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Rajiv Shah

Rajiv Shah

Data scientist | DataRobot | Class of 2004

For Rajiv Shah, there was no better place to take a study break than the Assembly Hall on game day.

Recalls Shah, who received both his JD and Ph.D. from Illinois: "Under the ticket system, graduate students were given a higher priority. As the years progressed, I was slowly able to move down until I reached the floor. Looking back, it paralleled my progression in learning my field and my family life.

"I still remember that final year, hearing the squeak of the shoes, the roar of the crowd and the warm aching in my arms, as I stood holding my son, Nathan, for the entire game.”