Tasha Hutnick – Skillset

Developer / Programmer – Strong – I have quite a bit of programming experience under my belt, including: Jekyll, Wax, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React/Node.js/PostgreSQL, Python, Ren’Py, WordPress, dash of Ruby on Rails, and deployment to GitHub Pages / Heroku. I’m a little rusty on some of the above languages (see React/Node/Postgres and Ruby on Rails), but always eager to learn.

Project Management – Strong – I have worked in email marketing for almost four years now and in that time have worked on quite a few tests / specialty campaigns where I needed to keep track of several moving parts and make sure the campaign got from Team A to Team B to Team Z to Team A to deployment.I’m familiar with keeping a project organized, checking in, and adapting to changes in circumstance.

Editing – Very Good – If you hand me a paper to proofread I will return it riddled with suggestions / revisions.

Research – Pretty Good – happy to hunt through libraries, dig through bibliographies, and game search terms until I can get another piece of the mystery (I blame growing up on Nancy Drew games).

Art / Graphics – Okay, would like to learn more – I’ve created assets for personal projects / done front-end development work before, but I wouldn’t say I’m particularly polished. Would love to learn more!

Data Analysis – Eh. –  I don’t have a lot experience in this area, but happy to learn!

Social Media – … Please don’t – I don’t call myself a social media hermit (for the most part) for nothing.

Carla’s Skill Set

I am a consultant for the Administration of Child Services, my daily job duties focus on recruitment from child welfare partnering agencies. I am also a hairstylist at a beauty salon and bridal agency and use social media to promote my work and grow my clientele.

  • Project & Stakeholder Coordination: Experienced in managing large-scale training programs, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth implementation and adoption. This skill would be transferable for any project, to foster partnerships and manage any platform.
  • Data Analysis & Reporting: Skilled in monitoring participation trends, tracking user engagement, and leveraging data insights to improve platform performance and user experience.
  • Community Building & Advocacy: Strong relationship management skills, having worked with various agencies to foster engagement and trust.
  • Technical Proficiency: Experienced in Microsoft Office Suite, Stata, and R, taken workshops in html coding, QGIS, and python.
  • Communication & Outreach: Adept at creating strategic communication plans, liaising between different organizations, and addressing user concerns to improve satisfaction and participation.
  • Digital Marketing & Project Growth: Experienced hairstylist who utilizes Instagram to showcase work, engage with followers, and attract new clientele, demonstrating expertise in social media marketing and audience building.

In all, I have extensive experience in project coordination, data-driven decision-making, user engagement, and marketing—key skills for building and managing an online platform.

Elijah’s Skills Set!

Yo Yo, It’s Elijah! I am on my 4th semester in the DH program and work as a data analyst for 2 CUNY undergrad internship programs.

Project management: As part of my job, I lead smaller groups and need to maintain a sense of order by making data-driven choices. This is not something I would particularly like to grow but it is something I do not mind doing. I have proficient use of project tracking tools, like Asana to keep track of all the things I do at work. 

Developer: I would like to practice and expand my skills in this area, I have taken a few software labs including JavaScript, JS.D3, and Tableau. I also taught myself Python and SQL for data analysis which may come in handy when dealing with complex data. 

Design/UX: I am at a 3/5 proficiency with UX/Design, I do make a lot of data-based presentations for my team and always have an approach to usability and understandability when designing.

Outreach/Social media: I am on a break of social media, but my writing skills are not the greatest, as I am a person of not so many words. 

Documentation: Not my favorite but I can do it, I have to do this for work to ensure the work is replicable and we all understand what each system does.

Research & writing: I think I like more of a researcher than a writer, gathering information is fun to me (I am a gemini), but it is an area I can improve in so I am happy to do it if needed.  

Skillsets: A. Millatmal

Hey and salaams y’all. I am in my third semester of the Digital Humanities MA program and work full-time as a software developer working on publishing and content management systems, primarily using React and ProseMirror. I have some previous academic and professional experience in: humanities research, data and statistical analysis, writing and editing, interviewing, and project management.

For various roles we may take on this semester, in order of my experience:

Developer: Proficient. I work full-time as a developer and have experience working both with back-end (Ruby, Python, Node.js) and front-end (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) technologies. My least favorite thing to do in this arena is to figure out project builds and deployment. If I were to work on a project other than my own, I would be willing to support development work but hesitant to take on too, too much on since it is my 9-to-5.

