Captain Lexi (Barr) Farr with daughter Isla
Rotarian Bill Davis, Global Scholarship Committee District 5910, has requested we share the following updates from Rotary Global Grant Scholar Lexi Farr. Alexi Farr (Barr) graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May 2017, and attended University of Edinburgh on her Rotary scholarship, graduating with a MSc in Data Science in 2018. She returned to the United States and worked as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army. Lexi completed her first assignment as a data scientist for the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade. Her report follows:
Update from 2020
Alexi Farr (Barr) graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May 2017, and attended University of Edinburgh on her Rotary scholarship, graduating with a MSc in Data Science.
Alexi is currently a first lieutenant in the United States Army and working as a data scientist for a military intelligence unit. She is making use of the skills she learned at Edinburgh to create efficiencies in analyst work flows and enable better intelligence production.
Alexi’s area of focus was disease prevention and treatment, and she is also providing localized COVID-19 modeling updates for Special Operations commanders to make informed decisions about outbreak mitigation measures to protect soldiers.
Alexi is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have studied at Edinburgh and to have worked with Rotary, and the experience remains one of the fondest years of her education. Alexi married West Point classmate and fellow Rotary Scholar David Farr in March 2020.
Seeing Alexi’s positive experience with Rotary, her sister Annette Bell applied for and was selected for a Rotary scholarship. Though Annette has deferred a Rotary scholarship for a year due to the corona virus, she will also be attending the University of Edinburgh for her master’s program.
Update from August 4, 2022
“It has been a while since I last provided an update. I graduated in 2018 from the University of Edinburgh with an MSc in Data Science, funded by the Rotary Global Grant through District 5890. I returned to the United States and moved to Fort Gordon, Georgia, working as a Military Intelligence Officer in the US Army.
Since my last update in 2020, I completed my assignment with my first unit. I worked as a data scientist for the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade.
The models I built helped analysts prioritize reporting and enable intelligence operations. I have been promoted to the rank of Captain and am currently in a professional military education course to become a Cyber Officer. In October, I will join the Cyber Protection Brigade, working in defensive cyber operations and analytics.
The models I built helped analysts prioritize reporting and enable intelligence operations. I have been promoted to the rank of Captain and am currently in a professional military education course to become a Cyber Officer. In October, I will join the Cyber Protection Brigade, working in defensive cyber operations and analytics.
In my last update I mentioned that I married David Farr, a fellow Rotary Scholar and military officer. In 2021, we had our first child, Isla, who is just over a year old. Yes, her name is Scottish and very much inspired by my husband's and my love of Scotland after our year in Edinburgh. We are also expecting our second child in February.
I am very grateful to the Westchase Rotary Club and District 5890 for enabling the global grant that sent me to Edinburgh. It was an incredible experience that greatly broadened my world view and is the basis for my understanding of myself as a global citizen.
Kind Regards,
Alexi Farr”