Interview date:
February 10, 2021
Soraya Hausl is a data scientist who specializes in the field of machine learning. She translates data that has been gathered into predictions about the future. Her superpower? Developing data models for search rankings and recommendations which power mobile apps and Web sites. Her latest venture: Carra, an online hair care service for Black people and people of color.
Even though she is a whiz at math, statistics and programming, Soraya still struggles with 'Imposter Syndrome' but defeats negative thinking by actively participating in communities of Black people in tech and mentoring students and other data scientists.
"I'm one of the people who maybe at some point increase the presence of people of color, of women of color, in this space. Give us more visibility and at some point, make it easier for another little Black girl or kid of color to go into the field because maybe she sees someone who looks like her in the field...I'm excited about my current role where I get to work on something that hopefully serves the community. There's been a lot of advancement in data science and algorithms but obviously, it's also very driven by the people who work in it. We are all affected by the outcomes of it so the more that we [Black people] get into it, part of how these things are developed and evolving, the more we will also benefit from it."
