Hello everyone!

It was great to read everyone’s skill set! I hope my skill set will be of some value to the class.  I’ve worked in administrative settings, higher education,  mentorship, and as a graphic designer for various projects. My undergrad was in Business Administration & Communication and Graphic Communication.  Here is a link to my LinkedIn to see sample work under projects: https://www.linkedin.com/in/estefanygonzaga/

My skills sets are the following:

Strengths 

Multimedia Designer (graphic design, photography, website) 

Over the years, I have worked on several different projects, whether as a freelance or as part of work.  I designed and created websites, flyers, logos, videos, book covers, and booklets among several different projects on different mediums. I think I can turn an idea into something visual.

Event/Training/Professional Development  Planning and Execution 

As a coordinator, I’ve planned several engaging events, training sessions, and professional development sessions alongside my colleague (virtual and in-person).

Facilitator/Public Speaking 

In the last almost 9 years, I’ve facilitated several meetings, events, training, and professional developments.  I am comfortable speaking in public (sometimes I still get nervous!)

Social Media

I’ve managed two business social media accounts.  I’ve created engaging content for the audience for each audience.

Weakness

Writing – I don’t like to write.  I feel like I can’t articulate my ideas in writing as I have them in my head.  I know I have great ideas, but I struggle with writing.  I think it’s a trauma I must learn to overcome.

Coding

I’ve taken courses in HTML & CSS but I don’t really practice therefore I don’t remember.

Data

I need for support in understanding and analyzing data.

I can’t seem to figure out what the actual format of these from the examples, so I’m just gonna put some stuff down. My Commons site is here if you want more info or examples of any of this stuff: https://noveldrawl.commons.gc.cuny.edu

Background: I’m a linguist (BA), polyglot, former teacher and tutor, instructional technologist, usually the resident accessibility expert, and digital archivist. I’m also an author and researcher. A lot of these words probably feel like they don’t mean anything, but that’s what I do. In linguistics, my research is in computational and corpus linguistics with a focus on transgender dialectology.

Right out the gate, what I’m best with:

-Research. I can find literally anything I’m determined to find, especially on the internet. I grew up in the wild west of the internet–I can find anything, and probably find it for free.

-Presenting. Y’all in this class already know I’m a great presenter- and no, I won’t be humble about it because I’m gonna let myself have a moment where I believe I’m good at something. ANYWAY.

-Teaching. I do it now, have been doing it since I was 16. I just explain stuff well.

-Archiving. Access to ARCH aside, I have been doing hobby archiving projects for years in addition to the professional experience I now have from working with the Internet Archive.

-Website design. Been coding basic sites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript since 2012, taught myself!

If you gave me this role I’d cry and fail us all:

-Outreach. As bubbly as I am and good with public-facing stuff, I cannot talk to individual people and will have a meltdown.

-Programming. I can do it in a pinch but it’ll take me forever and really stress me out please don’t do that to me.

-Developing. No skills in this.

Background:

Most of the things I’ve pursued revolve around storytelling, performance, and communication. I trained as an actor, a dancer, and a writer and worked as a cultural critic for a newspaper. So, the result is: extensive knowledge of the dramatic arts (stage and screen) and the practical and theoretical aspects of narrative/story and genres. I love finding ways to structure and dramatize all kinds of material/data to utilize their narrative potential.

Graphic design and photography:

I’ve created and published several multi-media photo + graphic design art projects (these also experimented with the relationship between image and text). And I have designed newsletters and promo materials for two theaters and one independent magazine. I’m not super great at fancy graphic design programs, but I am good at considering visual rhetorical strategies and conceptualizing a publication: How could this be structured, how should it be navigated, and how does it communicate its intent/content to an audience?

Writing:

I have an MFA in writing, teach a creative thinking and multi-modal comp class, and work at a writing center, so rhetoric and composition always inform my approach. For previous projects, I‘ve also written successful grant and conference proposals.

