BYU Marriott MISM student Demitri Haddad was recently named a Forbes Under 30 Scholar for 2019 and attended the Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit. There he joined an elite group of one thousand college students from around the country who represent the innovators and leaders of tomorrow.
Currently completing a combined bachelor’s and master’s degree in information systems through BYU Marriott, Haddad feels that his experiences at BYU have helped to refine his character and to expand intellectually. “The information systems program taught me how to collaborate on projects and exposed me to new technologies in development,” he says.
Haddad has put the skills he learned in the classroom to use as a web developer. “It’s the perfect combination of design thinking and problem solving to deliver unique solutions,” he says. “The skills I have gained in web development have given me a great breadth of technologies. I now plan on diving deeper into each skill so I can better apply them in my work.”
Haddad, who is also a Cherrington Scholarship recipient, possesses an entrepreneurial spirit. In 2017 he helped local ice-cream sandwich store Penguin Brothers open its first physical location; currently he builds custom web applications for several companies. He describes his niche as a “small-business kick-starter.” “I love working with people to get their ideas off the ground,” he says.
Looking forward, Haddad would like to explore how to use machine learning and data science to make more-educated purchases in the real estate market.
“Real estate is an untapped market when it comes to technology,” he says. “I’m excited to research the market and see what can be developed to meet the needs of homebuyers.” Haddad currently works as a web developer for the university and plans on graduating in April 2021. Following graduation, he would like to pursue a career in tech consulting.
Also see Demitri's story on the BYU Honors Program page.