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Undergraduate Student Profile - Denise Bradford

Written by: Meghan Honerlaw, M.S. candidate in Statistics

Denise Bradford is an undergraduate Applied Statistics major with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision. She grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where her interest in mathematics began from a young age. In high school, Denise was given a choice between taking a second calculus class and trying a statistics course. Her interest in trying new things led Denise to her first statistics class. While the class interested her and she enjoyed it, she was focused on going into the engineering field.

With thoughts of pursuing either engineering or math, Denise set out to look for appropriate colleges in the Midwest. Once she discovered Purdue, she was instantly enamored. Denise explained, "Being at Purdue is like taking a trip around the world; there are so many different types of people, experiences and activities to participate in. You just have to be willing to look for them." While she didn’t originally intend on majoring in applied statistics, she reconsidered after taking a class at Purdue. After doing some research and finding that Purdue has one of the leading statistics programs in the nation, Denise didn’t need any more persuasion. Among her favorite classes is Probability (STAT416), because it was challenging. Denise said, "I love challenges because they make me stronger at the end of the day."

Denise enjoys using her probability knowledge with her friends while playing card games. Someday she would like to use her statistical knowledge in a corporate setting, but has plans of getting an advanced degree in Computational Finance. Denise would love to return to Purdue to receive her graduate degree through their Computational Finance Program. She has already begun applying her statistical knowledge by participating in the STATCOM program; a pro bono statistical consulting group that is run entirely by statistics graduate students. Denise said the program gave her an inside view of how statistics are used outside of the classroom and could possibly be used in industry. She said it also gave her an opportunity to meet graduate students in her same field of interest.

Besides her love of statistics, Denise also makes time for many extracurricular and volunteering opportunities. She has been on the executive board for the National Society of Black Engineers for 4 years and also has been a member of the Association of Multicultural Science Students for two years. Through these organizations she has found opportunities to volunteer, but beyond that she tutors students in math, science and engineering at Lafayette Jeff High School, and also volunteers for Habitat for Humanity!

Denise has proven to be a well rounded person through her schoolwork and extracurricular activities, but above all is her belief that "it's not always about the way you start, but it’s ALWAYS about the way you finish. Good grades and a lifetime of experiences make the four years of college so much more memorable, than great grades and nothing to apply to life."

June 2008