Brandi Jess (’16)
Mathematics
For Brandi Jess (’16), some of life’s biggest decisions have started with one simple question: “What do I have to lose?”
Originally from Bellevue, Iowa, Brandi began college at the University of Iowa. After changing her major several times, she found herself torn between two interests: the analytical side of mathematics and statistics, and a desire to pursue work that could make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.
After two years, Brandi transferred to Loras, where her sister, Nicole Jess (’12), introduced her to the mathematics department. The smaller classes and personal connections she found on campus quickly made Loras feel like the right fit.
“At Loras, I was able to build relationships with the department and my professors,” Brandi said. “They genuinely cared about my success and my future.”
One of those professors was Dr. Rob Keller, who became Brandi’s advisor and helped her see that she did not have to choose between her strengths in mathematics and her passion for helping others.
That realization shaped Brandi’s Loras experience. She paired a mathematics major with a sociology minor and completed a senior thesis examining the factors that led individuals to be readmitted to homeless shelters. The project allowed her to use data to better understand a real social challenge, laying the foundation for the work she would continue to pursue after graduation.
When Brandi began exploring graduate school, she discovered that many master’s programs in the United Kingdom could be completed in one year. She applied to the University of Kent on what she describes as “a bit of a whim.” By September, she was boarding a plane and moving across the ocean.
The decision was uncertain and intimidating, especially for someone who considers herself a homebody, but it opened the door to an entirely new life. After earning her master’s degree and briefly returning to Iowa, Brandi felt drawn back to the United Kingdom to pursue her PhD at Coventry University.
Her doctoral research focused on energy access for displaced communities in Rwanda and Nepal. During the project, Brandi traveled independently to a rural community in Nepal that had been displaced by the 2015 earthquake. There, she installed devices to monitor energy use and gathered data that could help researchers better understand the community’s needs.
The experience brought together the two interests Brandi once thought she had to choose between.
“I found that you can have both,” she said. “I could speak with the people facing the issue and then go away and see what the data said. It was a good union between the two.”
Today, Brandi lives in Guildford, England, just outside London, and serves as a data product manager for Navrisk. She is helping build the financial technology company from the ground up, using data and artificial intelligence to help lenders better understand risk and make financing more accessible to small and midsize businesses.
While her career has taken her far from Iowa, the lessons and relationships Brandi found at Loras continue to guide her. “Loras is probably where everything clicked for me,” Brandi said. “It gave me clarity. I could use my strengths in math and statistics while still having that element of giving back.”
After nearly a decade in the United Kingdom and travels to more than 30 countries, Brandi encourages others to remain open to unexpected opportunities, even when the next step feels uncertain.
“You can say yes even if it scares you,” she said. “Things can go wrong, but things can also go right.”
Tune in to this month’s Duhawk Dozen podcast to hear more about Brandi’s journey from Bellevue to England, the mentors who helped shape her path, and how she continues to bring mathematics and purpose together in her work. Congratulations, Brandi!
