share insights gained through projects, experiments, and research in an accessible, understandable, and entertaining way.

The 2022 alumnus is excited to utilize his statistics, mathematics, and deep learning skills in his new role as a data engineer with Meta. Here, he shares the path that led him to study data science at Columbia and a few of his favorite experiences during the program.

What helped to pique your interest in data science?

I was selected for the Microsoft Research Data Science Summer School back in 2018. It was one of the best summer experiences of my life. I was able to learn data science with instruction from some incredible mentors—Jake Hofman, Siddhartha Sen, and Dan Goldstein.

Why did you choose to come to Columbia for your master’s degree?

Columbia has always been a dream school for me. When I had the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree in the field I’m most passionate about at the university, it was a pretty easy decision.

What was your favorite course?

Applied Deep Learning with Josh Gordon was my favorite course. It was my first dive into deep learning. I’ve been really interested in the technology and its applications ever since.

How did your undergraduate experience at Hunter College prepare you for the M.S. in Data Science program?

I took a lot of statistics, math, and data courses back in undergrad. Having that initial exposure to some of those concepts was really helpful. If I could name three courses that any undergrad should seriously consider for this program, they would be algorithms, linear algebra, and probability/statistics.

Tell us about your capstone project.

I worked with Henning Schulzrinne on a project related to broadband internet funding. We primarily investigated two questions: 1) Does the funding of broadband expansion programs improve internet speeds over time? 2) Can we predict who funding is being directed towards?

How did the pandemic impact your experience at Columbia?

Honestly, experiencing the first semester virtually wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I actually have some nostalgia for it. I remember being really worried about making friends and meeting new people in this program and, luckily, I was still able to meet plenty of folks that I consider close friends now. I attribute a lot of that to joining the Data Science Institute Student Council, where I was able to meet some outstanding, fun individuals.

Are you working on any passion projects?

Without a doubt, my YouTube channel. I had to put a pause on operations due to intense school deadlines, but it is still one of my biggest passion projects.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.