Meet the 2019 Fellows: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Students leveraging machine learning and data science to drive economic analyses
This post is part of a series introducing the 2019 Civic Digital Fellows, a cohort of 50+ students working to improve the federal government with their computer science, data science, design, and product management skills. Meet some of them below.
Meet the Fellows
Andrés Cremisini
Andrés is a second year Master’s degree student (degree expected December 2019) at Florida International University studying Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. The reason I pursued a career in Data Science is to help improve our systems of social organization (including government). It seems to me that the Civic Digital Fellowship is a good place to get started with this work.
Q. What is a fun fact about yourself?
A. I’m a composer and I can estimate periods of time, up to about 15 minutes, within a few seconds (though I’m a bit rusty currently, too much Data Science).
Avena Cheng
Avena is a rising senior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I’m excited to live in a new place and work for an agency I care for! I remember being inspired by my first statistics professor and dreaming about what it would be like to work for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I’m excited to find out this summer!
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. I love that it’s a reflection of human curiosity and creativity. It shows that anyone has the capacity to make something amazing as long as they are passionate about it.
Christina Qiu
Christina is a recent graduate of Harvard College, where she studied Applied Mathematics.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. Being part of a community of civically minded technologists is a rare opportunity, and working in the service of others is a great privilege. I am excited to work on problems with implications as large as the health of our government and to quantitatively examine questions that matter.
Q. Who is the person you admire the most, and why?
A. There are many people I admire, but I have to go back to one of my heroes growing up, the great writer Toni Morrison. She just came out with a book entitled “The Source of Self-Regard” and she’s 88 years old. Neither age, personal tragedy, nor political pessimism has stopped her from engaging critically with the world around her. In all her years, she has never stopped thinking. She has never stopped doing the thing she loves to do. Above all, she chooses to be kind to her fellow world citizens on even the level of language.
Daniel Zhao
Daniel is a rising junior at Yale College studying Global Affairs and Statistics & Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. Like many others before me, I had thought for the longest time that my interests in data science and politics were mutually exclusive. Then, in part due to an internship at Louisville’s Office of Civic Innovation, I discovered the emerging field of civic tech. This summer, I’m thrilled to be able to combine my passions at the Bureau of Labor Statistics and to learn from other like-minded civic technologists who are equally committed to public service and bridging our governance processes into the digital age.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. As a hobbyist photographer, I’d want to visit anywhere I haven’t yet visited in order to seek out new photo opportunities, but if I had to pick one, it’d probably be the Scandinavian countries. I’d want to get a taste of the quaint cities and the Northern Lights (plus, I’d want to see what life is like in Estonia, the world leader in e-governance!).
Michell Li
Michell is a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University, where she is obtaining her Master’s in Management Information Systems.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I think technology is a great equalizer and this is the perfect opportunity to chase after that.
Q. What is your favorite thing about technology, and why?
A. Technology is more than programming and creating products. It deals with science, math, philosophy, ethics, art and so much more. It’s an interesting paradigm to examine what it means to live and to challenge our potential as a species.
Olivia Lewke
Olivia is a rising senior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Data Science and English.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I am thrilled to be a Civic Digital Fellow because I believe that the most rewarding way to make use of technological expertise is to create mission-driven work that empowers others. The opportunity to implement new ways for users to engage effectively with the federal government is incredibly exciting to me. I’m looking forward to collaborating with other people who are passionate about working towards social good through technology!
Q. What is a fun fact about yourself?
A. After my first year at Berkeley, I spent the summer working on an archaeological excavation in Greece!
Rebecca Hu
Rebecca is a rising senior at the University of California, San Diego studying Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I’m excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow because I think it will be an unforgettable learning experience. Not only is it an opportunity to put all the skills I’ve learned at school into practice, but I feel that my work can truly contribute to something that will help others.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be Bora Bora! I’ve always wanted to live in one of those huts that are over the ocean ever since it was my default Windows 7 wallpaper.
Somya Jain
Somya is a rising senior at the University of California, Berkeley studying Cognitive Science, with an emphasis on Computational Modeling, and Data Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. My time as a university student has ignited both a desire to participate in technological innovation and a love for political advocacy and the law. I think that technology can be a good equalizer and that the Fellowship can teach me how to break down barriers globally, especially for marginalized communities. I hope that the Fellowship will bring me a step closer to merging my interests in technology and politics, but the most exciting aspect of this program involves the new sense of perspective it can give me. I am beyond excited to work with such passionate, talented individuals who are also interested in learning how to apply technology to the public sector.
Q. Who is the person you admire the most, and why?
A. Frida Kahlo. I even have a painting of her framed in my apartment. She owned her individuality and spoke out against injustice through her art. She channeled the pain and suffering she endured during her life into a powerful, creative energy that has inspired millions of women like myself around the world.
Vinesh Kannan
Vinesh is a recent graduate of Illinois Institute of Technology, where he studied Computer Science.
Q. Why are you excited to be a Civic Digital Fellow?
A. I am excited to work on a multidisciplinary team of economists, statisticians, and psychologists. Spending a summer with other students interested in civic technology also seems like a great way to build community! I hope to learn more about how to successfully and ethically use technology in government.
Q. If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go and why?
A. I would want to visit the place at longitude: undefined and latitude: undefined. I have heard so much about it from many different datasets.
The Civic Digital Fellowship is a first-of-its-kind data science and technology internship program for innovative students to solve pressing problems in federal agencies. Check out our website for more information and to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when applications for our 2020 cohort open.
