A family celebration
In the fall of his junior year, Daniel Schorr ’26 was hanging out with friends when his roommate inadvertently uncovered a family secret. He’d typed Schorr’s last name into the University directory, and up popped a picture of Daniel from freshman year, with longer hair and a skinnier frame, followed by a listing for his mother, Mary, a director in BC’s Information Technology Department. And then…
“Suddenly my roommate says, ‘Hey, Dan, your dad’s a student in the Lynch School?’” Schorr recalled, laughing. “I was stunned. I just said, ‘What are you talking about?’”
Five minutes later, over the phone, James Schorr ’92, a career marketing analyst, came clean. He was, in fact, a student in the new M.S. in Data Science program, offered by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and he’d kept his return to the classroom “on the down-low” in case it turned out to be too much to juggle alongside his full-time job. Now, thanks to some harmless internet sleuthing, the secret was out.
“I was going to tell them shortly,” the elder Schorr explained. “It was kind of on my mind but then they figured it out.”
Two years later, the story still gives James and Daniel a good laugh. This May, both Schorrs will graduate from Boston College, contributing two more BC diplomas to the family’s growing collection (Mary is also a member of the Class of 1992, and Schorr’s grandmother graduated from Newton College of the Sacred Heart, which merged with Boston College in 1974). James will be attending Daniel’s commencement ceremony, and skipping his own, but “we’ll be celebrating together,” he said.
Thirty-plus years ago, James studied economics at Boston College as an undergraduate. This time around, he was looking for a program that would help him keep pace in the rapidly changing field of data science. At Epsilon, the marketing, technology, data, and professional services company where he’s worked for 20 years, James has watched his employees begin utilizing innovations like machine learning to analyze consumer, behavioral, and transactional data.
“I wanted to stay on top of and learn about all these evolving technologies, just selfishly, to help me in my current role,” he said. “Being more fluent helps me lead team members who are using these tools day-to-day and helps me be more of a player-coach-manager.”
James was attracted to the Lynch School’s Data Science program in particular because of its emphasis on the ethical handling of data, a critical consideration when running sensitive information through systems powered by artificial intelligence.
“That’s an actual, differentiating characteristic of the BC program,“ he said, “making sure you’re using these tools in a way that’s for the greater good and doing no harm.”
The Data Science program is offered part-time and fully online, which meant James could continue to work while earning his degree. It also meant his presence at BC didn't impact Daniel, a history major and general business minor who is also a member of the Army ROTC program. Still, the pair was able to joke about their shared student status during football tailgates and Daniel’s occasional visits home.
“I never thought I’d be doing homework with my dad,” Daniel joked. “Growing up, he’d be the one helping me but now it’s like we’re both going through the grind together. I’m really happy for him.”
Post-graduation, Daniel plans to commission as an officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, working on radio communication and information technology systems. He’s savoring his last few months on the Heights, often leaving his headphones at home when he walks across campus so he can take in the sights and sounds.
“It’s been awesome,” he said of the past four years. “I’ve been opened up to so many different backgrounds, so many different perspectives—I’m thankful I was given the opportunity to come here.”