Jacqueline Vo is currently a junior at the University of California, Berkeley, pursuing a dual academic track in Statistics and Environmental Economics and Policy, with a minor in Data Science. Her profile represents an interdisciplinary academic approach that bridges computational knowledge, environmental awareness, and analytical thinking. This article outlines her educational path, extracurricular engagements, and experiences in design, data, and community service.
Academic Focus: Bridging Statistics and Sustainability
Jacqueline Vo’s academic background at UC Berkeley spans two distinct but increasingly interconnected fields: quantitative analytics and environmental policy. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Statistics through the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Economics and Policy through the Rausser College of Natural Resources. This combination reflects her interest in using empirical tools to evaluate ecological and economic challenges.
Her coursework focuses on applying statistical methods to environmental questions—an area where data-driven insights can influence long-term policy decisions. The inclusion of a Data Science minor further sharpens her computational foundation, equipping her with the ability to manipulate large datasets, build predictive models, and generate actionable findings.
By choosing a rigorous double major and minor, Vo is positioning herself at the intersection of policy, economics, and technology. This academic blend prepares her to address climate-related problems using data-backed approaches in both public and private sectors.
Technical Skillset and Project Work
Jacqueline Vo has actively applied her technical training through hands-on projects in both formal classes and extracurricular organizations. One notable involvement was her participation in the Web Design DeCal (CS 198) from February to May 2024. DeCals are student-led courses at UC Berkeley, often designed to provide practical experience not always covered in standard curricula.
As a student in this course, Vo worked on a mock renovation of Berkeley’s Sodoi Coffee website, as well as on her personal site. She used front-end web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, incorporating principles of user interface and user experience design. This initiative demonstrated her ability to integrate creative visual design with functional layout planning.
In another context, Jacqueline contributed to the Data Science Society at Berkeley during Fall 2023. There, she collaborated on a music genre classification project, which involved preprocessing data, building classification models using k-nearest neighbors, and developing visualizations such as heat maps and PCA plots. The experience served to reinforce her practical knowledge in statistical modeling and exploratory data analysis.
Through this project, Vo demonstrated familiarity with important tools in modern data science and machine learning. Her work included visualization and modeling, which are key skills for roles in tech, policy analysis, and research.
Environmental Economics and Policy: A Complementary Academic Track
Jacqueline Vo’s concurrent study in Environmental Economics and Policy (EEP) highlights a socially oriented application of her analytical skills. EEP focuses on how economic principles apply to environmental and natural resource challenges, including issues like carbon pricing, land use, and resource regulation.
Her education through the Rausser College of Natural Resources enables her to consider broader socioeconomic impacts of environmental decisions. By studying both microeconomic and macroeconomic models within ecological frameworks, she is gaining the tools to evaluate market-based solutions to environmental problems. This dual lens of theory and data empowers her to analyze environmental outcomes with empirical rigor.
Student Leadership and Volunteer Engagement
Before entering college, Jacqueline was an active member and Vice President of Key Club International, a global youth-led service organization. From September 2018 to May 2022, she helped organize and lead community service events, accumulating more than 1,000 service hours in her senior year. Her responsibilities included managing event logistics, motivating club members, and maintaining engagement with a membership of over 200 students.
In recognition of her service, she received the 2022 Presidential Volunteer Service Award (Bronze). The award highlights individuals who demonstrate outstanding dedication to community development through consistent volunteering.
These early leadership roles helped Jacqueline develop essential soft skills like organization, communication, and teamwork—skills she has carried forward into her current university projects.
Leadership in Creative and Cultural Events
Jacqueline also took on responsibilities outside traditional academic or tech domains. She served as an Assistant Stage Manager and Costume Designer for the Cal VSA Culture Show, a Vietnamese Student Association event that ran from January to April 2024.
The production involved over 80 participants, and Vo was responsible for helping manage logistics related to stage flow, props, and backstage organization. Additionally, she contributed to designing visual identities for characters in the play, working with a 20-member production team.
This role offered her the chance to blend organizational precision with creative vision. Working in cultural storytelling enriched her leadership capabilities and fostered collaboration with students from diverse backgrounds.
Cross-Disciplinary Competence
Across all her activities, a recurring pattern in Jacqueline Vo’s journey is the blending of multiple disciplines. Whether through data modeling in the music classification project or environmentally driven economic analysis in her coursework, Vo exemplifies cross-functional thinking.
She uses statistical tools to interpret real-world phenomena, employs programming to communicate and visualize ideas, and engages with social and cultural communities to remain grounded in practical impact. Her involvement in design, service, and STEM illustrates a well-rounded student profile.
Long-Term Potential
Jacqueline’s training at UC Berkeley, coupled with her hands-on experiences and leadership in service-oriented initiatives, positions her well for multiple career paths. Potential trajectories include:
- Environmental data analysis: Using data tools to evaluate environmental impacts and inform policy design.
- Public sector consulting: Working with government agencies or NGOs to evaluate economic and ecological outcomes.
- Tech and product analytics: Applying statistical and modeling skills in corporate environments to improve products and services.
- Sustainability-focused startups: Joining or founding data-driven ventures that work on sustainable solutions for resource management, carbon emissions, or urban planning.
Each of these fields requires the type of interdisciplinary perspective that Jacqueline has been building since her high school years.
Conclusion
Jacqueline Vo’s profile is a clear representation of an interdisciplinary academic and professional path. Through her combined studies in statistics, environmental economics, and data science, she is building a skillset grounded in both analysis and application.
Her involvement in data science projects, web design coursework, student-run cultural events, and sustained volunteerism all reinforce a practical and well-rounded profile. These experiences not only reflect academic strength but also a consistent drive to apply learning in varied contexts.
As she continues through her junior and senior years at UC Berkeley, Jacqueline Vo is likely to find growing opportunities to engage with data-driven environmental and economic questions. Her record so far points toward a career committed to both analytical precision and societal relevance.
FAQs
Q1: What is Jacqueline Vo studying at UC Berkeley?
She is pursuing a BA in Statistics, a BS in Environmental Economics and Policy, and a minor in Data Science.
Q2: What kind of data science work has Jacqueline Vo done?
She worked on music genre classification using models like k-nearest neighbors and visualizations such as PCA and heat maps.
Q3: Has Jacqueline been involved in community service?
Yes, she served as Vice President of Key Club, organizing over 1,000 volunteer hours and receiving a Presidential Service Award.
Q4: What extracurriculars does she participate in beyond academics?
She took on dual responsibilities in the Cal VSA Culture Show, coordinating stage logistics and designing costumes to enhance character presentation.
Q5: How does Jacqueline integrate tech with environmental studies?
By applying data modeling and statistical tools to study environmental economics and policy, combining empirical research with sustainability goals.
