She’s Up to Code … and Then Some 

As a key member of the USC Advancement Business Intelligence team, Maria Barrera’s main tasks include handling daily ad-hoc requests to create dashboards and doing in-depth data analysis for advancement projects. Maria is passionate about data—and about helping fundraisers and others use it to gain valuable insights into donors and prospects.

Maria has worked in USC Advancement for six years, where she began as a data coordinator on the Prospect Management team. “At that time,” she says, “I didn’t know much about fundraising, but I quickly discovered my love for data. When I realized how much valuable information we had at our fingertips in Salesforce, I knew exactly where I wanted to direct my energies.” Since then, she’s worked her way up first to developer, then to senior developer, and now to director.

She credits this upward trajectory to her eagerness to take on more responsibilities, and her drive to learn and sharpen the skills required. “When opportunities came my way—and I was lucky they did—I felt ready to jump in and put what I’d learned into practice. I taught myself to code in different languages, something I once thought beyond my capabilities. The turning point for me was earning my master’s in data science from USC Viterbi last spring. I’ll always be grateful to USC for providing me with opportunities I wouldn’t have received anywhere else.”

And she’s even more grateful to those who supported and believed in her from the very beginning, especially Christine Napolitano and James Sinclair. She thanks both of them for not questioning her as much as she questioned herself, and is especially thankful to James for giving her that first chance.

Ask Maria the secret to taking advantage of opportunities to get promoted or transition to an entirely different role, and she’ll tell you to “just go for it. Don’t get intimidated, and don’t postpone taking that risk. Just learn the skills you need and trust in your abilities. If I could change anything,” she adds, “I would have believed in myself more; I hope others will remember that as they pursue their own goals.”

There’s more to life than data, of course, and Maria loves spending time with her family, even if it’s just being on the phone with her mom. She enjoys thrillers and mysteries, on screen and paper, and when she needs cheering up, she always depends on Friends (yes, the TV variety). She also relishes time with her three (small, medium and large) dogs, and—data-phile that she is—she likes devoting part of her weekends to tutoring math.