Turning data into action: Emujin Batzorig’s summer internship at the State Bar of California

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Emujin Batzorig 

Education 
B.S. in Data Science and Economics 2027, University of Virginia

Hometown
San Francisco, CA 

This summer, I worked in the San Francisco office of the State Bar of California as a Data Analytics Intern in the IT Department. My role was to help the IT teams better understand their data and create efficient, transparent ways to display it. 

Over 10 weeks, I built two live dashboards using Zendesk Analytics, a platform similar to Power BI but directly connected to the State Bar’s real-time IT ticketing system. One of my biggest initial challenges was learning the language of Zendesk and the IT office. In data science, context matters, so before I began building anything, I immersed myself in the organization’s data dictionary and workflows to understand the meaning behind each field. From there, I identified the metrics and calculations that would matter most to different audiences. 

The first dashboard was designed for leadership and stakeholders, offering a clear, high-level view of IT performance with charts highlighting trends, workload distribution, and service efficiency. The second dashboard was built for IT leads and agents, focusing on ticket-level detail and agent activity. Together, these dashboards provide transparency and efficiency, helping leaders and staff balance workloads, track backlogs, and make better-informed decisions. 

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Working with real-world data was one of the most valuable parts of this internship. Unlike textbook examples, the data wasn’t always clean, consistent, or complete. I had to problem-solve, make judgment calls, and ensure what I presented was accurate and meaningful. It reminded me that data analytics isn’t just about building charts; it’s about finding the story within the data and making it useful for the people who rely on it. 

A highlight of the experience was knowing my work will live on beyond my internship. Both dashboards will be integrated into the State Bar’s new intranet, which means they’ll continue supporting IT operations long after I leave. Seeing my work become part of a long-term system felt both humbling and rewarding. 

Beyond my main project, I also earned certifications in intermediate Excel and dashboarding, attended professional development workshops, and had the chance to meet with State Bar leadership to learn more about the organization’s mission to protect the public and expand access to justice. 

Overall, this internship gave me both technical growth and personal confidence. I left with a deeper understanding of how data can drive decision-making in the real world, and with an even stronger motivation to keep exploring data science in my studies and future career.

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