Eskenazi School alumna Lacy Kelly Ramos (Graphic Design B.F.A. ‘09) was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the U.S. Digital Corps. Ramos will spend the next two years working in the U.S. Census Bureau on improving access to Census data. She was one of 39 Fellows selected from a pool of over 1,000 applicants from across the country.
"As a designer and technologist working with digital products, I’ve often felt a step (or two) removed from the impact of my work," Ramos said. "After spending time in various roles for nonprofits and state agencies, I became more inspired by what my skill set can offer to public needs and the outcome of those efforts. It was exciting to learn about the Digital Corps and the exceptional work that many federal agencies are undertaking to enhance resources for citizens across the country and I'm excited to get started."
The U.S. Digital Corps was announced in August 2021 by the Biden-Harris Administration. According to a press release from the U.S. Government Services Administration (GSA), the initiative is "a two-year fellowship that recruits early-career technologists to contribute to high-impact efforts across the federal government. This program works to advance the Administration priorities of coronavirus response, economic recovery, cybersecurity, and streamlining government services." The U.S. Digital Corps is a collaboration between the GSA, the White House Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Personnel Management, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
A first-generation college graduate, Ramos holds a certificate in User Experience (UX) Design from the University of California, Berkeley as well as her IU degree. In her personal statement at the U.S. Digital Corps website, Ramos attributes her "drive and commitment to make things better to her low-income childhood. This experience informed her creativity, resourcefulness, empathy and work ethic, and these characteristics continue to guide her work to improve products and services. [Ramos] has worked in various sectors both public and private including medical, policy, non-profit and education. As a human-centered designer and life-long learner she enjoys researching, testing, and designing digital products to best meet the needs of the end user."
