Sofia Calderon

I’m a recent UT Austin graduate with a passion for data science and data engineering!

2 minute read

In May 2024, I joined Every Texan as a Research & Data Intern—and now, a little over a year later, I can confidently say it’s been one of the most fulfilling and formative parts of my undergraduate journey.

🧠 What I Worked On

My work spanned data storytelling, policy research, and pipeline building. Some highlights included:

🥫 SNAP Recipient Profile (2025)

A deep dive into who receives food assistance in Texas, using American Community Survey data to dismantle myths and showcase the realities of low-income families.

What I learned:

  • Built data dashboards and maps in ArcGIS, focusing on intuitive design and actionable insights.
  • Refined my ability to make data digestible, drawing clear, story-driven conclusions for a general audience.
  • Gained a deeper appreciation for how policy design affects real families, especially around food security and access.

📍 Texas Poverty Data Brief (2025)

Led analysis and visualization for a statewide report on poverty trends, with a focus on equity gaps by region, language, and education.

What I learned:

  • Aggregated large-scale data from multiple sources and ran statistical tests to highlight meaningful disparities.
  • Built and styled ArcGIS StoryMaps, blending visuals, maps, and narrative to enhance accessibility.
  • Developed a sharper eye for identifying statistically significant trends that matter for public policy.

🗣️ Bilingual Texans Report (2024)

Modeled income and health disparities among bilingual households using logistic regression and caret modeling in R.

What I learned:

  • My first independent policy brief: from drafting to publication, I owned the process end-to-end.
  • Conducted a literature review, framed policy relevance, and built models to surface inequities.
  • Gained experience with project scoping, data cleaning, stat testing, and crafting visuals to emphasize key findings.
  • Learned how to balance timelines, reviews, and edits—especially when publishing under deadlines.

🧒 KIDS COUNT 2024 Dashboard

Helped build a statewide child well-being tool by cleaning and joining data from dozens of sources, including census data, state agency data, and health surveys.

What I learned:

  • Handled messy datasets and structured them for dashboard-ready insights.
  • Built repeatable processes for data ingestion and transformation across domains like education, health, and family income.
  • Worked cross-functionally with the research and comms teams to maintain consistency and clarity across content.

🛠️ Tools & Skills I Gained

  • ArcGIS & Visualization Tools: Choropleths, dashboards, StoryMaps, and more — I learned how to make insights both accurate and accessible.
  • Cloud & Big Data: Managed large datasets, built structured cleaning workflows, and stored everything on the cloud.
  • Literature Review & Policy Context: Learned how to frame technical insights around real-world stakes and structural inequities.
  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Worked closely with different departments to merge tech, policy, and storytelling goals.
  • Academic-Year Project Management: Balanced long-term deliverables with school and external reviews—learning self-discipline, adaptability, and documentation.

💡 Why It Mattered

This internship hasn’t just strengthened my resume—it clarified my why. I saw how data science can inform policy, amplify unheard voices, and push for equity. Whether visualizing language isolation or poverty trends, I learned how to turn large-scale data into stories that matter.

More than anything, I learned how to build with care, collaborate with purpose, and use data to amplify impact.

Thanks for reading 💛 -Sofia

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