Hello everyone! Let’s celebrate another fantastic Friday with an edition of the Employee Spotlight Series! This week, we would like to introduce you to Michele Gort! Michele is a Data Analyst and joined the SpendMend team in early 2019. Michele loves her job and her passion radiates through her work! She enjoys her job because she loves being challenged and solving puzzles! Michele appreciates her analytics team because she is continuously growing her skillset and learns new things every day. When asked what her favorite part of the analytics team is she states, “I love that our analytics group has become a family full of sarcastic people who love to laugh and have fun, but we can always depend on each other and we get stuff done!” What can we say? Teamwork makes the dream work! We thoroughly enjoyed learning more about Michele, and her life experiences! A fun fact about Michele is that she has a Masters in biostatistics! Her higher education journey started with a Bachelor’s degree in statistics from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) with a minor in history. Following graduation, Michelle interned as a Biostatistician at Van Andel Institute; excited to start her career! Michele decided to then continue with GVSU for her Masters. Be sure to check out the full interview below to learn in more detail about Michele’s experience! Another fun fact about Michele is that she likes to listen to Wick3d on Facebook Live during the Wick3d! For those who are new to Wick3d, he is RP for Facebook Gaming. He is a game player and comedian for people on Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc. He is known for being the “Intro King”, and one of the best comedian streamers! Michele, you might’ve gotten us on some new workday listening material!
Michele does a wonderful job at SpendMend, and we had several of her co-workers express how they value her on the team. Aubrey Harrington, Data Analyst, said, “Michele is always ready to step in and help out wherever needed!” It was great getting to know a little more about Michele and we really appreciate all the hard work she does! Thank you, Michele!
Interview with Michele:
What is your role at SpendMend?
Data Analyst
How long have you been with SpendMend?
“Technically” since 02/04/2019 [Robert Half, a temp agency]
How did you first learn about SpendMend?
Through Robert Half
Why do you look forward to coming to work?
I absolutely love my job and our analytics team! I just love puzzles and enjoy being challenged. I love being a part of the analytics team because I get to continuously be challenged and learn new things every day. I love that our analytics group has become a family full of sarcastic people who love to laugh and have fun, but we can always depend on each other and we get stuff done!
What is one fun fact about you?
I have my Master’s in Biostatistics. I received my bachelor’s degree in statistics from GVSU with a minor in history. I went back to get my master’s because when I graduated with my bachelor’s, jobs in Michigan at that time required a master’s degree. Because I couldn’t find work as a statistician, I worked odd jobs here and there and was able to pay off my undergrad loans. I then decided that I should get my master’s degree from GVSU so I could actually get a job doing statistics. I already knew I wanted to go to GVSU because they had a great program. I was able to intern as a Biostatistician at Van Andel Institute and was excited to start my career search after graduation. It would figure that after obtaining my master’s degree, jobs in Michigan only required a bachelor’s degree. Story of my life…LOL
What type of music or podcasts do you listen to during the workday?
I love to listen to Wick3d when he is on Facebook Live. Wick3d is an RP for Facebook Gaming so he plays/trolls people on Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, etc.
What is the best part of serving the healthcare market?
As an analyst, I love that I am able to produce meaningful reports for our clients. In order to produce these reports, we work closely with the CVM’s and Managers to find trends and insights that we can use to make recommendations for our clients.
What has been your experience with SpendMend community service events?
I had a blast walking in the Bee Brave 2020 with Hannah and my best friend Megan. I also walked again this past weekend (2021) for this great cause!!
Do you want to shout out a co-worker who has helped or inspired you at SpendMend?
There are SO many people I want to give a shout-out to as there are SO MANY GREAT people who work at SpendMend!! But I HAVE to give some love to my Starbucks sisters [Katie O and Kajal K] for keeping me sane while we have been WFH!!
What has been your proudest accomplishment at SpendMend?
Getting the chance to join the Data Analytics division under Chris.
What is something you’re looking forward to for your future at SpendMend?
I am VERY excited that we will be able to provide our clients with more custom analytics in the near future.