Meet Cora Funke, the 2022 City of Chelsea Open Data & Digital Communications Summer Fellow
The Initiative on Cities (IOC) is proud to announce that Cora Funke has been selected as the 2022 City of Chelsea Open Data & Digital Communications Initiatives Summer Fellow. Cora will have the opportunity to help advance the City’s open data and digital communications initiatives while gaining first-hand insight and experience into how local government works. She will work closely with Cate Fox-Lent, who serves as an Innovation & Strategy Advisor at Chelsea City Hall.
Cora is a rising senior from Vermont double-majoring in Political Science and Environmental Analysis and Policy in Kilachand Honors College and the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). On campus, she is a member of Divest BU, plays club basketball, and is a mentor with Strong Women Strong Girls. She is interested in climate justice and approaching policymaking with a lens of intersectionality. She also enjoys reading, skiing, roller skating, crocheting, and FaceTiming her cats.
We asked Cora a few questions about her interest in working with the City of Chelsea and what she’s looking forward to:
Amelia (IOC): Why did you choose to apply for this fellowship and how did you hear about it?
Cora: I heard about this fellowship through the Earth & Environment Department at BU. I was drawn to the opportunity because I recently learned how to code with RStudio through a course I took about environmental modeling. It seemed like developing Chelsea’s open data hub would combine my data science skills with my interest in government and the nonprofit sector, so I decided to apply. The fellowship is a great chance to combine several of my academic and professional interests, all while giving back to an environmental justice community.
How did you first become interested in municipal governance?
In Vermont where I was born and raised, local politics is very transparent and accessible. Because my community is so small and rural, I grew up knowing our local representatives, and I even have memories of meeting Bernie Sanders at parades. In high school, our environmental club worked on a town-wide plastic bag ban with state representatives, and I got to speak with the governor at a county-wide breakfast event. These experiences have helped me remain optimistic about politics despite how tumultuous things have become at the national level. I really appreciate that municipal governance is closest to the people and that it has the power to improve everyday lives.
What are you most looking forward to about this summer?
I am looking forward to applying the knowledge I have gained in my classes to real-world situations. I have spent much of my undergraduate career learning about politics and government, so it will be interesting to see how theory comes together with the daily workings of a city. I will also be learning how to make maps with ArcGIS, which will be a great skill to have going forward. I am excited to advance the City of Chelsea’s Open Data Hub in order to make it more accessible to the public, and I can’t wait to get started!