The simplest definition of sibling rivalry is characterized by one main thing – competition. And if the 23 universities that make up the CSU system are tenacious siblings, you know San José State University likes to find itself at number one. Such was the case for the undergraduate SJSU Spartan Analytics team members who were declared the winners of the 2024 CSU Systemwide Business Analytics Competition hosted by Sacramento State. 

Hieuson Dang, Michael Lac and Fellip Mikael, all ‘28 Data Science, made up the victorious undergraduate team that was announced this spring. Led by Lucas College of Business faculty advisors, Shaonan Tian, professor of business analytics, and Kezban Yagci Sokat, assistant professor of business analytics, the accomplishment is a big one for the student club. Furthermore, it demonstrates the rapidly growing appeal of the data analytics field. 

From left to right: Hieuson Dang, Fellip Mikael, Michael Lac, and Professor Shaonan Tian.

The trio was introduced to the competition through Spartan Analytics and were encouraged to participate. Initially, the club held multiple workshops to help them get their feet off the ground. They pointed out that Tian also held an office hour for them to review their presentation and provided insightful feedback which they used to improve their presentation.

Dang, Lac and Mikael produced an in-depth analysis and machine learning model to predict the probability of defaulting on an SBA Loan, admitting that they had a learning curve. They had to spend some time learning about SBA loans and the terminology, as well as establishing experience with machine learning models.

For Mikael, this was his first time participating in a competition like this one. 

“I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I’m glad I took the initiative and also had great teammates,” he shared. “Coming out of this competition I was much more knowledgeable about how to work with data from start to finish.”

The most important thing Dang learned from this project was understanding the process of how data is collected, cleaned and analyzed in order to come up with informative conclusions. “Seeing the concept firsthand demonstrated the power of data and what we can take from it.”

According to Tian, this is an era of data and AI, and the new generation of students seem quite comfortable with technology. When asked what type of skills would make for a great Spartan Analytics member, she said they should be comfortable with coding and modeling. “But on top of their technical requirement, they should also have a solid understanding in business and strong presentation skills.” 

Lac’s best advice to interested students is to just get started. 

“These events can feel really intimidating to participate in at first, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking ‘I’ll join an event in the future when I’m more prepared,’ but really the best time was yesterday and the second best time is now.”

About Lucas College and Graduate School of Business
Lucas College and Graduate School of Business faculty, staff, students and alumni consistently make a significant impact in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Many graduates have gone on to excel in various industries, with a notable presence in Silicon Valley. These organizations recognize and value the exceptional education and skills our alumni bring to their roles, making San José State University a key contributor to the region’s thriving economy. With competitive tuition and outstanding career outcomes, our college is among the top institutions for return on investment (ROI), delivering unparalleled value for money in higher education. We offer MBA, PMBA, MSFA, MSAA and MSTM degrees at the graduate level and 14 different BSBA concentrations at the undergraduate level, the largest set of offerings among the CSUs. These include accounting, accounting information systems, business analytics, corporate accounting & finance, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, hospitality, tourism, & event management, human resources management, international business, management, management information systems, marketing, and operations & supply chain management.