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Graduate computer science student Ananya More applied for a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) internship because she wanted to see how data worked in practice鈥攂eyond her classroom assignments and projects.

When the MTA accepted More into the 2025 Emerging Talent Program, she gained the opportunity to witness data working within the largest subway system in the United States.

In June, the Emerging Talent Program鈥擬TA鈥檚 source of internships, fellowships, and apprenticeships鈥攈ired More to join the MTA Operations Control Center鈥檚 Maintenance of Way team as a data analyst intern, and she will remain in this role through spring 2026. On-site at the Rail Control Center in Midtown Manhattan, More focuses on analyzing subway system data, operational trends across subway lines, patterns in significant incidents, and how service runs across the network.

To successfully make these analyses, More works with internal MTA data systems to pull, clean, and interpret data. With those interpretations, she turns insights into reports so her department can understand performance, spot issues, support decision-making, and determine what needs attention.

鈥淚 take the subway to work like any other New Yorker, but once I reach the office and begin my day, I鈥檓 suddenly seeing the system from the inside,鈥� More says. 鈥淭he same trains I rode that morning become part of the data I鈥檓 reviewing, and that shift in perspective makes the work feel very real and impactful.鈥�

Citing the New York City subway system鈥檚 grand scale and her enduring love for working with numbers and patterns, More says her MTA internship aligns well with where she envisions her future self. As she contributes to real-time monitoring of a complex system, she is rewarded every day with new challenges. She witnesses how a massive system behaves and learns how to break things down and make sense of them鈥攅xactly the type of work she wants her career to involve.

More doesn鈥檛 spend every day at the Rail Control Center, though. A standout moment from the last six months includes the first time she visited MTA Headquarters. Huge and full of energy, she says, every person inside moved with purpose, working on something to keep the city running.

鈥淚t was a small moment, but it really stayed with me. That moment鈥攔ealizing I belonged there and was truly part of the organization鈥攊s something I won鈥檛 forget,鈥� she reflects.

As she prepares for another semester as an MTA data analyst intern, More looks forward to continuing her work alongside those who have been in their positions for years. Observing her seasoned colleagues鈥� thought processes when solving problems and how they communicate across departments teaches More invaluable lessons about making quick decisions and how teams work together during incidents or busy hours.

鈥淯nderstanding the importance of teamwork and coordination has been one of my favorite surprises here,鈥� More says. 鈥淓veryone I met was so welcoming, patient, and willing to help, even when they were clearly handling a lot. I鈥檓 grateful for how included I felt, and I strive to create that same kind of positive environment wherever I work.鈥