John Thomas

Introducing John Thomas, a senior majoring in Economics. John initially heard about the program through friends and classmates and decided to join to gain experiences in professional development and become more knowledgeable in data analysis. He hoped to become overall more prepared for his upcoming graduate school program. John is in his second semester with the program and is an LMS specialist for the ATLAS program. His role consists of working with R Studio to update the Canvas for the ATLAS learning modules and creating videos to help relay information within the modules. Through his time with the program, John has developed proficiency in using R (coding) and other LMS systems. He has also improved upon his video software and presentational skills. He credits ATLAS for helping him improve his time management, communication, teamwork, and collaboration. He also says ATLAS helped him learn the importance of effective communication. In the fall of 2026, John will pursue his master's degree in data analytics right here at the University of Illinois and hopes to eventually become an analytics consultant.