Research/Documentation:  Advanced.  I have experience in research from undergrad, the past two semesters of grad school, as well as professional work in journalism. I also have experience with documentation from my work in software and education. I would feel really comfortable taking on a role in this realm.

Project Manager:  Advanced.  I have a lot of experience with this work from my professional roles and also managing my own creative writing projects I could really enjoy taking on this role for a team, particularly if it is well-structured and defined.

Public Speaking: Advanced. I love public speaking and presenting, and have had stints doing speaking engagements at professional conferences. I would happy to support the team in this.

Outreach/Social Media:  Upper Intermediate.  I used to run social media outreach in for different news orgs; I am very comfortable with drafting outreach with different tones for different audiences. That said: 1) I’m taking a pause from social media and a little ideologically-opposed to having too much of a presence on most platforms these days and 2) I’m doing a lot of this for some personal projects right now, which could possibly make it overwhelming to take on for coursework as well.

Design/UX:  Elementary. Meh. I have some basic design skills and a decent eye, but I don’t really know how to embody design thinking. I can execute the front-end code to implement designs but don’t always love the little fine details of UX problem-solving.

Skillsets – Julissa Russo

Hi everyone, my name is Julissa Russo. I currently work at Laguardia Community College as the coordinator of a peer advising program. I also began coordinating a scholarship program called Crossing the Finish Line. I’m halfway into the Digital Humanities program. Given the multiple responsibilities, I like to use planners, add everything onto my calendar, and due to the back and forth primarily use online notebooks such as Notion. I train my peers, so I’m comfortable and used to doing many presentations. 

Project management: During the pandemic, my job did a workshop on project management. I also had the opportunity to put it into place when my department wanted to streamline information and therefore, we started a monthly newsletter. 

Developer: I took a software design course, to gain some experience. I passed the class, but I feel like my work looks like a third-grader did it haha. I’m happy to help where needed, but prefer not to do this. 

Design/UX: Does Canava count? If so, I use it all the time. Similar to software development, I have some experience in using Photoshop and some video editing. 

Outreach/Social media: I’m comfortable with social media, primarily posting on Instagram and Facebook, but can use others if needed. I also feel comfortable with outreach; it’s already part of my work routine.  

Documentation: I haven’t done formal documentation, I’ve been a note-keeper, and keep all my notes organized. However, an area I don’t mind taking if needed.  

Research & writing: I’m comfortable with this area. I always try on my own first but have found myself needing support from a librarian.  

I’m a good team player, which means I’m happy to work in any area needed, whether I’m an expert or need to further develop the skill.  

Skillsets | Watkins, M.

HELLO EVERYONE 👋🏽

I had the great opportunity to meet most of you last semester in our Fall 2024 – Intro to DH course. For those who I have not had the pleasure of meeting yet, my is Madison, and I am a student in the Digital Humanities MA Program, here at the Graduate Center. In 2023, I graduated from UCLA, receiving my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a specialization in computing, and a minor in Film, Television, and Digital Media.

I am particularly interested in creating intuitive, engaging experiences that blend data and design to tell powerful, meaningful stories. My work focuses on uncovering patterns of inequity and visualizing disparities in education, food health, public space, accessibility, etc. I am committed to designing solutions that are not only visually compelling but also deeply impactful and functional—fostering understanding, empathy, and change.

ROLES

Project Management | Skill 3/5 - Interest 1/5 
- Gained project management experience in previous undergraduate projects

Data Visualization + Mapping* | Skill 4/5 - Interest 4.5/5 
- Extensive previous experience creating appealing visualizations to display large and complex data
- Want to learn how to create more creative, dynamic, and interactive data visualizations
- Comfortable with a lead Data Visualization role 
- *Not interested in mapping for this course at this time

Developer | Skill 2.5/5 - Interest 4/5 
- Front-end experience
- Want to improve on both front- and back-end coding skills in JavaScript
- Very comfortable using website development software systems such as WordPress 

Social Media/Outreach* | Skill 4/5 - Interest 5/5 
- Extensive previous experience with social media marketing and management 
- Very comfortable designing flyers, posters, and other materials for all outreach purposes
- *Not interested in posting on social media at this time

UX/UI Design | Skill 3/5 - Interest 3/5 
- Held support/team member UX & design roles within undergraduate projects, previous work assignments, and design competitions
- Familiar with the UX Design Process

Research/Documentation | Skill 3/5 - Interest 2.5/5 
- Experience with journalism and photography 
- Moderately familiar with academic research
- Holds a Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research certificate, issued in 01/2023 by the CITI Program. 

