Nancy Phombeya inherited her passion for math from her mother, who worked as an accountant in their home country of Malawi. Phombeya’s excitement for numbers grew as her mother taught her increasingly complicated concepts. Not surprisingly, she earned a B.S. in mathematics and statistics from the University of Malawi in 2019.
After graduating, she earned a high-profile internship at the National Bank of Malawi, where she oversaw accounts and helped clients manage financial transactions. She quickly moved up to a full-time senior bank representative.
“That role made me want to learn how to assess the risk financial institutions take on when they offer loans to clients,” she said.
Phombeya independently built knowledge about leveraging data to drive decisions but realized she could use formal training through a master’s program.
Phombeya’s friend, who earned her bachelor’s in actuarial science from Georgia State’s Robinson College of Business, told her about the school’s dual M.S.A. in Data Science & Analytics/M.S. in Quantitative Risk Analysis & Management program and encouraged her to apply.
“The program offered the perfect combination of skills I needed,” Phombeya said.
Phombeya relocated to the United States in summer 2023 and landed a graduate assistantship position on Robinson’s graduate admissions team to cover part of her tuition. A current major assignment involves building a model to move prospective students along their decision journey and predict enrollment each semester. Her data programming, data management, and data visualization courses have been particularly applicable for that project.
Phombeya also serves remotely as a business analyst intern on the claims team at an insurance company based in Des Moines, Iowa.
“I am developing dashboards and enhancing existing reports to provide actionable insights,” Phombeya said. “The internship has allowed me to apply what I’ve learned and opened my mind to the types of projects I’d work on in the industry.”
In October 2024, Phombeya jumped at the chance to visit New York City’s financial district with the Panthers on Wall Street program. During their trip, students met with financial executives and Robinson alumni who provided valuable insight on getting a foothold in the industry.
Upon graduation in December, Phombeya plans to leverage her passion for math in new ways.
“I want to use my experience to help companies and financial institutions minimize risks and make decisions that improve processes and support growth,” she said.