#PeopleofSTEAM: Meet Kristen

Kristen is an incoming graduate student at Stanford University in the M.S. in Sustainable Design and Construction Program. She is an alum from FIRST^® Robotics Competition Team 4635 “Botbusters” from Monterrey, Mexico. The passion for creative problem solving she found through FIRST^® has been a driving force behind her desire to build inclusive and resilient cities through STEAM. During her freshman year at Johns Hopkins University, while she obtained a B.S. in Civil Engineering, she started developing a civic-engagement web-app called Cabilde to improve data transparency in her home state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She hopes to inspire others to use their STEAM skills to improve the world around them.

Continue reading to learn more about Kristen’s STEAM journey.

FIRST Staff: Can you share some information about what you are doing with Cabilde?

Kristen: Cabilde is a web-app my co-founder Valeria Colunga and I recently launched early this year. During our high school days in Mexico, we noticed that citizens struggled to access key legislative information from our state’s congress, such as attendance sheets or voting records. Because of this [issue], we decided to use STEAM to create a platform where people are able to learn about what’s going on in congress and contact their representatives to make a change. Valeria focuses on the policy side of things, and I work on the technical part.

FIRST Staff: What is your favorite part of working at Cabilde?

Kristen: Meeting new people! Through our developing process we’ve been able to engage with Mexican activists and students who are also passionate about open governance and data transparency. I’m always learning from our mentors in the fields of data science and social entrepreneurship. Additionally, I love public speaking, so I get really excited whenever I get the chance to inspire girls in STEAM and show them how they can use STEAM to create a more equitable world.

FIRST Staff: What is the hardest part of your job?

Kristen: Definitely balancing my college coursework. I compare it to a roller coaster ride. Some months I was able to make a lot of progress, but there were other times where I had to buckle [down] and work extensively on problem sets. It’s important to find a balance and understand that you have to pace yourself or you’re going to burn yourself out. I remember I kept delaying our launch because I felt like our prototype wasn’t “good enough,” but then I realized that there is no such thing as a perfect prototype. Now, I’m focused on sharing our journey as we work on continuously improving Cabilde and embracing every challenge.

FIRST Staff: How do you use STEAM skills in your everyday work/life?

Kristen: I did not learn to code until my freshman year of college, so when Valeria and I got the idea of starting this platform, I felt very insecure about spearheading the technical side. However, I started taking R and Python courses and treated Cabilde as a side project where I implemented what I learned in class, such as data cleaning and visualization. One of our main features is a “find your representative map,” which I built using a geographic information systems (GIS) tool called ArcGIS. I built our first prototype in ArcGIS Experience Builder, however I hope to team up with students who have website development experience to build a better version of our site.

FIRST Staff: Do you have a message you want to share for students who are participating in FIRST today?

Kristen: Keep exploring outside of your comfort zone. When I did FIRST, I wasn’t really involved in the mechanics or computer science aspects, instead I worked in our community outreach projects and did scouting at competitions. However, I discovered in college that I actually really enjoyed coding, but I felt behind in comparison to my peers who started when they were younger. Now, I truly believe that it’s never too late to start learning new skills. Never hold yourself back from learning things just because you’re a beginner. We all start somewhere, so keep learning!

FIRST Staff: Can you share your thoughts on the impact of your personal/professional work in STEAM?

Kristen: My hope is to inspire people in STEAM fields to use their skills for social good, as well as show activists how technological tools can amplify their outreach. I also want to encourage the public sector to embrace the digital transition towards data transparency and open governance, fostering stronger and more just institutions. For example, local governments can use GIS to create maps that provide insights on public transportation and food accessibility in different parts of the city.

FIRST Staff: If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

Kristen: Never stop being yourself. There is no such thing as being solely a “humanities person” versus a “STEAM person.” Everyone has many intersecting identities. You can love dance and theater, while working on a data science project. You can enjoy going to an art museum and a research conference. Oftentimes, we pigeon-hole ourselves based on what society expects from us, but loving many different things, even when they seem [like] opposites, is what makes you uniquely yourself.

Are you a person of STEAM? Share your story with #PeopleofSTEAM on social media or send us your story at marketing@firstinspires.org.