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Picture this: You step up to the microphone.

Maybe one slide, but no charts, no equations—just you, your voice, and a story that will make us laugh, cry, sit on the edge of our seats, or feel anything at all. 

Welcome to the Data Stories Hour, a WSDS 2025 plenary event.

These aren't technical presentations about methodology or model performance. 

They're just authentic stories that reveal the person behind the professional. 

Stories that span career pivots, breakthrough moments, spectacular failures, and unexpected discoveries. 

We're seeking brave souls to share their stories! 

Whether you're a seasoned speaker or have never held a microphone, whether your story is about that first statistics class that changed your trajectory or the data set that kept you up at night for all the wrong reasons—we want to hear it.

The magic isn't in having the "perfect" story—it's in the courage to share your story with a room full of people who understand the world through data, just like you do.

This plenary session will transform our community of statisticians and data scientists into storytellers.

Each presenter has just 3-7 minutes to share a true, personal story sparked by one of the following prompts:

“When I Knew” — a moment of clarity or transformation.

 “The First Time” — first job, first rejection, first time feeling like you belonged (or didn’t).

  “I Almost Gave Up” — and what stopped you.

  “Wrong Place, Right Time” — or the reverse.

 “Not What They Expected” — confronting assumptions (others’ or your own).

 “Out of Place” — feeling like an outsider (in a lab, a classroom, a country).

“Leap” — a time you took one, or didn’t.

“I Said Yes” — or “I Said No” — and what followed.

 “On the Edge” — of burnout, breakthrough, or something else.

“It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time” — classic.

 “Total Chaos” — a story about plans gone hilariously (or horrifyingly) awry.

“The Mistake I’ll Never Forget” — and what it taught you.

 “The Smallest Thing” — a gesture, word, or moment that made a lasting impact.

 “Holding the Door Open” — or failing to.

 “I Didn’t See It Coming” — surprise endings or reversals of expectation.

“That Wasn’t the Plan” — detours that became destinations.

Sign up to share your story and become part of a plenary session that will remind us all why we fell in love with this field in the first place.