I am honored to write a recommendation for my friend and my comrade in data – Elena Barbulescu. The first thing that comes to mind when I consider the year plus that I’ve watched Elena grow is that she maintains a spirit of continual improvement. What’s also important in my opinion is that she is ready to help others when she is able from the things that she is learning. This is often lacking on teams, and she would be a team mate that not only cared about her growth; she would also care to help her team mates grow any way that she could. It is as though Elena is keenly aware that she will continue to grow her whole life and is simply seeking the next most important area she needs to grow in to effect her overall performance in her career and in her life. I count myself fortunate to be among her data science friends AND her friends in life. Any team would be fortunate to have her on it or to lead it.
– Thom Ives, PhD, Sr. Data Scientist & Founder of Integrated ML & AI | Thom has taken me into his community with fellow data science community members, and has mentored me along my journey.