Ana Caroline Santana Sakai

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

“I am passionate, organized, and driven by challenge and the prospect of promoting change.”

Fun fact about yourself: I took singing lessons for 8 years and it is my favorite hobby.

Hometown: Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

High School: Colegio Etapa

Major: Industrial Engineering & Professional Writing

Minor: Spanish

Favorite Business Course: Business Applications of Machine Learning

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

• Honors and Awards
  • Charles O. Thompson Scholar
  • Alpha Pu Mu Honor Society
  • The National Society of Leadership and Success
  • 2023 Herb Beall General Chemistry Award (WPI Chemistry Department)
  • Dean’s Student Advisory Council (WPI Business School)
  • Dean’s List (Every semester since enrollment)
• Extracurricular Activities
  • Club: Intervarsity – Leadership
    • Sing, play piano and play guitar during weekly events
  • Club: Brazilian Student Association – member
  • Church: participate in the worship team, where I sing bi-weekly
• On-campus Work
  • Undergraduate assistant at the Business School
  • Undergraduate Office Assistant at the Office of Sponsored Programs
  • Lab Assistant for Achieving Effective Operations course
  • Peer-Learning Assistant for Simulation Modeling and Analysis course

Where have you interned during your college career?

• Empower Analytics LLC (Remote)
  • Role: Project Operations Specialist and Software Quality Assurance Analyst
• SWAP Research and NPO Consulting, NSF Grant (Remote)
  • Role: Project Operations Specialist
• Omni Services (Worcester, MA)
  • Role: Operations Intern

Where will you be working after graduation? Undecided

Who is your favorite business professor? Prof. Andrew Trapp is my favorite business professor. He taught my first Industrial Engineering class at the beginning of my sophomore year. His passion for teaching and for his field served as confirmation that I had made the right choice in pursuing this degree. His patience in answering questions, and humility in receiving student feedback inspired me and showed me the type of professional I aspire to become. Prof. Trapp later became my MQP advisor, as the only faculty member capable of advising a project with CS, DS, IE, and MA majors. He is probably the smartest person I have ever met, and yet one of the humblest. His sense of purpose and values are admirable, and I hope to become as grounded and knowledgeable as Prof. Trapp has become.

What is the biggest lesson you gained from studying business? Studying Business at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) not only taught me greatly about the world, but also about myself. Through this experience, I found a passion for problem solving, overcoming challenges, and helping others. Industrial Engineering has taught me that there is no problem too great to be solved, and no system too productive to be optimized. “There is always a way” and “there is always a better way” are sentences I frequently repeat to myself. This mindset has created in me a tendency to be unsatisfied by the status quo and seek constant improvement in myself and my surroundings.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field? I would advise a student looking to major in a business-related field to not overlook professors and faculty members. We are sometimes so focused on passing classes or getting a good grade that we forget the purpose of attending college: preparing us for our future careers. Many business professors have extensive field experience and have much to add to our lives – professionally and personally. Their dedication, character, and passions are all aspects of their lives that often do not make it to the classroom. However, that can still be learned by approaching them at office hours and at the end of classes. We have much to learn, and they have much to teach – we should take advantage of the opportunity here presented to us.

Looking back over your experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently in business school and why? My advice to future business students is exactly something I wish I had done more intentionally throughout my college career. I was able to connect with different professors, not only in business but also in other fields. However, I wish I had started this practice sooner and done it to a greater extent. I am exceedingly grateful for the many lessons I was able to learn through those connections, and that is why I would have created many more if given the opportunity.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What is one insight you gained from using AI? The Business Applications of Machine Learning class has been exceptional at incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other trending topics into my business skillset. Prior to taking this class, I believed I would never be able to apply machine learning since I do not know how to program. This experience has taught me that there are tools available to me that allow me to create predictive models and proposals with business value without a programming requirement.

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am currently working as an Operations Intern at a company. I am proud of the project I am leading and developing, which I proposed to my superiors as an attempt to solve their current system inefficiency and lack of a proactive and streamlined approach. I am applying the knowledge I acquired on the Business Applications of Machine Learning class and developing a machine learning model to predict delays in purchase orders. This is a consequential challenge that the operations, sales and purchasing teams are facing at the moment.

Which classmate do you most admire? I admire Victoria Elizabeth Escuer Velasquez for her work ethic, dedication, determination, and pursuit of excellence. I have worked on multiple projects with her, and we have a very similar approach to challenges, and mindset for quality of deliverables. Her constant dedication to deliver timely and quality material is a value that I truly admire and resonate with.

Who would you most want to thank for your success? I am exceedingly thankful to my family for my success. Studying in the United States used to be an impossible dream that was only fulfilled due to their constant and unwavering support. Without their guidance, character, diligence, love, patience, care, and example, I would not be half of who I am.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? First, I desire my first full-time job to be within the consulting industry, an area that I am extremely passionate about. The prospect of helping others and providing them with value-added solutions in a variety of contexts gives me great joy. Second, I aspire to expand my Spanish fluency to also cover business contexts. I made it my goal during my freshman year to become fluent in Spanish by the end of my 4-years, which I fulfilled in a year-and-a-half; however, I did not have the opportunity to expand my business vocabulary. For that reason, I am aiming to work in a Spanish speaking country for a couple years with the goal of having native-level fluency not only in Portuguese and English, but also in Spanish.

What made Ana such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2026?

“Ana is that rare student who brings both excellence and genuine humanity to everything she does. While Ana is academically exceptional, carrying a 4.0 GPA, what sets her apart is her quiet humility that makes her exceptionally relatable to peers and faculty alike. In my advanced optimization course, together with her project team, she simulated the optimal allocation of relief supplies to refugee camps in Sudan, combining rigorous modeling with real empathy for those adversely affected. She likewise has a strong design instinct, producing organized, clear, and visually compelling work that elevates communication and decision making. Most of all, Ana shows up with consistent warmth and integrity, an unmistakably positive presence that strengthens every room she is in. Her vibrant life and breadth of character is part of what makes her such an inspiring presence. She is exactly the kind of whole person who will raise the standard of any organization she joins.”

Andrew Trapp
Professor of Operations and Industrial Engineering

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