Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee
University of California, Davis
Sophomore
La Canada Flintridge, CA

I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Statistics with an emphasis on machinelearning at the University of California, Davis, where I am maintaining a GPA of 3.94 and earning recognition on the Dean’s Honors List. Additionally, I am fluent in both Korean and English, as demonstrated by scoring Level 6 on the TOPIK exam. Growing up bilingual helped me adapt easily in cross-cultural environments. My academic interests include data science, machine learning, and healthcare, driven by an early personal experience: witnessing my grandmother undergo a high-risk surgery for a pancreatic tumor. That experience inspired me to
explore how data-driven approaches could enable earlier diagnoses and prevent similar situations for others.

In addition to my academic coursework, I actively participate in my university’s data science and machine learning clubs, where I led a group project that predicted bike-share user types in the San Francisco area using real-world data. Although my team lost a few members while a short deadline was approaching, I stepped up as a leader to distribute tasks strategically, establish clear
milestones, and maintain our morale. I relied on my leadership skills that developed while serving as the Logistics Officer in Air Force Junior ROTC during high school, where I managed logistics in accordance with regulations and oversaw representatives. Applying my experience in the group project, we completed a high-quality project on time. This challenge reminded me of the importance of adaptability and teamwork in turning setbacks into success.

Moving forward, I plan to pursue graduate study and prepare for a professional career as a machine learning engineer for preventative healthcare technology. Studying abroad through the SNUAA-USA Scholarship will expand my technical perspective, deepen my cultural understanding, and prepare me to thoughtfully contribute within a technologically driven world.