Related interests and areas of research: 

Multilingual composition, constructed languages, language and gender, and a critical engagement with the still considerable cultural potency of Englishes. 

Project management: 

I’ve managed a theater school, play festivals, and an architect’s office, and I have led a few collaborative projects that straddle online and IRL components. One of them is an ongoing community story project with older adults. I’d say I am good at developing workflow strategies, and timelines, and can keep track of the various strands of a multifaceted project. I’m also pretty good at anticipating the unanticipated and responding to practical challenges.

Coding:

Um… not yet.

Everyone, your skillsets are amazing! I wanted to leave a reply to each one of your posts, but it would have taken ages, so I will summarise my thoughts by letting you know how thankful I am for your openness in sharing your expertise, and how much I am looking forward to learning from you all!

Data – This is my specialty! My principal areas of focus are normally data accuracy, data integrity, and data validation or, as I like to call it, apples with apples. Due to my profession, I typically work on big trade data queries in order to reconciliate information and provide auditors or financial watchdogs clear and readable datasets. I have worked on all sort of data cleaning processes and applied various standardisation and normalisation techniques. Additionally, I have an in-depth understanding of statistical indicators and their differentiating features which, based on context and information available, might make one measure more significant than another.

Research – I am very proud of my research skills, I am committed to find every possible bit of information available about anything I am interested in or required for any assigned tasks; I am comfortable with consulting catalogues, archives, data lakes, and other available materials. I have a relatively critical approach, which partly stems from my job, and I tend to fact-check everything, always operating on the assumption that there’s a missing piece somewhere or some misconstrued figures (not always the case clearly, but I was given a strong dose of cynicism when I was little)

Programming and IT skills (miscellaneous) – Through the course of the previous semesters, I have developed a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (particularly .D3); I have used Leaflet a fair amount and built a GitHub repository which contains a few websites now. Among other data viz tools, I have learnt to use Tableau, however, I am not a fan – I think some of its applications can lead to poor data representations. I can do basic coding in Python, and I am self-sufficient in teaching myself how to manipulate big data with it. I know how to use WordPress and its main features. As strange as it might sound, I’m familiar with Haskell programming language, but I don’t think anyone uses it these days. I’m an advanced Excel and VBA user, especially when it comes to data cleaning, preparation, and automation of repetitive tasks. I have a good grasp of algorithmic trading, circuit breakers, and performance optimisation – these might be useful in the grand scheme of understanding automations, but not necessarily to power any of the projects suggested. In general, I’d be very enthusiastic to shadow anyone who has more experience than me in any of the above software and tools or other and new ones!

Outreach & social media – In-person social network activities and related follow-ups are tasks I am very comfortable with; I tend to leverage my network to connect people, get help, get funds for causes I believe in, and learn from others; on the other hand though, I don’t have a social media presence and this is the result of a thorough and conscious decision process, however, I appreciate the fact that this could be debilitating in successfully promote and present any project to new audiences. If you’re looking for social media power, I’m not you person. Conversely, if you need someone to knock at every door in NY, cold call random people, and find creative ways of reaching out some notoriously inaccessible individuals, here I am, ready for the challenge!

Design – This is going to be the shortest section: delighted to be rescued by anyone who is keen to share their knowledge around design principles and design techniques! I have never tried any online (or even offline) design tools – but I can be a good student, so anyone who is open to teach me, I’d be extremely grateful.

Project Management – happy to leave this joy to someone else; I have seen that many of you have this skill to offer, so I’ll gladly take your guidance here and save my PM know-how for the next big project.

