Name:
Vivian Wang
How did you get to gap intelligence?
My background, in a nutshell, is that I grew up in Shanghai, China, which is a big metropolitan city like New York. I jumped at the opportunity to study abroad in the US and have been in the States since high school. I started college at UCSD, where I learned how to surf! I have been in San Diego ever since and love it because of the beautiful weather and wonderful surf scene.
I first heard about gap intelligence from an alumni, who is a San Diego local. I was curious about the company and did a little research. I talked with a few people in the company and the gappers’ passion for data and the values-led company mission immediately attracted me!
What values lead you and why?
The value that leads me most is to never stop learning. Finding role models in life and learning from them has helped me grow a lot along the way. Another, is to have fun and find passion in what I do. Life is challenging; after studying and living abroad in the US and Japan, I learned a lot about how to enjoy the process and not just focus on the results. I can find joy even when doing difficult tasks or experiencing difficult situations. I believe there’s always two sides for everything. Last but not least, I would like to contribute to our community, no matter how big or small. I want to help the community and influence other people to do so. I believe a successful career does not equate to a happy life. Some balance is needed— which consists of the work I do, the things I love, and the good I can do for others.
What skills are you bringing to gap intelligence and what skills are you excited to learn?
I have a marketing and research background, accompanied with the natural curiosity to explore various type of data. In my graduate school, many of my professors and fellow students were passionate about good data, finding causalities, and running regressions. I studied quantitative method using programs like Stata, and visualizing the results using Python and Tableau. This is where I really got into data analysis and started to realize how powerful it is in the world today, not only for policy making but also for business decision making.
At gap intelligence I am really excited to learn more about how data is analyzed and how the insights we provide will influence our clients’ business decisions.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be, why, and what would you do with it?
If I could have any superpower, I would choose the ability to fly. Being able to fly in the sky has been a dream and fascination of humans for thousands of years. To me, it’s really about the feeling of freedom and proximity to nature. The thought of having the ability to travel to any tall mountain, deep canyon, or across the ocean on your own and whenever you want is just amazing. And think about the travel expenses that you’d save!
What’s the quirkiest thing about you that you’re willing to admit?
I set 5 different alarms every 15min in the morning on my phone if I need to get up early, i.e. from 6:15, 6:30, 6:45… However I usually wake up naturally by myself before any of them ring… is that weird?
What’s your favorite thing to do in San Diego and why?
My favorite thing is to enjoy a taco from Oscar Mexican Seafood after a sunset surf session with my buddies. Surf + Friendship + Tacos… what can be better than that for SD life?! PS: I like to go to the Oscar’s near La Jolla, it’s a little joint and their grilled octopus taco is so good!
What is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?
My all-time favorite place to travel to is Japan. I have studied abroad, worked, and traveled many times to Japan, however, I still feel that I have only seen a small corner of it. I love the countryside of Japan— the people and the life style really attract me since I grew up in a big city. I like to explore local traditions by going to Matsuri, which are summer festivals that are held at a local shrine, and hearing stories from local people about their daily life. I still need to go to Kagoshima, where the Ghibli movie “Princess Mononoke” was inspired. And I can’t wait to see many of my friends there soon. Japan feels more like my second home town rather than just a travel destination for me.
Do you have what it takes to be a gapper? Head over the careers section at gapintelligence.com to learn more about open positions. Find more info the bottom of our about page.
