Wanda Sanford was one of the first hires by the Data Science Institute in 2015, when she joined as the office manager. No person ever felt like a stranger at the Institute because Wanda was always there to offer assistance and ask, “You doing all right?” As the first person people saw when they walked in the door at Dell 1, Wanda was both the face and the heart of the Institute — and later the School. A natural people person, Wanda reached out and connected with others because she genuinely cared. She was beloved by many students over the years, and each time someone new joined the data science team, she made them feel welcome.
In 2021, Wanda retired from the School of Data Science after more than five years of service and more than 30 years at the University of Virginia. This award is named in her honor. It recognizes one residential MSDS student, nominated by their peers, who exhibits the team spirit that Wanda embodied — and that is so central to data science.
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