Transforming Large‑Scale Scholarship Administration Through Automation
Apr 1, 2026
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1 min read
I led a complete redesign and automation of a large‑scale scholarship competition with 200 applications and a 35‑member adjudication committee, replacing a fragile, manual workflow with an integrated system built using Python, VBA, Power Query, PowerShell, Microsoft Forms, and Excel. The changes reduced administrative labour by at least 50% over a five‑month cycle, produced a fully repeatable process for future years, and delivered capacity improvement equivalent to half a full‑time staff position.
Authors
Leah Houseman, MA
(she/her)
PhD Student & Programs Officer
I specialize in disability studies, adulthood emergence, and applied data analytics, combining sociological theory with advanced quantitative methods to address health and social inequities. My work bridges research and practice using R and Python for data wrangling, visualization, and reproducible workflows. I am passionate about translating complex demographic and health data into actionable insights for policy and practice. My goal is to leverage these skills to contribute to evidence-based policy and innovative solutions that address health and social inequities, particularly for populations navigating disability and transitions to adulthood.