Ben Dacosta '27: From classroom knowledge to career momentum

A versatile major, a supportive community, and the drive to explore new things have put first-generation college student Ben Dacosta '27 ahead of the game.   

When Dacosta transferred to UMass Dartmouth, he was looking for a community. "I first became interested in UMass Dartmouth when I saw a TikTok from the UMass Dartmouth National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). It looked like a great, close-knit community, and that’s something I wanted to be part of." 

Once he arrived, he found NSBE offered even more than he expected: academic support, interview prep, and mentorship from upperclassmen. He soon went from a new member to an elected chapter senator. Today he represents more than 50 undergraduate members to regional and national leadership and has joined summits with over 10,000 STEM students and professionals. He considers joining the organization along with interacting with the other multicultural and academic organizations at the Frederick Douglass Unity House as a highlight of his college career. "The Unity House became my hub on campus where I was able to make friends and meet campus faculty staff that have genuine care about our wellbeing." 

Data for a better world 

Dacosta chose to major in data science because he has always been full of questions. Data science gave him the chance to dig deeper into societal issues by analyzing data and building potential solutions. That mindset was already taking shape when he was selected from more than 1,000 applicants as a Boston Public Health Commission Generational Health Scholar, part of the City of Boston’s Public Health Crisis initiative to combat structural racism.  

"I like how one problem can have many different ways of looking at it," he said. "When working with data, there are so many possibilities for what you can do." 

From classroom to career 

In the fall of his junior year, Dacosta attended a campus career fair and landed an internship with MetaGenius.ai. "I contributed to research on how AI will be integrated into education, and I gained experience in web development. That was my first time seeing my work deployed in the real world." 

The following summer, Dacosta spent 10 weeks interning at Brown Brothers Harriman, a Boston-based financial services firm. While he was new to the finance world, he quickly found that the skills he’d learned in class allowed him to navigate unfamiliar territory. "I didn’t know systems engineering, I didn’t know banking systems, but I was able to connect the dots based on what I had learned in my classes. I took a lot of pride in being able to adapt to a new environment and do real work." Dacosta applied his data and technology skills to automate processes, modernize internal systems, and develop machine-learning tools that improved risk screening. The firm offered him a full-time job just before his senior year. "Now I get to spend my senior year directly preparing for my new role so I can go in giving it everything I’ve got," he said.  

A creative side of data science 

Even with a job secured after graduation, Dacosta keeps looking for ways to put his skills to work. This fall he started a role developing a website for DitchThePlastic.org, a catalog of plastic-free alternatives. For his senior capstone, he’s building SoundFlower.io, an application that turns music into therapeutic, garden-themed visualizations. The project uses data visualization to reveal patterns and connections between songs while incorporating a therapeutic element to help combat mental health struggles.  

Building a foundation for the future 

Dacosta says the people around him at UMass Dartmouth made all the difference in setting him up for success, starting with Dr. Alan Ventetuolo, the first professor he connected with as a transfer. "I remember him checking in with me after his microbiology class and asking how I was adjusting personally, not just academically."  

His favorite class, Software Automation, prepared him for the real world and for deciding which tasks to handle manually and which to automate. 

His advice for future students: "Introduce limits when it comes to AI. Relying on it too much will put gaps in your knowledge. It’s important to know how it can help you without replacing your own thoughts and insights. A solid foundation matters, because if we don’t understand how things are built and the choices behind them, we risk losing our integrity and building unethical software."  

For Dacosta, building a career isn't just about learning new tools or finding faster ways to work. It's about developing the knowledge and judgment to use those tools well.