How can we kickstart civic tech careers for young professionals? Ariana Soto, Deputy Director of Coding It Forward, joins us to discuss her work in creating new opportunities for students to learn more about applying their technical skills to government roles. Ariana discusses how Coding It Forward has supported over 300 students in helping bring federal, state, and local government agencies to the 21st century. In highlighting the lack of technical opportunities in the government, Ariana notes how students can create new paths from the private sector to the public sector and vice-versa, while also noting partners who have supported bringing recent grads new opportunities. Ariana highlights the skills that can help in government roles, and then finally discusses her serendipitous path to where she is herself.

Guest bio:

Ariana is the Deputy Director at Coding it Forward and has been with the organization since 2018. She leads Coding it Forward's partnerships and new program launches — including the Civic Innovation Corps. Ariana graduated from Harvard College in 2020 with a B.A. in Government and Computer Science and a certificate in Technology Science. Ariana has experience in local government working with data teams in New York City and her hometown of Los Angeles, CA.

About the podcast:

How Tech Becomes Law is a weekly public interest tech podcast about technology, public policy, and career advice. We are your co-hosts, Jinyan Zang and Dhruv Gupta. Each episode uncovers insights from leaders in government, business, journalism, and academia to highlight how technology can be built in the public interest. Interviewees discuss how technology can move society forward, what role they play in shaping this, and how students and young professionals can impact the path forward. We are supported by the Public Interest Tech Lab. Listen to us on your podcast platform of choice. You can find us online at howtechbecomeslaw.org and on social media channels @techbecomeslaw.