Brandon Obas

One Word that Best Represents You:

Passionate

Tell Us One Time You Hacked Something:

I once helped to build an app called Iris at a hackathon that allowed users to communicate with their browser through voice. The app was designed to service people who were unable to use their hands.

When Was Your First “Political” Moment:

My first political moment was in 6th grade when we watched president Obama’s 2008 inauguration in class.

Ninjas or Pirates:

Pirates – the freedom of the sea and just doing whatever you want with your best friends sounds like the dream.

What’s a Random Topic on Which You are a Pseudo-expert:

I once watched an hour-long video on the meanings of different facial expressions. So, I’m a little knowledgeable on micro-expressions, which are expressions that people unconsciously make that reveal their true emotion.

Why Reviving Representation Matters to You:

The American government was built to serve the American people and it seems that people have become more disconnected to government. We need more effective representation for government to serve the interests of all Americans. I want to make a difference in how the American people and politicians communicate. Technology has allowed us to significantly change the way politicians and people communicate for the better. The more people who voices are heard, the better our government works.

Brandon Obas, who studies computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, built an award-winning project in PennApps, UPenn’s massive hackathon.

Jeffrey Ding

One Word that Best Represents You:

Wonky

Tell Us One Time You Hacked Something:

When I think of “hack”, I think of haggling. No one specific experience comes to mind, but I take a haggler’s mindset to many things – for instance, getting a burrito bowl and a tortilla on the side at Chipotle since you get so much more food that way.

When Was Your First “Political” Moment:

My first political moment was listening to Barack Obama’s keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention. I remember being in the shower at the time, while my parents were downstairs watching the speech on TV.

Ninjas or Pirates:

Pirates

What’s a Random Topic on Which You are a Pseudo-expert:

I know way too much about League of Legends, which is a multiplayer online video game. Not even from playing the game but mostly from following the rise of the game as a e-sport, and all the drama that takes place on the League subreddit.

Why Reviving Representation Matters to You:

For me, increasing constituent engagement by activating and amplifying the voices of citizen advocates, Represently can increase lawmakers’ accountability to constituents. As a result, broader and deeper channels for civic engagement can both reduce rent seeking and build incentives for legislators to better meet the needs of their constituents.

Jeffrey Ding, a Rhodes Scholar reading for a Master’s degree in international relations at Oxford University, leads the Rhodes Artificial Intelligence Lab, which builds machine learning-powered solutions to social problems.

Tessa Haldes

One Word that Best Represents You:

Adventurous

Tell Us One Time You Hacked Something:

This actually isn’t uncommon but it felt like a hack, I was able to get Greek citizenship before ever visiting Greece so that I did not count as a foreign player when I joined a team.

When Was Your First “Political” Moment:

My first political moment was the Obama inauguration in 2009. My high school had TVs set up in the lunchrooms and I remember watching it after school with my friends.

Ninjas or Pirates:

Pirates

What’s a Random Topic on Which You are a Pseudo-expert:

I am the resident poster-making expert.

Why Reviving Representation Matters to You:

Representation is important because I want to live in a country where my voice is heard and my opinions are valued.

Tessa Haldes, who studied Electrical Engineering at Northwestern University, has technical knowledge in many fields ranging from quantum devices and software development with Python, and recently returned to the states from a year playing professional basketball in Greece.

 

Jacob Witt

One Word that Best Represents You:

Curious

Tell Us One Time You Hacked Something:

I once rode more than 3,800 miles from Anacortes in Washington to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The 47-day trip raised $125,000 for Ride 2 Recovery, which helps veterans and first responders affected by post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues.

When Was Your First “Political” Moment:

I’m not sure if I remember a “first” moment; I’m pretty sure I’ve been arguing with my dad over politics before I really knew what the word meant.

Ninjas or Pirates:

Pirates – there’s something about the wide open ocean, buried treasure, and scurvy that gets me going.

What’s a Random Topic on Which You are a Pseudo-expert:

Thanks to Stephen Hawking, I have a pseudo-grasp of relativity, non-locality, and some of the quirks of astrophysics.

Why Reviving Representation Matters to You:

Today it seems the prevailing sentiment is that people of all political ideologies don’t feel as though their lawmakers are listening. At a time when intense media scrutiny has both highlighted flaws in our lawmakers while also making them feel more distant than ever, I’m hoping that my work with Represently can increase civil connection and remind people of the good our government does.

Jacob Witt is a rising sophomore at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he works as an editor at the award-winning school newspaper.