Fellow Reflection: Emelin Flores (CDF Fall ‘20)
By: Chris Kuang
Tags: Coding It Forward, Civic Digital Fellowship, Civic Tech, Reflections, Rutgers

The following has been lightly edited for clarity.

Coding it Forward: What was your path to the Civic Digital Fellowship? Why did you want to apply?

Emelin Flores: I’ve always admired people working in government. I want to be a person who positively impacts society. I’ve considered enlisting into the military or being a politician, but unfortunately, both of these paths don’t seem to fit me. My desire for social impact guides my decisions. When I decided to study information technology and political science, I wanted to find a space to do both. I want to use my tech skills for good causes that help everyday people, but I didn’t know how to begin to break into a field like this. At school, everyone talks about the big tech companies and no one ever talks about tech in government. I wanted to know more about civic tech, so I found the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN). PLEN offered an all-expense-paid trip to D.C to learn about STEM policy. With the help of the Douglass Women’s College at Rutgers, I went to D.C.

For the first time, I met women in civic tech who encouraged me to find fellowships and offered advice to break into the industry. One of those fellowships was the Civic Digital Fellowship, which felt like a good fit for my skill set as someone interested in security, privacy, and technology and even more passionate about serving my country. I remember talking to another attendee about the summer program but not being able to apply because I had accepted another program for Summer 2020.

As a senior at Rutgers, I thought I didn’t have a chance to experience the Civic Digital Fellowship, but when the fall applications were released, I immediately applied because I felt like it would be my last chance at getting experience in civic tech. In the end, I’ve gained life-changing experience and motivation to move forward in civic tech in my career.

CIF: What was the most challenging or surprising part of your time in government?

EF: The most surprising part of my government time is that the government runs a little like a startup. I wore a lot of different hats, I worked on more than one project, and I was able to contribute to implementation plans. I thought the government was going to be slow like everyone said, but it was the opposite.

CIF: What were your favorite parts of the program?

EF: My favorite part of the program was connecting with other Fellows. There were a lot of opportunities to connect with current and past Fellows. The previous Fellow last summer who worked on the same project I worked on was a great resource for me this fall. Working from home can feel lonely, but the lunchtime Zooms or after-hour Zoom hangouts made me feel more connected than I expected. Another favorite part was meeting other civic technologists in the field to hear about their experiences. It helped me see the different paths to become a civic technologist.

Emelin with her fellow Fellows Timothy Nguyen and Apoorva Dhanala

CIF: How do you think this experience will shape your academic or professional journey?

EF: My Fellowship experience has positively shaped my academic and professional journey into civic tech. It helped me build a professional network in the field and I can confidently say I have friends I can reach out to about civic tech. If I need a question answered, I know the right people to answer them. Secondly, the Fellowship increased my confidence in the field. I’ve always felt like civic tech is an ambiguous field, a niche sector of tech that not many people talk about or encourage others to pursue. After networking with other technologists, I feel confident that my journey will be exciting and full of opportunities. Overall I feel like a better technologist. I learned more about technical documentation and breaking down complex, vague ideas into manageable tasks. I learned how to communicate complicated technological processes in layman’s terms. The skills I learned at the Fellowship will have a lasting impact on me.

CIF: What would you say to other students who are considering getting involved in civic tech and/or applying to the Civic Digital Fellowship?

EF: Do it! There is no better opportunity to experience life in government than with the support of Coding it Forward!