From Numbers to Change

Dayoung Lee
5 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 13 hours ago

Turning Data into Actionable Solutions

“Data shows the facts, but it’s our interpretation that drives change.”

When I was in elementary school, I met barefoot children in a rural village in the Philippines. That moment reshaped my life. I realized that what seems “normal” is not granted to everyone, and this awakening led me to explore structural issues like inequality, climate crisis, and educational divides. Since then, I have continued service work, international engagement, data-driven research, and social innovation projects, discovering how data can become a tool to understand reality and design change.

For me, data science is more than a technical skill—it is a language to interpret and reduce the world’s disparities. My research connecting climate disasters and health inequality, published in an international high school journal, and my award-winning study on the relationship between digital education gaps and academic achievement, were milestones in this journey.

But growth also came from setbacks. When a GitHub error erased hundreds of raw data files, I refused to give up. I asked for help, and strangers from around the world guided me to restore the lost work. That experience taught me that the real strength of technology lies not only in algorithms, but also in learning from mistakes and building solidarity. Since then, I have promised myself to extend a helping hand to others facing barriers.

Highlights:

Health Inequality Research – “Socioeconomic Disparities and Climate Disaster Vulnerability”, Solo Author, Journal of Student Research – High School (2025.08, Acceptance Rate ~20%)
International Comparative Study – “Socioeconomic Factors in Math Achievement”, Lead Author, Journal of Emerging Investigators (Forthcoming, Acceptance Rate ~15%)
National Public Data Challenge – Awarded Excellence Prize (Top 5%) among 600+ teams; proposed AI-textbook and digital education equity policy (2025.07)
Korea IT Youth Competition – Gold Prize (Top 1%) in Data Analysis, Bronze Prize (Top 5%) in Python Programming (2024.11)
Harvard Secondary School Program – Completed “Data Mining, Discovery, and Exploration” (7 weeks, academic credit, 2025.08)