This summer, I had the opportunity to serve as an intern with the Democracy League team at Unify America. As the implementation of citizen’s assemblies expands across the country, as well as society’s understanding of AI, Unify America decided that it would be worthwhile to build a chatbot that can help guide anyone to organize their own citizen’s assembly. This is where my role came in. Throughout the summer, I had weekly meetings with a mentor and our team to brainstorm guidelines and capabilities that the Chatbot would be built on.
I’ve had the opportunity to see the large and positive effects that deliberation has on communities, firsthand, through multiple experiences with Wabash Democracy & Public Discourse. This was one of the many motivating factors that pushed me to connect with Unify America and commit to a learning experience where I can contribute to their work. Luckily, through the generous support provided by the Coons Fund, I had the opportunity to get paid for my work with Unify America.
After 12 weeks with the organization, I can confidently say that this was one of the most valuable experiences in my professional life. From exploring the new and challenging landscape that is remote work, to finding ways to employ cutting edge technology in a space that is constantly pushing the politics of this country (which have been divided and ineffective for so long) to evolve. On top of all of this, I’m happy to share that my work this summer also left an imprint on the organization. During a debrief with a mentor about my experience this summer, I learned that my work is now in the hands of a AI consulting firm that is working to bring our ideas into reality.
I want to thank the Coons Fund, again, for making this experience possible. I wouldn’t have had the pleasure to experience any of this if it wasn’t for the fund. And I hope that generations of Wabash students continue to lunge at opportunities like these that will impact themselves as well as their communities around them.
