Past Winners

Data impacts every function these days, and my ability to tell stories via numbers set me apart in the sports field. Adobe Analytics was a great introduction to how data is collected and synthesized in the real world, giving me exposure to data-driven storytelling and making me a better candidate in the job market. I was exposed to concepts like funnel charts and customer churn, while using a comprehensive analytics platform that is widely used in the industry.

A key part of my job is focused on selling a story to senior leaders and driving tangible change in how Adobe interacts with its Creative Cloud customers. Participating in the Adobe Analytics Challenge taught me how to focus on what matters and seek out data points that can actually help drive a business forward. This became an invaluable skill in my current role, where I constantly have to find the right inputs to deliver the best go-to-market strategy for our video offerings.

The Adobe Analytics Challenge was a real confidence booster for me, and it is one of the few hands-on opportunities in college where you get access to widely-used tools, real data, and a judging panel of industry experts. It was an early education in how to move from data to insights, while synthesizing huge amounts of data. I also learned how to present findings in a way that is emphatic of stakeholder needs, one of many skills I use now regularly.

The Adobe Analytics Challenge showed me that there is an art to telling stories through data. It also revealed to me the gaps in my education and began to nurture skill sets that I use in my consulting work today, where big ideas need to be backed by insightful numbers. For a surprising number of roles in organizations today, digital literacy and a foundational level of data proficiency have become table stakes to get hired and excel.

In a corporate environment, if you are going to make a case for something, you need good data to support it. The Adobe Analytics Challenge was one of my first opportunities to practice in a real-world environment. It allowed me to look at data from a holistic perspective, drilling into what customers want and validating my theories with hard figures.

The Adobe Analytics Challenge opened a lot of doors for me, and it came up in virtually every job interview I had after I graduated. I was able to get hired and hit the ground running at my current job, since The Home Depot is a longtime user of Adobe Analytics. And while my job works directly with data, the ability to tell stories through numbers is an important skill set for many types of careers today.