Hi everyone! I’m Zelda (they/them) and I work as a software engineer. I graduated with a B.A. in computer science, but spent most of my time in college taking classes focusing on 1) women and gender sexuality studies, and 2) ethnicity, race, & migration. I’ll share some of my skills below:

Developer: I work primarily in Python and SQL. I have a lot of experience with data analysis and visualization. Some technologies especially relevant to Digital Humanities that I’ve worked with include D3.js, ArcGIS StoryMap, WordPress, Voyant, and R. I tend to pick up new technologies quickly. I have experience with web development in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. For my undergraduate thesis, I developed a web application to visualize climate change in the United States using HTML, CSS, Jinja, JavaScript, D3.js, Python, and Flask. I created 5 different visualizations measuring climate through the following aspects: 1) carbon dioxide emissions, 2) severe weather events, 3) global sea level, 4) global temperature, and 5) environmental bills.

Data manager: As part of my thesis work, I spent a lot of time searching for datasets relevant to my project. I’d like to further develop my skills creating, managing, and navigating databases, especially with regards to integrating and/or creating APIs (Application Programming Interfaces).

Project manager: I tend to think thoroughly about the big picture. I am great at breaking down a large project into smaller, more manageable tasks that are delegated across a group of people. Deadlines tend to be difficult for me to realistically set, but it is a skill I hope to develop if given the opportunity to do so.

UX/Designer: I have a basic understanding of design concepts, which has proven useful in my experiences as a web developer. I have some experience with designing social media posts using Canva. I would love to shadow any designers interested in sharing their skills!

Hey all-

I thought I would have some fun using TV characters from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Without asking mama google, can you identify each show?

MacGyver——————-Problem Solving:

I use my resourcefulness, critical thinking, and creativity to solve problems. Resiliency and persistence are traits I use to come up with outside the box solutions. As my friend Angus says, “The best way to beat a problem is to make it work for you.”

Jessica Fletcher———–Data Inquiry and Innovation:

In my recent job, I identified, organized, and analyzed data regarding internship duration for the North American early talent program to bring the company into compliance. I solved the mystery using my investigative and online research skills then created a dynamic excel spreadsheet that was shared with my human resources colleagues.

Julie McCoy—————–Outreach/Community Coordinator:

Communication, relationship building, cultural competence and empathy are a few of my skills/traits. I am happy when I am helping others, or on a cruise ship!

Julia Sugarbaker———-Visual Design:

I am in my happy place when I create. Although I do not have formal training in design, some of my acquired skills include creating a SharePoint website page with resources for employees during the pandemic. I use CanvaPro to create designs for my heat-press products and for making zines. I have fun using iMovie and Video Leap to make videos. I have played around with Adobe Creative Suite. I enjoy learning new design platforms and wish I could spend my days as a Designing Woman.

Spock————————–Technical Skills:

This is an area that I would like to improve and develop. I am growing in proficiency using IBM SPSS, ArcGIS, and WordPress. I have the typical business world tech skills, and I am trying to figure out if I am a fan of social media these days. I am a right-brain type of person and not as comfortable using code, but I am willing to put effort into working on this.  LLAP!

Hola!

It was really nice to see all of you again and I’m enjoying reading about all of your projects. Below my skillsets. I have a BA in Anthropology and Spanish Literature and professional experience as a Public Programmer/Event Producer. I graduated with a thesis on ethno-education with Indigenous communities in Colombia (Guainía) and a literature project on creative writing (Spanish).  I’ve also worked with feminist collectives and non-profits and currently I’m pursuing a Certificate in Gender and Women’s studies.

Community Engagement/Outreach:
This is what I love the most to do. I love working with communities, specially with those that we would consider vulnerable communities  and I love creating/engaging in new methodological ways to do social research that not just “use” or see community members as “subjects” but rather as co-producers of the knowledge being created. In general, just like a lot to work with people. Thanks to my Anthropology degree I have done social research work using ethnography (of course), focal groups, semi-structured and structured interviews, network-actor analysis, etc. Thanks to my work with feminist collectives I’ve created and implemented many workshops with different actors using art, mainly literature. I’ve created fanzines, engage in theater impro, film discussions, roundtables, social cartographies, etc. In my previous professional role I also acted as a community liaison in very logistical approaches: finding people, asking them to collab in projects, transferring their concerns to other teams, scheduling interviews, following up, etc.  And, because I like to work with people I could also do social media research or outreach BUT this in particular is not my fav. Finally, I think any project needs to actively engage its audience and would love to work on that front: how to render academic digital work accesible to multiple audiences?

