Blog Posts by Laura Phillips

Even as we code and write and do art, we have to acknowledge that we don’t do these things in isolation: the CATLab is a program embedded in a certain time and place. More than that, we are all humans whose embodiedness and particularity matter—no one gets to be a human being in the abstract. In the last few weeks, we’ve been sobered by the fact that this is a dark and difficult time. We’ve interrupted our normal projects and processes to take the time to reflect on how to move forward. As our director Zak said:

In the past few days, the CATLab has been taking time to listen, learn, grieve, and take action regarding the tragic realities of racial injustice thrown into sharp relief by the killing of George Floyd and too many others. This devastation has forced us to take a hard look at the brokenness in our world and in ourselves. We at the CATLab want to lament, and we want to stand with our Black brothers and sisters, who have experienced racial injustice and systemic oppression for generations.

Here at the CATLab, our theme for this summer is tenacity. As we strive to remain authentic, curious, and committed, we know that we need to meet the circumstances of Summer 2020 with a special sense of determination. What are some ways we can build that determination and tenacity? Some of our teammates shared their reflections.

In the past few months, we’ve all had to make adjustments to the way we live and work. But as we head out of crisis mode and into summer, we need to figure out how to move beyond maintenance and into innovation. But launching a team remotely is a fundamentally different challenge from shifting to remote work during an emergency. As business and systems analyst Kim Shifley observed,

Our team this summer includes some familiar faces, but also some new ones! Sophia, Talia, and John are just three members of our team, but they reveal some important qualities of what it takes to be a successful student developer.