Softwares & Applications ~

Proficient - Canva, Qualtrics, Airtable, WordPress, Instagram/Youtube/Twitter

Intermediate (and I want to improve) - Tableau, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GIS, Adobe Creative Suite, SPSS, Excel

Novice - MATLAB, R, Python, C++, Figma

Overall, I feel very eager to take on any of these roles and learn more about the process, tools, and practice of the Digital Humanities.

Project Pitch: The Digital ACS (Amplifying Community Stories)

Objective:

The Digital ACS: Amplifying Community Stories is a digital platform designed to create a collaborative, centralized space for the New York City Child Welfare community. It seeks to provide an interactive and accessible hub for families, youth, researchers, and advocacy groups to share experiences, access resources, and document the communities’ effort towards systemic change within the child welfare system (otherwise indicated as family policing or family policing system).

Importance:

The project aims to provide a safe, anonymous and interactive space for families and youth affected by the NYC’s Family Policing system. While numerous advocacy groups, media platforms, and legal organizations highlight issues faced by the community, there is no existing digital space that allows for real-time engagement, community discussion, and historical documentation of lived experiences in New York City.

 

Audience:

Families and youths affected by the family policing system

 

Team Structure:

  • Project Led/ Stakeholder Liaison
  • Web Developer
  • Marketing 

 

Implementation:

The platform will focus on the ability to create posts. Participants may share a written post, picture, and/or link. Posts will be encouraged to be tagged within categories (Resources, Media, Story) or audience may create their own. Each post will be geotagged to an approximate location. The secondary portion of the platform will include a searchable archive of initially three-five pieces that highlight the lived experience within Family Policing, these pieces will be categorized into Stories and the team will geo-tag to the best of their ability. The stories posted by the audience will continue to populate the archive. Thirdly, the geo-tagging will be used to populate a map, to visualize the location of the posts/content/archive. The initiative will be rolled out in phases, beginning with platform development, followed by community outreach and engagement.

The platform will be developed in three phases, ensuring a structured and sustainable approach:

  1. Phase 1: Platform Development
    • The platform will be built using WordPress, integrating a blog-based structure with features for user engagement.
    • A foundational archive will be created with three-five key pieces documenting lived experience
    • A tagging system will be implemented to categorize content into three primary groups: Resources, Media, and Stories.
    • Users will be able to post content, comment, and engage with the material interactively
    • A geo-tagging feature will allow users to tag their submissions, and also tag the initial archive with location data to populate an interactive heat map created by QGIS that visually represents content distribution and thematic trends across NYC
  2. Phase 2: Community Engagement & Marketing
    • Connect with Graham Windham (Child Welfare Provider Agency) to recommend our platform to their clients
    • Connect with RISE Magazine, an online platform that shares impacted parents stories and raises awareness about family policing history and policies.
    • Look for partnerships within in CUNY especially Hunter Silberman School of Social Work
    • Create a social media page, either Facebook or Instagram to promote the platform
  3. Phase 3: Launch, Continued Marketing, Future Planning
    • Platform will be monitored after launch to ensure high user experience, marketing will continue to encourage content creation
    • The platform will integrate with social media via hashtag-based content aggregation (#digitalACS) to amplify voices beyond the website
    • A long-term content management strategy will be implemented to ensure sustained engagement, including periodic content reviews, user-driven content additions, and continued advocacy collaboration

 

Challenges:

  • Minimal skills in QGIS
  • Lack skills in Web development
  • Audience is very diverse, culturally and linguistically

 

Project Pitch: Communal Translation Platform

The What

Inspired largely by The Palestinian Youth Movement’s communal translation of Trinity of Fundamentals from Arabic to English, I am eager to create a platform where diasporic communities can upload existing texts and work on their translations in community. 

A lot of software translation tools seem primarily concerned with translation at scale – translating many texts, or into many languages, or crowdsourcing translations, or building translational memory over many different translations. This proposal differs fundamentally in that it is concerned with the pedagogy of communal translation – creating a place for members to work and decide on translations together, and treating the process of translation as its own important text. 

Last semester for an Introduction to Translation course, I wrote a paper that examined translation theories of “diaspora as translation” and “translation as pedagogy,” and applied them to the specifics of Afghan linguistic and literary contexts. 

