For Oscar Wood, Supporting New Data Science Bridge Program is a Full Circle Moment

Oscar Wood’s time at the University of Virginia left a deep impression.  

“I’ve done a million things in my lifetime,” Wood, a 1995 graduate in electrical engineering, said. “I’ve been to places, traveled the world, but nothing really reflects as strongly on me as my time at UVA.”

Part of the reason he looks back on his time at UVA so fondly is a bridge program, which eased his transition to University life and allowed him to be part of a group with a common purpose and dedicated to “propping each other up,” he said.  

Wood would go on to work with the Department of Defense, including during the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks; launch Data Tactics, a data engineering management firm; and serve as CEO of NNData, a company he also founded, which focuses on implementing data management practices for organizations.  

But it all started at UVA and his time building those initial, lasting connections with his bridge program cohort.  

Now, nearly 30 years after receiving his degree, Wood hopes to ensure students at UVA’s School of Data Science have the same opportunity. He’s making a significant investment in a new bridge program that he described as “absolutely wonderful and critical and needed.”

The Bridge Plus Program is envisioned as a way to build community and establish a sense of belonging through a variety of activities, including workshops, data science projects in the region, and engagement with faculty, all in line with the guiding principles of the School’s Inclusive Excellence Plan.

“From the second you arrive at UVA, you’re in community with us, we’re in community with you,” said Siri Russell, the School’s associate dean for diversity, equity, inclusion, and community partnerships, describing the vision for the program.  

Development of this new initiative for undergraduates coincides with approval of the School’s new bachelor’s degree program, which, beginning in fall 2024, will give UVA undergraduate students the opportunity to major in data science.  

While the full scope of Bridge Plus is still being discussed, Wood’s donation “makes it possible to move from ideation into something more concrete,” Russell said.  

Wood, who serves on the board of the School of Data Science, was an early supporter of its mission, as well as that of its precursor, the Data Science Institute. He sees data science as a still emerging discipline that is “boundless,” with students who pursue it having the opportunity to “set the bar” on where and how it will have an impact on the world.  

He hopes the new bridge program will open doors to those possibilities to students across his native state of Virginia.  

“Virginia is a very dynamic state in terms of its demographics,” said Wood, who is from Alexandria, Va. “And I really hope that the bridge program makes data science accessible and reflective of the demographics” seen throughout the state.

Expanding access to opportunities in data science has long been a priority of the School of Data Science, particularly its Office of Equity and Inclusion. Among its other efforts, the office has led the school’s participation in the Starr Hill Pathways program an initiative sponsored by The Equity Center at UVA, which provides students enrolled in Charlottesville City and Albemarle County Public Schools the opportunity to gain first-hand experience learning about a wide range of career pathways, including in data science.  

While Wood has a clear personal understanding of how influential bridge programs can be, he is not stipulating how the School of Data Science should structure its program.  

“He’s trusting the School with this gift,” said Rebecca Schmidt, associate director of equity and belonging. “He’s not just trusting that we’ll use it in a creative and responsive way but also that other people will be inspired to give.”  

Wood still keeps in close touch with many of the students he first met in his bridge program in the 1990s, bonds that helped create an environment in which he could thrive at UVA and beyond.  

“You take that with you,” he said of the supportive atmosphere he first experienced and how it helped shape him as he began his career.

“I can get through it,” Wood said of the mindset bridge programs help instill when students face a challenge or adversity, either professionally or personally. “And I’m not going to be afraid to ask for help if I need it. I think that’s the part of the bridge program that’s critical.”