The Matador Algorithm – Building Analytics with Amy Raval
Photo of Amy Raval. Photo by Spencer J. H. Yang
As a recent graduate from our college, Amy Raval’s journey through CSUN was anything but typical. Initially starting in business and economics courses at Moorpark College, she set upon what she thought would be her future career pathway. But as she progressed through her coursework, a nagging feeling grew – this wasn’t her true calling. By discovering CSUN, Amy would lead into an extraordinary transformation from an uncertain business student to a rising star as a Valuation & Interest Rate Sensitive Investment Analyst at PennyMac.
“I went to Moorpark College, and I actually went in thinking I was going to do business and econ, which I did enjoy,” Amy recalls. But as time went on, she found that the overall arc of business, business administration, and finance to be too off-putting, and hardly excitable.
Although initially unsure about transitioning to computer science, she found that after some encouragement from her father, she decided to take a leap of faith. As an electrical and software engineer himself, he understood that with her love of science and mathematics, she would succeed in the field. After she enrolled in her programming class at Moorpark to test the waters, he was proven right: she absolutely loved it.
With Amy’s newfound passion for computer science and after listening to her friend’s experiences with faculty at CSUN, her choice of a 4-year program here was an obvious choice. “I really liked the computer science program,” Amy explains. “There was a lot of one-on-one time with professors, my friends and I received a lot of valuable feedback while here.”
At CSUN, Amy flourished as a leader and advocate in the tech world. She joined the university’s chapter of Girls Who Code (GWC), rising to a leadership position and expanding the organization’s outreach. Her commitment to personal growth extended to her role as an outreach coordinator, where she mentored other students and found guidance through the CSUN Mentor Connect program.
But one of her proudest achievements was leading a team in developing a wireless heart monitor for hospital patients during her senior year as a design project. This project stemmed from a personal experience in an unfortunate situation. “I unfortunately had a family member go through a really tough period. We were in the ICU at UCLA, and when you go into the ICU, obviously patients are strapped with wires all over them. I remember a nurse saying she tripped over a wire before, and she wished that they were not there,” Amy remembered.
From there, the idea for a Bluetooth-based patient monitoring system was born. Collaborating with classmates, Amy helped develop a user interface for this solution, focusing on creating a patient portal that was user-friendly and modern. Despite her limited experience in web development, she embraced the challenge as a learning opportunity. The project introduced her to tools like Figma and taught her valuable lessons about designing for the medical industry, including the importance of HIPAA compliance.
Using this experience and many others while here at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Amy’s hard work paid off when she secured a position at PennyMac on the Evaluation & Interest Rate Sensitive Investments team. Her role combines data analytics, model validation, and her previous economics/business knowledge – a perfect blend of her diverse skills.
“The main reason why I got hired was because I had been willing to learn Rust, which is similar to C++ syntax. It can be very complicated, but it’s also very flexible. They wanted me to essentially do a lot of optimization on the model that they had.” Amy shares.
After getting on the team, she made significant contributions, including developing a surveillance report process that used to take potential days to get sorted out, and brought the time needed to do this to just 15 minutes. Alongside this, she’s been optimizing the algorithms used for calculations at PennyMac, along with building out analytical views for generating predictions and time series forecasting on specific pricing results for her company.
Amy’s connection to CSUN continues beyond graduation though. She remains actively involved with the university, particularly in initiatives aimed at encouraging more women and minorities to pursue tech careers. “I hope in that way I can do my part. I think I’ll always have an attachment to CSUN,” she explains.
Reflecting on her journey, Amy emphasizes the importance of perseverance and self-confidence, especially for women in STEM fields. Her experiences have taught her that success often comes from pushing through challenges and believing in one’s abilities. “I remember there was a statistic where, if a guy feels like they’re 60% ready to apply for a job, they’ll apply. But a woman feels like they should be 100% ready, and I totally fell on that statistic,” she said. “Do not sell yourself short because you will end up doing insane things (in the workforce) and think you’re not doing that well.”
Looking ahead, Amy aims to further her expertise in AI and machine learning, with aspirations of moving into a management role where she can shape the technological infrastructure within her industry. She credits CSUN for equipping her with the technical skills and leadership abilities necessary for her complex career path.
As a final remark, Amy concludes, “I think it’s really important to remember where you came from. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And when you get your first job out of college or you’re doing whatever makes you happy, you know you’ll feel good.” As she continues to build on the foundation laid at CSUN, we eagerly await to see what comes next for Amy Raval.
