Tell us a little about yourself?
Hi I’m Katie Shepard, I am a third year Computer science and Peace, War & Defence student at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill). I’m excited to be a Technical and Research intern at Open Up and spending my summer vacation in Cape Town.
How has your first week at OU been?
My first week was exciting. It’s been fun adjusting to a new workspace and learning all of the little quirks that come with it. It’s taking some time for me to get used to the names — Vulekamali still gets me! It’s been interesting to get to know the team and see how everyone’s different paths have led them to OpenUp.
What else do you have planned for your internship?
I hope to learn some front-end development and get an idea of how tech teams work. I will also be doing some research and observing of larger tech projects that are dealing with the government.
What attracted you to an internship at OpenUp?
I applied through an internship program, so I actually was unaware that I was applying to be an intern at OpenUp until I been placed at OpenUp. It’s crazy, though, because I do not think there could be a better fit. At my university, I joined a club called Computer Science + Social Good because I was interested in how technical skills and computer programming could be used to make positive change in my community. This sparked my interest in Civic Tech before I even knew what Civic Tech was. So, when I found out about OpenUp I was drawn to it because I wanted to dive-in and experience the impact and challenges of Civic Tech firsthand.
What have you learned about OpenUp so far?
Coming to OpenUp has been such a cool experience to see exactly how technology can be used to increase active citizenry and promote good government. In just two weeks I have learned that there is an abundance of ideas for Civic Tech projects that can meet an abundance of needs of society. I’ve been inspired by the passions and the hard-work of the team at OpenUp. In looking at past and current projects, it’s been really cool to see how needs are actually being met by the work being done at OpenUp. It’s encouraging to know that there are a lot of good people out there in the Civic Tech world using their talents and interests to make the world a better place.
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If you would like to find about more about Internships at OpenUp, you can contact us here.
