At summer’s eve, BetaNYC is excited to introduce our Fall 2025 Civic Innovation fellows! These shining stars hail from the City University of New York (CUNY) College of Staten Island, where we collaborated with CUNY’s Public Interest Tech (PIT) Lab in the spring of this year to introduce them to civic tech, open data, and creating free spatial data on OpenStreetMap (the wiki map of the world).
Now, they join us for a practicum in public-interest tech during which they will leverage their skills as budding PIT professionals to activate communities around tech for social good and grow digital literacy across NYC. Catch them in action at CityCamp NYC, our upcoming un-conference on September 6th (learn more here!), or at one of our upcoming Mapping for Equity (M4E) field workshops across the City!
Meet our fellows:
Ayela
Hello, my name is Ayela. My pronouns are she/her. I am currently attending the College of Staten Island, majoring in sociology with a concentration in criminology and social justice. As a Civic Innovation Fellow, I am looking forward to utilizing technology to contribute to the betterment of NYC. One of my favorite things to do is bake, and one fun fact about me is that I have a pet cat!
Jillian
Hello, my name is Jillian Melough and my pronouns are she/her. I am currently attending the College of Staten Island and my major is psychology. As a civic innovation fellow I am looking forward to developing new, meaningful connections and enhancing my skills in the work force. I’m up for any endeavor that can expand and assist my community! One of my favorite things to do is listen to music and a fun fact about me is that I love to draw and paint. In the future, I would love to be in a position that helps those around me in any capacity. I want my work to make an impact, no matter how big or small.
