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Charishma Chand Thurimella, WIU Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics graduate.
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Just Hired: Charishma Chand Thurimella

May 15, 2025

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Just Hired! Through the experiences of local, regional, national and international students, Western Illinois University has some incredible alumni who are changing the world in the workforce. This series will feature students from all over the world who are hired post-graduation.

MACOMB, IL - - Meet Charishma Chand Thurimella, a Western Illinois University Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics graduate, who has been hired by Bank of America as a data scientist and cognitive linguist AI.

Chand describes the path to this position as a rigorous procedure with multiple rounds in which her expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning deployment on cloud platforms was evaluated.

"My prior experience at Amazon—where I worked on enhancing Alexa's voice interaction using GPT models, LangChain and AWS tools—played a crucial role in demonstrating my strengths in conversational AI," Chand said. "The interviews emphasized real-world problem-solving, AI/ML model optimization and deployment pipelines."

To secure this position and succeed in her career, Chand relies on the skills and foundation in data science and analytics she received at WIU.

"The coursework and hands-on projects at WIU sharpened my analytical, statistical and programming skills. My major is directly aligned with my current role," Chand said. "The academic training, combined with opportunities to work on projects, gave me the technical depth and problem-solving mindset needed to succeed in interviews and thrive in an enterprise environment."

As an alumna, Chand plans to stay involved with WIU by sharing her experience, mentoring students and participating in the alumni events.

"I'd love to contribute to workshops or guest lectures, especially on AI, machine learning and conversational technologies," Chand said. "Staying connected with the WIU community allows me to give back, support future graduates and stay engaged with the university that helped shape my career."

To share your hiring story with WIU, visit go.wiu.edu/4eVgEuw.

To learn more about the WIU MS in Applied Statistics and Decision Analytics, visit wiu.edu/cbt/eds/graduate-appliedstats.php.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing