By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

Sujei Perla Martinez was determined to take charge of her college career in the same way she takes charge of being a role model for her younger brother.

鈥淏efore college, I thought I had everything figured out since I鈥檓 the eldest sister. That couldn鈥檛 be further from the truth,鈥� Perla Martinez said. 鈥淥ver the years, I learned a lot about myself as I overcame many obstacles.鈥�

  鈥淢y community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs.鈥�
Sujei Perla Martinez

And she did so in style: She鈥檚 graduating as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design, having completed a degree in strategic communication with an emphasis in media design. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

Perla Martinez said when it came to overcoming those obstacles, the community she built at CMCI was key, especially the people she met through her countless volunteering experiences and her classes. 

Most important was her multicultural leadership scholars cohort, the Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority, and the UMAS y MECHA student group, as well as the classroom.

鈥淢y community helped foster a place for self-discovery and encouraged me to be unapologetically myself while helping me grow within my values and beliefs,鈥� Perla Martinez said. 

Her academic and extracurricular achievements were not just due to her hard work. She said she recognizes the efforts of those who came before her who fought for her right to an education鈥攊n particular, her parents.

鈥淕rowing up, I saw my mother work hard jobs to raise my brother and me,鈥� Perla Martinez said. 鈥淓very day, I stand on campus and try my hardest to show my mother that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 the first in my family to get a degree. It took a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I can finally say we did it.鈥�

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By Joe Arney
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

When Bianca Perez called her mom in the middle of the day to tell her she鈥檇 been accepted to a prestigious doctoral program at one of the nation鈥檚 foremost universities, she expected there might be some tears.

She wasn鈥檛 wrong. But it wasn鈥檛 her mother who cried.

Perez鈥檚 mother, Leyda, was born and raised in Mexico, while her father, Ernesto, came to the United States from Peru. For almost 30 years, they have worked tirelessly at growing Perez Cleaning Services, in Steamboat Springs, in order to provide their daughter with opportunities they couldn鈥檛 imagine鈥攁nd don鈥檛 always understand. When she explained that she was applying to schools to be a doctor, Perez (Comm, MediaSt鈥�24) would clarify 鈥渁 doctor of words,鈥� since her family thought she was maybe interested in a medical career.

Now, as she explained on speakerphone that she was accepted to the PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania鈥檚 prestigious Annenberg School for Communication, in Philadelphia, 鈥渕y mom wasn鈥檛 sure what to make of it,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淚 could tell she was happy because she could hear the excitement in my voice.鈥�

But the client her mother was speaking with when Perez called couldn鈥檛 believe his ears.

 What I have is like a wish coming true. You can work very hard and that can still not be enough, and I鈥檝e seen that happen to people around me my whole life.鈥�
Bianca Perez (Comm, MediaSt鈥�24)

鈥淗e was like, 鈥楧id I just overhear that your daughter's going to graduate school at Penn?鈥欌€� she recalled. 鈥淎nd I could hear him start crying, and my mom said to me, 鈥極h, no, I have to go, one of the clients is upset.鈥� But he wasn鈥檛鈥攖he guy went to UPenn for his undergrad, had wanted to go to grad school there but couldn鈥檛, and he was so happy and excited for me.

鈥淚 think for my mom, seeing a random person cry like that and be so joyful, helped her understand just how exciting this was for me.鈥�

Driven to change the world

It鈥檚 not the first time she鈥檚 had to overcome the barrier separating her lived experiences from those of her parents. But her working-class upbringing鈥攃ombined with her curiosity, care and enthusiasm for working hard鈥攈as already made her a promising scholar in the realm of artificial intelligence and labor.

鈥淚t鈥檚 because of her humble background that she understands that the ability to be in college, to read books and write for a living, is a privilege,鈥� said Sandra Ristovska, an assistant professor of media studies at the College of Media, Communication and Information at the 糖心Vlog破解版, and Perez鈥檚 advisor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 unsurprising she鈥檚 interested in questions around technology and labor because she is seeking, through her research, to improve the lives and livelihoods of working-class people, immigrants and people of color.鈥�

Perez studies generative artificial intelligence and labor through the lens of copyright law. In the past year, artists and publishers have sued tech companies that have used copyrighted work to train generative A.I. platforms like ChatGPT, opening up a larger question of how to fairly value labor鈥攏ot just of plaintiffs like J.K. Rowling, Stephen King and The New York Times, but everyday social media users, whose likes and shares train algorithms to better recommend content that keeps people online.

Because that data is disassociated from the users, the labor of whoever generated that data鈥攖hose likes and shares鈥攊s obscured, meaning they can鈥檛 be compensated. And these are, of course, some of the world鈥檚 deepest-pocketed tech companies, whose forays into the development of A.I. are far ahead of gridlocked government regulators and already-alarmed ethicists.  

鈥淲e have no way to check these models, even though we鈥檝e all been producing them through our work,鈥� Perez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a new and complex expansion of wage theft. They鈥檙e taking all our labor and remixing it to make something else鈥攂ut it鈥檚 still our labor. How is that fair?鈥�

Fairness focus

That question of what鈥檚 fair is central to Perez鈥檚 identity. Just the time and space to work as hard as she does, she said, is a privilege, especially when in high school she would see other smart, ambitious students fall behind because of work or family commitments.

鈥淚 always feel that there鈥檚 only a few degrees separating me being a migrant daughter who鈥檚 picking cherries, to my being here,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y parents taught me how to work very hard鈥擨 can鈥檛 underscore that enough鈥攂ut what I have is like a wish coming true. You can work very hard and that can still not be enough, and I鈥檝e seen that happen to people around me my whole life.鈥�

Fairness also ties into her related research interest in the exploitation of Black and Latino tech labor鈥攍ike DoorDash drivers during the pandemic, or Amazon warehouse workers toiling in hotter facilities in a warming climate. The combination of her interests has resulted in some unique scholarship that鈥檚 already getting noticed: This summer, Perez will present her thesis at the annual conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research, in Christchurch, New Zealand鈥攁n honor usually reserved for PhD students and faculty.

Ristovska, her advisor, also attended a prestigious conference as an undergraduate before going on to Annenberg for her PhD, and is excited to see how sharing her work at one of the field鈥檚 most prestigious events influences Perez鈥檚 future work.

鈥淲hat she does is bring the human back to the discourse around A.I. and technology,鈥� Ristovska said. 鈥淗er work makes us think about how human creativity and human engagement are central to the development of A.I., and why it鈥檚 so important we figure out labor protections now, before the technology is even more advanced.鈥�

鈥楽omeone who knows how to push me鈥�

Perez called Ristovska 鈥渁n incredible influence on me鈥攕omeone who knows how to push me and who has held my hand on this journey, even though we were going uphill sometimes.鈥� Among her mentors, she also counts professors Omedi Ochieng and Danielle Hodge, of the communication department, as well as Rory Fitzgerald Bledsoe, who is pursuing a PhD in media studies; Perez called her first course with Bledsoe the foundational moment of her time at CU.

Bledsoe recalled Perez for both her insatiable curiosity and her writing talent, which she called 鈥渞efreshing and invigorating in an increasing sea of generic ChatGPT.鈥�

鈥淏ianca will be successful in her PhD for the normal things, like being diligent and curious, but also for her inimitable voice鈥攂oth creative and critical鈥攖hat I have no doubt will contribute to our field and make it better,鈥� Bledsoe said. 鈥淧eople would benefit from being a little more like Bianca, by following your passion until it blooms in full force.鈥�

鈥淗er work makes us think about how human creativity and human engagement are central to the development of A.I., and why it鈥檚 so important we figure out labor protections now, before the technology is even more advanced. 
Sandra Ristovska, assistant professor, media studies

Perez鈥檚 focus wasn鈥檛 always so direct. She arrived at CU 糖心Vlog破解版 thinking she鈥檇 major in media production, given her interest in documentary filmmaking, but after exploring different paths, arrived at her current combination after briefly considering information science. At commencement, she was honored as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for both communication and media studies, the first time a student has been recognized by two departments. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

鈥淢y different majors helped me discover different frameworks of thinking about the topics I was interested in, which has helped me think about my research more critically,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 always a specific lesson I was taught, but professors like Dr. Hodge showed me to think about whether what I鈥檓 working on actually speaks to the community鈥攁nd you do that by speaking with that community.鈥�

It鈥檚 a new twist on what Perez said is the most important lesson she learned at home.

鈥淭he best thing my parents taught me was to actually care about what you鈥檙e doing鈥攖o show up for others when it matters,鈥� she said. 鈥淢aybe cleaning is trivial to some people, but their business is pretty exceptional in our town, and it鈥檚 because they care very much for their reputation and the people they serve.鈥�

That鈥檚 why her mentor is convinced Perez will make her CMCI professors proud years after she has graduated.

鈥淲hether she chooses an academic career or the policy realm, I really think she鈥檒l make the world a better place, because her commitment to justice is ingrained in her,鈥� Ristovska said. 鈥淚鈥檓 so excited for what comes next for her.鈥�

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By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

鈥淯npredictable鈥� is how Lisa An describes her college experience. 

  鈥淚 learned that keeping your work to yourself because of the fear of not being good enough does no good. If you share your work and receive feedback, you are able to improve your craft and obtain opportunities you otherwise never would have been able to.鈥�
Lisa An

She felt pressured to pursue a computer science major, in preparation for a technical career path, but realized it wasn鈥檛 her calling. Eventually, she came across media production and enjoyed the creative freedom that came with it.

鈥淚t ended up being one of the best decisions I made,鈥� An said. 鈥淚 often struggle to find the right words to describe what I'm feeling. With photography, I鈥檓 able to create something where the emotion I pour into the piece can speak for itself.鈥�

She carried her curiosity and love for creativity and completed a second major in Art Practices with minors in Art History and Sociology. Now she鈥檚 graduating as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Critical Media Practices. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

The award didn鈥檛 come without hard work and effort. An has completed countless projects for her media production classes, but the one that stood out most was a book she made compiling her photography and design work. It was, she said, 鈥渞ewarding to see my creation come to life physically, as well as being a part of the entire process of creating something.鈥�

She has also completed an internship at the 糖心Vlog破解版 Museum of Contemporary Art, which she said gave her a clearer picture of what to expect in the field after graduation. 

Her path may not have been linear, but she said that journey helped her surround herself with friends who guided her on the way. 
鈥淥ne thing I鈥檒l miss is the sense of community and support I received from my professors and peers. I could feel that they all genuinely cared for my success and pushed me to produce work that I could be proud of,鈥� An said.

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By Hannah Stewart (Comm鈥�19)
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

Before Andrew Schwartz knew he鈥檇 be an information science major, he had already attended a class. Now, he鈥檚 graduating鈥攚ith a second major in philosophy鈥攁s the College of Media, Communication and Information's William W. White Outstanding Graduate.

Faced with a plethora of potential fields, it was a lecture by Morgan Klaus Scheuerman (PhDInfo鈥�23) that initially attracted Schwartz to the field. 

The discussion focused on ethics, machine learning and gender鈥攁nd created a sense of curiosity to explore more topics through the lens of data.

鈥淚 chose information science because I am interested not just in computing, but computing as a social and cultural phenomenon,鈥� he said. 鈥淚nfo gives us the skills to look at topics from a lot of different domains with a critical thinking lens and data-driven quantitative perspective, and that鈥檚 a skill that鈥檚 broadly applicable.鈥� 

The White Outstanding Graduate award honors the CMCI student with the highest overall GPA in his or her graduating class. Schwartz鈥檚 academic record is important to him, but more important is the societal impacts of both technology and his work. In the middle of the pandemic, that meant connecting with The COVID Tracking Project, whose data were used by news organizations, two presidential administrations and an array of federal agencies鈥攊ncluding the CDC and FDA.

鈥淲orking on this project kick-started me thinking that I can actually make things with code that are useful for people,鈥� he said.

As a first-year student, he assisted Robin Burke, professor and chair of information science, in studying fairness in recommender systems. Not only was he able to quickly understand the platform they used for conducting machine learning experiments, but he also helped make improvements to the software that increased its efficiency. Moreover, despite ongoing releases of the software, Schwartz鈥檚 code is still supporting it.

鈥淗is interest in philosophy was one of the things that attracted him to our research group, which looks at fairness and other ethical dimensions of recommender systems,鈥� Burke said. 鈥淔or our department as a whole, ethical and critical reflection is a key value, so I think that鈥檚 one reason info was a good fit for Andrew.鈥�

Thanks to his work with Burke as well as developing a relationship with Brian Keegan, he was able to take both his experience and his education abroad as an invited researcher at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid.

  鈥淚nfo gives us the skills to look at topics from a lot of different domains with a critical thinking lens and data-driven quantitative perspective, and that鈥檚 a skill that鈥檚 broadly applicable.鈥�
Andrew Schwartz

鈥淚 studied in Seville for my junior year and completed most of my philosophy coursework while I was in Spain,鈥� Schwartz said. 鈥淥ne of the priorities for me was language acquisition and immersion. So, I lived in Madrid over the following summer and did a research collaboration with Brian鈥檚 colleagues鈥擜ndrea Pe帽a-Calvin, Javier Arroyo and Samer Hassan鈥攁nd we got published this spring.鈥�

In Spain, he and the team studied how online communities govern and organize themselves. This experience, and others, emphasized to him the myriad ways data touch various fields, as well as the critical thinking skills needed to leverage technology effectively. 

That鈥檚 something he feels he developed through both his majors.

鈥淲hen it comes to impact and being able to make something I鈥檓 proud of, a big part of that is being able to make technology for the people to use it, and make things that people enjoy using and improve their lives,鈥� he said. 鈥淚nfo places a big emphasis on that.鈥�

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By Iris Serrano
Photos by Kimberly Coffin (CritMedia, StratComm鈥�18)

Being a first-generation college student means discovering new things and pushing past limits. In their time at the 糖心Vlog破解版, Nicolas Tamayo went above and beyond those expectations and didn鈥檛 let fear hold them back.

  鈥淚'm absolutely a different person than I was four years ago, and I hope to be able to continue growing as time goes on.鈥�
Nicolas Tamayo (Fren,JourSt鈥�24)

As he prepares to graduate, Tamayo will go on their greatest adventure yet: They were accepted to the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and will be teaching English in Montpellier, France.

鈥淚t can be daunting to try new things, especially if you鈥檙e going in by yourself,鈥� Tamayo said, 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 so much more rewarding and fulfilling to say yes to new opportunities, instead of saying no and missing out on what could have been.鈥�

Tamayo will be graduating as the William W. White Outstanding Senior for the Department of Journalism with degrees in both journalism and French. The White awards are chosen by CMCI faculty and honor students for their academic accomplishments, professional achievements and service to the college.

Service, in particular, defined Tamayo at CMCI: They participated as a resident assistant for summer bridge programs, served as president of CMCI student government and were active in multicultural organizations. As they go forward, they鈥檙e looking to continue that mindset.

鈥淚 want to work with people and help them find success in whatever they choose to set their mind to,鈥� Tamayo said.

Much of that relates to paying forward all the support they received as a Buff.

鈥淚 achieved so much more than I ever thought possible. Every person who鈥檚 been a part of my life and my network over the past few years has helped me to grow,鈥� they said. 鈥淚'm absolutely a different person than I was four years ago, and I hope to be able to continue growing as time goes on.鈥�

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