Sydney Reeves

During her undergraduate years at Iowa State, Sydney Reeves (’16 psychology) earned a degree in psychology, a minor in statistics and she also conducted social science research. This unique fusion of interests and knowledge led Sydney into the field of data analytics. Today Sydney is a senior data analyst at HER, a popular lesbian, queer and bi dating app that boasts 10 million users worldwide.

“Psychology is entirely about using research and statistics to understand how humans think and behave,” Sydney said. “This drives my career in data analytics and allows me to develop insights about human behavior — whether it’s predicting how long an employee will remain with a company, or the likelihood that a person will initiate a conversation on a dating app.”

Sydney’s career sits at the intersection of business, mathematics and psychology. It’s her job to create revenue for organizations by using psychological principles to understand and forecast human behavior.

“I definitely use my knowledge of psychology in my daily work,” Sydney said. “I loved every single psychology course I took at Iowa State, whether I was learning about motivation, development, or the chemistry of the brain, I was engaged and excited.”

Sydney earned a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology from Montclair State University, in New Jersey. She recommends that Iowa State students explore on-campus undergraduate research opportunities, if they are considering graduate school.

“Graduate school is competitive and Iowa State offers plenty of research jobs that will set you apart,” Sydney said. “Join a lab as early as you can and build relationships with faculty.”

Sydney also encourages psychology students to explore statistics during their undergraduate years.

“Don’t be intimidated by statistics, which are so critical to the social sciences,” Sydney said. “Iowa State has a great statistics program, so have confidence in yourself and put in the work because it’s worth it.”