Internship puts students and data science to work helping San Antonio nonprofit

Interns Avery Tovar, Kayla Duran and Gabriella Gomez share their data-driven insights on workforce program success at the H-E-B Community Innovation Scholars program showcase.

AUGUST 20, 2025 — Three UTSA students spent the summer months partnering with the YWCA of San Antonio to use data science to tackle real-world challenges.

The second annual H-E-B Community Innovation Scholars program placed 21 college students with San Antonio nonprofits for the paid internships supported by H-E-B in partnership with the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.

The 10-week program combines technical training, community engagement and hands-on learning to help organizations use data to improve services and inform decision-making.

At the YWCA, an organization that works to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all, UTSA student interns evaluated how demographics affect success in workforce development programs. They also identified gaps in data collection and helped assess overall program efficiency.

“This internship showed me how data can be used to make a real impact.”

— Kayla Duran

Tovar, Duran and Gomez were a part of the second annual H-E-B Community Innovation Scholars program.

The students included seniors Kayla Duran, a public administration and policy major; Gabriella Gomez, an information systems major; and Avery Tovar, a physics major.

“Each scholar took on a program and delved into what success looks like for that specific program, as they all have different metrics,” said Sandra Gonzalez, data manager at the YWCA. “It’s been very impressive to see them come together and work as a team, especially since it’s the first time they have worked together on a project like this.”

Skils and confidence

Their work included cleaning datasets, conducting statistical and geospatial analysis and developing web-based tools to organize and present their findings. For Gomez, the technical challenge was initially intimidating.

“I do not consider myself the strongest coder,” she said. “In the beginning, I worried that I might not be able to keep up or contribute meaningfully to the team.” With time and support, Gomez said she gained both technical skills and confidence.

“Over time, I began to see real progress, not just in my coding abilities, but in the way I approach challenges with greater confidence and persistence,” she said.

Duran, who also came into the program with no background in coding, described a similar experience.

“The first two weeks focused on building technical skills and, while it was tough at first, the support from everyone helped me feel more at ease,” she said.

One of the biggest hurdles the team faced was analyzing datasets that were small or incomplete. Gonzalez noted a lack of data on underrepresented populations, such as Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.

Despite the statistical limitations, the students chose to highlight these groups to ensure transparency and representation. Tovar said this was personally significant to her.

“As one of UTSA’s few Native American students, ensuring representation was especially important to me,” she said.

'A face to the numbers'

Gomez said the project served as a reminder to consider the human stories behind the data.

“The work we have done helps give a face to the numbers, making sure every participant is seen, not just as data points, but as individuals with stories, strengths and goals,” she said. “In class, we often work with simulations or hypothetical data. But this felt like a chance to do something real.”

Duran said the program helped her clarify her professional goals. “This internship showed me how data can be used to make a real impact, and it gave me a clearer idea of the kind of work I want to do in the future, especially work that helps people and gives back to the community,” she said.

Tovar added that the experience demonstrated the broader potential of data science and is more than just a summer internship.

“It is an environment that cultivates socially conscious scholars,” she said. “It bridges technical skill-building with a deep commitment to community equity. Working with YWCA allowed me to see how data can be used not just to analyze problems but to uplift underserved populations and guide change rooted in justice.”

As the program concludes its second year, Gonzalez said the YWCA looks forward to building on the collaboration.

“We plan to identify areas we can improve on and hope to return next year to make more progress and address new proposals,” she said.

The H-E-B Community Innovation Scholars program has been part of the School of Data Science but will move to the College of AI, Cyber and Computing when the school transitions to the Center for Data Science on Sept. 1.

— Christopher Reichert