AV诊所

In the fall of his junior year, Daniel Schorr 鈥�26 was hanging out with friends when his roommate inadvertently uncovered a family secret. He鈥檇 typed Schorr鈥檚 last name into the University directory, and up popped a picture of Daniel from freshman year, with longer hair and a skinnier frame, followed by a listing for his mother, Mary, a director in BC鈥檚 Information Technology Department. And then鈥�

鈥淪uddenly my roommate says, 鈥楬ey, Dan, your dad鈥檚 a student in the Lynch School?鈥欌�� Schorr recalled, laughing. 鈥淚 was stunned. I just said, 鈥榃hat are you talking about?鈥欌��

Five minutes later, over the phone, James Schorr 鈥�92, a career marketing analyst, came clean. He was, in fact, a student in the new M.S. in Data Science program, offered by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and he鈥檇 kept his return to the classroom 鈥渙n the down-low鈥� in case it turned out to be too much to juggle alongside his full-time job. Now, thanks to some harmless internet sleuthing, the secret was out.

鈥淚 was going to tell them shortly,鈥� the elder Schorr explained. 鈥淚t was kind of on my mind but then they figured it out.鈥澛�

Two years later, the story still gives James and Daniel a good laugh. This May, both Schorrs will graduate from AV诊所 College, contributing two more BC diplomas to the family鈥檚 growing collection (Mary is also a member of the Class of 1992, and Schorr鈥檚 grandmother graduated from Newton College of the Sacred Heart, which merged with AV诊所 College in 1974). James will be attending Daniel鈥檚 commencement ceremony, and skipping his own, but 鈥渨e鈥檒l be celebrating together,鈥� he said.聽

Thirty-plus years ago, James studied economics at AV诊所 College as an undergraduate. This time around, he was looking for a program that would help him keep pace in the rapidly changing field of data science. At Epsilon, the marketing, technology, data, and professional services company where he鈥檚 worked for 20 years, James has watched his employees begin utilizing innovations like machine learning to analyze consumer, behavioral, and transactional data.聽

鈥淚 wanted to stay on top of and learn about all these evolving technologies, just selfishly, to help me in my current role,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing more fluent helps me lead team members who are using these tools day-to-day and helps me be more of a player-coach-manager.鈥澛�

James was attracted to the Lynch School鈥檚 Data Science program in particular because of its emphasis on the ethical handling of data, a critical consideration when running sensitive information through systems powered by artificial intelligence.聽

鈥淭hat鈥檚 an actual, differentiating characteristic of the BC program,鈥� he said, 鈥渕aking sure you鈥檙e using these tools in a way that鈥檚 for the greater good and doing no harm.鈥�

The Data Science program is offered part-time and fully online, which meant James could continue to work while earning his degree. It also meant his presence at BC didn't impact Daniel, a history major and general business minor who is also a member of the Army ROTC program. Still, the pair was able to joke about their shared student status during football tailgates and Daniel鈥檚 occasional visits home.

鈥淚 never thought I鈥檇 be doing homework with my dad,鈥� Daniel joked. 鈥淕rowing up, he鈥檇 be the one helping me but now it鈥檚 like we鈥檙e both going through the grind together. I鈥檓 really happy for him.鈥�

Post-graduation, Daniel plans to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, working on radio communication and information technology systems. He鈥檚 savoring his last few months on the Heights, often leaving his headphones at home when he walks across campus so he can take in the sights and sounds.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 been awesome,鈥� he said of the past four years. 鈥淚鈥檝e been opened up to so many different backgrounds, so many different perspectives鈥擨鈥檓 thankful I was given the opportunity to come here.鈥澛