For the fourteen work weeks of this praxis course, the focus will be on building and deploying a prototype tool that allows users to:

  • upload a static document
  • create an associated document where they collaborate on a translation of the original document
  • add comment threads on the translation

The How

The Team

  • Alex Millatmal – Lead developer responsible for:
    • back-end, API, and rich-text editor schema development
    • co-defining front-end and other development tasks
  • OPEN – (1) UI/UX developer responsible for working — primarily with React (JavaScript library) and CSS — on implementing designs and fine-tuning usability of the software
  • OPEN – (1) Project manager responsible for:
    • posting weekly team updates to the class blog
    • overseeing that each deliverable’s work stream remains on track and removing any obstacles to work
  • OPEN – (1) Designer responsible for researching existing comparable software examples, finalizing wireframes, and defining UI/UX requirements

The following roles are smaller in scope and can be distributed among the above team members:

  • User tester responsible for quality assurance of the software as it is built and deployed
  • Researcher responsible for learning and advising on best technical practices for features like file uploading, text editor support across languages, etc.

Project Timeline

I propose we work in two-week sprints over the course of the semester:

  1. Feb 10 – 23
    • project scope definition
    • research
    • wire-framing
  2. * Feb 24 – Mar 9
    • development phase 1 (technical foundations)
  3. * Mar 10 – 23
    • development phase 1 (technical foundations)
    • paper outlining and drafting
  4. * Mar 24 – Apr 6
    • user testing of deployed prototype
    • paper outlining and drafting
  5. Apr 7 – 20
    • development phase 2 (refining UI; additional features)
  6. Apr 21 – May 4
    • development phase 2 (refining UI; additional features)
  7. May 5 – 18
    • dress rehearsal
    • project polishing
    • finalize paper
    • showcase!

* denote sprints taking place over Ramadan

The Why

The idea for this academic exploration came from on of my WhatsApp group chats. A question about what translation means to our Afghan diasporic community turned into a sprawling conversation about: who is translated (and why and by whom); what texts we would like to read more closely and the barriers to accessing them; the inspiration of Palestinians learning political theory from their own history; and the way that the family archive pushes us to connect with and learn our heritage languages. As is often the case with this tenor of conversation, each participant had a piece of the puzzle — one had access to hard-to-find texts, another had time to scan the documents, another had language fluency, another had contact with elders doing regular work on translation projects. 

What would it mean for us Afghans (and other communities) in diaspora to learn from our own textual histories through the act of communal translation?

Beyond this semester, I’m interested in applying and extending these ideas as a means of moving beyond the static nature of the digital archive, which I find frustrating and limiting. For the kinds of technology and computing we have at our disposal, is the most transformative thing we can do with the archive to digitize and disseminate its materials? Following diaspora studies scholar Ipek Demir, what does it mean for the agency of the archival subject — particularly the kind of dual-subject of the diasporic viewer — to be able to translate, interpret, and annotate archival materials in-place, to make meaning against the archival grain?

Working at the level of software also allows us to think about translation choices at the very granular levels of words, annotations, texts, and hyper texts. I have professional software engineering background working in rich-text editors and content management systems, and deeply enjoy the philosophical exercise of thinking about how to model the data that supports content and its various metadata in ways that bring functionality to the document that is uniquely-achieved in a digital realm. From an academic perspective, I’m interested in the ways these additional layers of functionality and metadata open up possibilities for multiplicities of meaning in the documents themselves, and how interaction with the documents can become their own important texts and sites of cross-generational exchange and education.

Project Proposal: Bandurapedia

Abstract 

The bandura, a large, lute-like instrument, is Ukraine’s national instrument and a symbol of resistance. The bandura developed from the kobza, a smaller lute-like instrument over the centuries. After the massacre of the kobzars – nomadic​,​ often blind​,​ musicians and storytellers who played the bandura or its predecessor – by the Soviets in the 1930s, the instrument was brought to the United States​​. Since then, ensembles have formed across the country, and bandura communities continue to this day. This project aims to explore modern Ukrainian American musical identity by digitizing musical programs from the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America (WBENA) from their founding in 2015 to today in an archive. This archive, powered by the Wax framework, will include recordings where available as well as tags for composers, country of origin, themes, tempo, genre, presence of religion, and language. The team will be working closely with a member of the ensemble for acquisition, publication, and context of the programs and will proceed in publication of this archive only with tacit approval from the whole ensemble​​.

Intended Audience

This archive is intended to be used as an educational resource for anyone interested in Ukrainian culture, musical programming, and ethnomusicology.

The Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America 

​​​​​This project will publish the programs of the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America (WBENA) from its founding in 2015 to the present on its own dedicated website. The ensemble is comprised of twenty-one women from seven different cities across the United States and Canada. The WBENA was chosen to examine the song choices of a North American bandura ensemble as well as the song choices of an all-female bandura ensemble. The bandura is largely considered a male-coded instrument due to the kobzars traditionally being male. Even in the year 2000, the bandura community widely considered a woman playing dumy, or Ukrainian epic poetry songs, to be inappropriate, and women ensembles were near impossible to find in North America. (Ostashewski 143). 

Overview of Project 

For this project, PDFs for each program will be uploaded to the site and more information provided on each document and song performed via Wax, a Jekyll based website framework. The website will contain collections for both the Programs and Songs generated by a csv file with relevant information obtained by the project’s Researchers. Wax was selected because it is free to use, can be deployed for free through GitHub Pages, and is lightweight given the project’s relatively small file footprint.  

For each program, the website will provide a PDF that the user can flip through as well as the date(s), location(s), performers, and if applicable collaborators. Each program will also list the songs performed (roughly 10 – 15 per performance), each of which will have their own page detailing where applicable the composer, the year / time period published, the country of origin, language, genre(s), tempo, lyrics, and themes.  

​​When it comes to tagging songs, the Team will avoid forcing a particular song into a rigid framework. A song may not have one strictly defined place / time of origin or may have nuances in its themes that cannot be replicated. While the Wax framework requires some efficiency, the project requires the team to avoid reductiveness and respect the nonscalable aspects of songs harkening from a centuries old oral tradition (Rawson and Muñoz).  

The first phase will focus on deploying the website with two programs and respective song pages populated as a minimum viable product. Throughout the process, the team will meet with the WBENA in order to ensure that the website receives their approval. As Christen and Anderson advocate in “Toward Slow Archives,” the team will focus on their relationship with the community of origin (the WBENA), ensuring that the ensemble has the right to refusal concerning what is published about their repertoire, their history, and their performances (107). The team aims to collaborate with the ensemble rather than to speak for them. 

Work Plan 

Overview 

The first phase of the project serves to deploy a minimum viable product version of the site. Over the Spring semester (February to mid-May 2025), the team will launch the website on GitHub Pages containing two program pages and pages for each song within those programs. An About section will also be provided with a brief overview of the project, any necessary historical or cultural context, and names of the contributors. 

The second and third phases of this project will occur outside of the DHUM 7002 Methods and Practices course. During these phases, the Project Lead will add the remaining programs into the existing framework and, once all are provided, provide research and context for the remaining songs.  

Below are the proposed steps to Phase 1 of the project:  

February to March 2025 – Song Research 

The first month of the project is dedicated to compiling notes for the two programs and approximately 20 songs, split amongst the two researchers. For programs, the researchers will record the name of the concert, its location(s), the date(s), any collaborators if applicable, the performers’ names, the song titles, any other notes, and the PDF file path. For songs, the researchers will record where available the title, composer, original year or period, language, location of origin, genre, themes, tempo, description, YouTube link, lyrics, and soloists. The researchers will also be free to record any other relevant or interesting information that they find for the song. Given that the team will unlikely be able to read in Ukrainian, interviews with the WBENA will be essential for this research.  

Late March to Early April 2025 – Backend Development 

Towards the end of the Research step, the Backend Developer will begin assembling the csv structure that will power the site. Towards the end of the Backend Development period, the Backend Developer will work with the Frontend Developer to confirm the information provided  for the user interface. The Developers will also generate and briefly deploy sample pages at this time to ensure that the csv is connected properly / show to the WBENA.  

April 2025 – Frontend Development 

Towards the end of the Backend development step, the Frontend Developer will begin designing the aesthetics for the site, with the Researchers aiding in finding images if necessary. The Frontend Developer will also collaborate with the Backend Developer to ensure that all the information required for this design is available to them. The Frontend Developer will then collaborate with the Content Editor to synthesize the content for the site. They will program the user interface, briefly deploying samples of the site periodically to ensure that the site behaves as expected on deployment. 

May 2025 – Revisions, Testing, and Deployment 

After the completion of Frontend Development, the team will take the WBENA through the MVP of the site and resolve any edits provided. Once the site has received WBENA approval, the team will test all pages and links locally before deploying the site and testing all pages and links publicly for bugs or errors.  

Phase 1 Note 

Throughout the development process, the team will be in contact with a representative of the WBENA to ensure that they have the Ensemble’s explicit approval, particularly during the Research and Frontend Development portions. Should the Ensemble be in disagreement on how to proceed with a particular element, the Team will negotiate until an agreement can be reached. Any possible elements requested by the WBENA will be accommodated, and the WBENA has final say on any element of the site. Our liaison, Teryn Kuzma, has relayed the project to the WBENA, who have shared their excitement.

