Staff Spotlight: Ali Roberts
This month's Staff Spotlight feature is one of our Graduate Research Assistants, Ali Roberts. Ali started with CGEST in August 2021, where she primarily focuses on the grant associated with Girls in Tech. She has been analyzing mentor teacher interviews from last summer's camp and working on data visualizations for pre-and post-survey data, along with the amazing Ari Bui, an undergraduate Barret Scholar Fellow, who is working on the grant as well.
Home town
I grew up in north Florida and south Georgia. I moved to Tempe from Georgia about three years ago.
Top Three Life Highlights
1) Moving to Arizona and experiencing the magic of the desert.
2) Getting accepted to graduate school; for a long time after high school, I didn’t think I was going to make it through undergrad, much less get into grad school.
3) Coming to better understand my identity as well as finding my voice of confidence.
What inspires you?
The memory of my late Gram, Judy Hancock, who was an unapologetic environmentalist and taught me about lots of critters (she was even featured in National Geographic once!), all types of artwork (especially by queer artists), Audre Lorde, the Sonoran desert and the vast oceans, Frida Kahlo, sunrises, and music I can dance to. I have lots of sources of inspiration and am always looking for more.
Passions
Social justice and advocacy (particularly for queer and gender minority folks) rollerskating, and painting.
Suggested Reading
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
What is something that you learned recently?
Puffins (the super cute seabirds) are extremely social animals and in order to make friends, they will copycat or show interest in what their potential new friend is doing.
What is the best thing about your job?
The interdisciplinary space and collaborative support from the entire center. Being around my coworkers inspires me and gives me hope to keep striving for a brighter future.
What has been one of your proudest moments at CGEST?
I haven’t been here very long, but so far I think I have been most proud of the conversations I’ve had with my colleagues about intersectionality and working towards collective liberation.
What has been the most impactful tech innovation you use in your everyday life?:
I think I would have to say the Internet. Connecting with like-minded people, learning, and looking at art over the Internet have changed my life.
Thank you Ali for sharing a little insight into who you are and what makes you such an integral part of the CGEST team. Be sure to subscribe to our monthly newsletter to see what staff member we highlight next month!
