Hello, all! My name is Annie and I’m a first-year Masters student in the Comparative Media Studies department. I work in the Education Arcade and focus primarily on edtech, game design, and new media technologies in education. Recently, I’ve become very interested in civic education and the potential of incorporating race and tolerance curricula into classes through the use of new media, such as mixed reality. I don’t have a lot of experience in civics (though I did spend some time as a design intern for WorldTeach in undergrad), so I’m excited to learn more about the field and what I can do to benefit people who truly need the assistance.

I don’t have a specific community partner in mind and would be excited to either join a preexisting project or help someone set up a new project. My background is in art and design – digital art, 3D modeling, UI/graphics, storyboarding, and so on – and I am also relatively well versed in writing and research. In a given project, I often wear many hats.

Although my background is multidisciplinary, my experience is largely limited to academic projects with coders, designers, and scholars. I feel that this semester will provide a great opportunity to make connections with people deeply involved with civic/community initiates and learn more about how to leverage my skills in the relevant practice. Whatever the work is, I’m excited to work with a group of people with diverse skills and get my hands dirty creating something that can have both a direct and positive impact on the local community.