Staff / Partners 

We’ll need the following roles for this project, though I anticipate that several will be doubled up and / or involve mentor / mentee work with other members. I have previously built a website using Wax, so I foresee no major technical issues for this website.

Project Lead

The Project Lead will keep track of the team’s progress to ensure that they stay on schedule and will act as point of contact for the WBENA.

Backend Developer 

The Backend Developer will create a basic csv-based infrastructure for the site from the Researchers’ findings and provide the internal database from which the Frontend Developer will create the site design.  The Developer will use / learn how to use the Wax framework as well as some basic Javascript.

Frontend Developer 

The Frontend Developer will be responsible for the aesthetic design of the website and will program the graphical user interface (GUI) using HTML and CSS. They will coordinate with the Backend Developer to ensure that the infrastructure is optimized for the GUI. The Frontend Developer will use / learn Markup language, HTML, CSS, and potentially some JavaScript. They may also use any Design software of their choice should they wish.

Researchers (ideally 2) 

The Researchers will compile notes on the programs and songs from which the Back-End Developer will create the site’s database.   

Content Editor 

The Content Editor will edit the text of the site, collaborating with the Frontend Developer to ensure clarity and lack of grammatical errors.     

WBENA Liaison – Teryn Kuzma  

Teryn Kuzma is a current member and Concertmaster of the Women’s Bandura Ensemble of North America and will serve as liaison between the Ensemble and the Project Team. The Team will ensure consistent communication with the Ensemble and will not publicize any material without their approval. 

Final Project and Dissemination 

The final project will be deployed as its own GitHub Pages site and will be shared on the WBENA website. The Project Lead will coordinate publicization on social media with WBENA and will also reach out to organizations such as the Ukrainian Museum in Manhattan and the Ukrainian History Education and Cultural Center of New Jersey for them to share on their sites and social media.  

Within the CUNY network, the Project Lead will also reach out to the Ethnomusicology department at the Graduate Center and the Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies scholars at CUNY to share the site through their internal communications and social media as well. Each member of the team will be encouraged to share the project on their own social media accounts as well.

Why This Matters

Currently, no internet archive of this nature exists for the bandura, or for any other instrument as far as I could find. Every bandura ensemble provides a brief history of the instrument and of their group, yet rarely do they go into individual songs. The bandura is Ukraine’s national instrument because of its inextricable link to the nation’s culture and history, during much of which other parties attempted to suppress both.  

In the midst of a brutal invasion where the goal is total conquest of the Ukrainian people and annihilation of their identity, this website aims to serve as a seed, through the growth of which will disseminate not only Ukraine’s rich cultural history and tradition, but also the relevancy of its culture in the modern day. In Ukraine’s National Anthem, the first line translates to “The glory and will of Ukraine has not yet perished.” Through examining an ensemble in North America and comprised of women, the project will demonstrate the strength of Ukrainian culture in diaspora as it continues to live and evolve.

Skill Sets: C. Melamed

Hello, my name is Cathy Melamed, and I’m starting my second semester in the DH master’s program. I have a BA in Journalism with a minor in Art History, and an MA in Applied Educational Psychology.  After college, I worked as an editor, writer and researcher for several fine arts publications.  Just before having children, I pivoted to education and worked as a reading specialist, a college adjunct instructor and finally an administrator for a charter school network.  I retired from education almost three years ago, and I’m currently volunteering at a lab helping to process pollen samples from archaeological sites.

Research/Documentation:  Lead role.   Researching, writing and editing have been important and enjoyable responsibilities across all my professional experiences.  I am also skilled at fact checking and verifying sources.

Outreach/Social Media:  Quick study.  I have a lot of experience creating communications for a wide range of target audiences, and I am confident that I could manage this role after establishing the group’s expectations.

Design/UX:  Support role. During the pandemic I greatly enjoyed creating interactive materials for my network’s online classrooms, including lessons, enrichment/review activities and assessments for teachers to use with their online students.  My experience is limited to educational platforms, though, so I see myself as more a support than a lead in this area.

Project Manager:  Support role.  I’ve been in a variety of supervisory/managerial positions, and I’m organized, proactive and communicative.  Having little experience with DH projects, though, I would feel more comfortable supporting the managerial lead.

Developer:  No way!  I am just learning coding. I definitely would not be helpful here!