At some point, I think almost everyone stops and asks themselves, “Why are we here?” It’s an age-old philosophical question that people long before us have thought about and many people long after us will think about. We aren’t born with a set of instructions that tell us what we should do or what paths to take in life. Ideally, we are able to create our own uncertain paths, which can stoke the fear of the unknown, but also feed the excitement of adventure. Graduating from university at the beginning of a global pandemic is a rather extreme example, but I was able to find the silver lining through TechCongress.
From the day I could tie my shoes without help, I had this idealistic desire to change the world, which was bold yet half-baked for a kid who still couldn’t get the hang of a double knot. I didn’t ask myself the reasoning behind it until I was older; did I want recognition? Fame? Fortune? Just to say I could? I knew it wasn’t any of those, but more of an idea I couldn’t yet put into words. Then one day, it just clicked. I enjoyed helping people, and my little kid brain equated “changing the world” to being able to help everyone on the planet. 5 year old me was thinking about scalable systems just around the time he graduated from wearing velcro shoes!
During my time at the University of Florida as a CS major, I explored the different avenues in which my skills could grow and be of greater service. My internships had me writing code for first-responder radios at Motorola Solutions, building apps for experimental aircraft at NASA, and even working on improvements for the US Asylum case management system with Coding it Forward. I volunteered time to support members of my community through mentorship programs and creating space for underrepresented people. After an exhausting yet exhilarating 3.5 years, I looked at my diploma and thought about what to do next. I wanted to continue to learn, grow, and evolve while working towards a more positive future. I wanted to work in an area with high impact, something that could create meaningful change. Most importantly, I wanted to come home happy, knowing I did the best I could to fulfill the dream of positively impacting as many people as possible.
The Congressional Digital Service Fellowship hit all those criteria and more. Not only does supporting the digital modernization of Congress fit the bill on growth, impact, and positive change, it also gives me the privilege to collaborate with a team of incredibly bright, like-minded people. With so many interesting problem spaces to dive into, I’m glad to have this exciting opportunity and can’t wait to see what the future holds.