Project Management
As I mentioned I was an event producer in my previous professional role and can transfer many of the same skills to keep a project on track. I’ve overseen budgets, tight deadlines, follow up with all the people required to complete a task/project, created timelines and spreadsheets to keep up with everyone’s work, etc. I don’t really love to do this but I’ve come to understand how important logistics are for any successful project.

Research
I think I’m an intermediate researcher, I did a fair amount digging through library catalogs, databases, online repositories and examining voluminous material, I’ve also have a basic knowledge on how to organize bibliographies in Zotero, but need to polish those skills and learn more about how to dig into archives, which I’m super interested in!

Design
Advanced Beginner in Adobe Suite. Would love to shadow a designer or the person in charge of this role. I have basic understanding of HTML and CSS and CMS and could certainly work way more on developing this skills. I’m also super interested in maps, art (textiles & multimedia), curatorial work (I’ve worked in two museums, not in curatorial but definitely have engaged in their content production process), etc. I’ve also worked with Omeka before so would love to explore more on that area.

Translator
Many of us in this class are bi or even trilingual. I think it is an important skill to highlight, not just in terms of the languages we speak but also in the affinity we might have for seeing, understanding and appreciating cultural differences. Also because we live in an academic world dominated by English scholarly discourse. I learned very basic Arabic before, worked with multilingual indigenous communities and took classical greek in college, so although I’m not very savy in languages I really like to work with all the linguistic diversity that a project my encounter.

Programming
I have no knowledge, will love to gain some knowledge, im in the Python class… so it would be fun to learn from the person doing this job. Some years ago I use VS Code for TEI, XML encoding… but it’s lost in my memory.

Project management: I have professional experience managing teams to conduct public humanities projects. (Take a look at my past work if you are interested: Exploring Premodern Japan, Japanese Women Directors, the CJR lunch series. My past members in these teams worked in diverse sections on translation, video editing, outreach, grant writing, workshop organizing, tech support, etc.) In addition, I have eight years of experience in international education and have studied and taught in China, Japan, Canada and the United States. My background has shaped my awareness and appreciation of intercultural communication and collaborative working environment. Team and task management apps like Asana are my good friends that helped our past team members stay on track and assist each other. 

Research and writing: I am very familiar with writing in academic settings, such as descriptive, analytical, and critical, and have successfully obtained more than ten fellowships/grants. (some of them are canceled due to Covid travel restrictions.) I have the ability to search for, locate, organize, and present information on a particular topic, ask critical questions and address the questions in my responses.
I am trained in political science, literature, and history, but I also have experience writing medical and scientific proposals/reports. I know where to go if we have questions! But I also want to develop this skill, particularly writing, working in a team this semester.

Outreach/social media: I am not a social media person, but I have experience designing branding strategies and leveraging my network to promote projects and book launches. I also know how to write formal emails in English, Chinese, and Japanese.

Video/audio editing: I use Premiere Pro and Audacity. I know how to manage a YouTube Channel and make subtitles.

Developer: I have basic knowledge of HTML and CSS. But I am taking courses on python, tableau, ArcGIS Pro, and XML last and this semester. I am comfortable using Twine, ArcGIS StoryMap, and WordPress. I hope to improve my skills this semester and beyond.

Hello potential teammates,

Below is an overview of my general skill set in the suggested categories. Most of my skills have been honed over many years working in design and marketing — both inhouse and for agencies. I started as a graphic designer but along the way shifted into a strategy/design hybrid. I love developing concepts and bringing them to life and that has put me in the position of creating brands and campaigns from the ground up for both non- and for- profit clients. 

Project manager
My most recent roles as Design Director and Creative Director at communication and design agencies required that I effectively perform project management duties. I like to have a clear roadmap, open communication, and easy to access tools. Reviewing progress, next steps, and leaving space for investigation are important to me—when folks feel well oriented they can worry less about falling behind or feeling lost and more about creativity, exploration, and progress. 

Developer
I have basic HTML skills. I have worked with wysiwg and feel confident in this area (ie. Squarespace, Wix, MailChimp etc.) I specifically am hoping to improve my developing skills this semester and beyond.

Design/UX
My degree is in communication design, and I have expert level experience with the Adobe Creative Suite and some video editing experience. Past projects have included print, brand development, digital (web and social), and video. I also have extensive experience in strategy—brand, campaign, and content. Having worked on several public facing campaigns and branding projects, user experience is a bit of a fixation for me. Making sure users who interact with the project (back end and front end) feel oriented and capable of successfully navigating the experience makes or breaks the final product.

Outreach/social media
My experience with marketing has required the ability to extend brand and campaign strategy to cohesive social content that take into account audience, platform, and messaging. In the past I’ve helped both clients and employers grow their audiences and put in place content strategy frameworks. 

Documentation
I have performed copywriter duties in my past roles. Past work has included writing blog posts, pitches, brand books and messaging, scripts, and social media captions. This is an area I feel comfortable in, both as a writer and editor.

Research 
This is another area I would like to beef up. Although I pride myself on doing desktop research and my tremendous curiosity—there are types of scholarly research that I would like to dig into more (archives). I do have experience with focus groups—in person and online. 

FYI, I’d prefer to stay anonymous here since the class blog is public, so I will go by “RC” here. Please however feel free to call me by my first name in person/ class. Hope this is not too confusing!

Project Management/ Documentation: Project management is part of my full-time job as a data science team lead (both research projects and data product development projects). I have also conducted agile/ scrum training with many data teams before. I am familiar with many tools (Kanban, Trello, JIRA, CODA, etc.). I am also familiar with and very effective in driving many product management concepts, such as prioritization framework (e.g. LOE vs. Impact, RICE, etc.), sprint planning, breaking product vision into milestones, estimating effort, timeboxing tasks, creating definitions of done (DoD), gathering requirements, setting OKR and KPI, managing “stakeholder” and team, etc. I am also comfortable with documentation and enjoy it because I actually have some OCD

Data: I do various data analysis/ data visualization/ data science (DS)/ data engineering (DE) work as my full-time job as a data scientist in the Tech sector. My primary languages are python and SQL. I have worked with RedShift, Snowflake, Google BigQuery, Microsoft SQL, and Progres data warehouses. I do want to mention my work is usually more focused on research, inference, and insights, so I don’t have certain software engineering skillsets that are adjacent to DS/DE (e.g., creating a front-end Machine Learning Recommendation system in production). I also want to note that I have been working in big tech firms that have many wonderful internal tools, coding templates, environments, and support teams (e.g., data engineer, etc.), so while I do build data pipelines (ETL), they are built from a data warehouse that is already set up with super helpful templates that I can just update the SQL/ Crontab and other configuration. I have some distance exposure to “building things from scratch” from my peers and other freelance data jobs but don’t have hands-on experience with them.  

Research: As part of my data science job, I conduct many research projects with teams of data scientists, user researchers, and behavioral scientists. I have scoped and executed many research projects (quantitative, qualitative, lit-review, survey, mixed method, usability testing, etc.).  

Graphic Design: From my visual art background, I am proficient with most graphic design tools such as Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, and illustrator. Although I am not a professional graphic designer, I have done many personal projects and a handful of freelance work.  

Web Design: I have built a handful of websites with Squarespace before and understand basic HTML and CSS (but haven’t used them in a long time, since Xanga!). Related to user research and graphic design experience I have; I have worked alongside many UX/ UR/ Designers, so I can also offer best practices I have picked up on the way. I haven’t built a website from scratch in WordPress before but am definitely curious to learn.