Kristi Dawn Riggs, CCT 2020

Undergraduate Institution and Major: Academy of Art University, Communications and Digital Technologies

Area of focus in CCT: International Affairs, Journalism, and Data Storytelling

What did you do before CCT?  Prior to CCT, I worked as an independent contractor and freelancer In digital and broadcast media. The organizations I worked for spanned government agencies, private industry, and non-profits and included travel all over the world. I produced content, edited, and managed social campaigns. 

What activities did you participate in during CCT? While at CCT I held the role of Multimedia Fellow, Director of Alumni Relations for the Georgetown University Graduate Government Student Body, was selected as a 2019 Pat Tillman Scholar, and won first place in the 2020 Georgetown University Public Policy Competition. I was also a United Nations Graduate Fellow, a program that CCT supported as part of my development.

Why did you choose CCT? I wanted a flexible program that would allow me to design my way forward according to what my unique needs were as a working student. I was accepted into three programs, and, of those choices, CCT came out on top.

What surprised you about CCT? The diversity of the CCT student population across disciplines, ages, gender, and nationality was great! I met people from all over the world who educated me on things that I didn’t know would be relevant to my career, and those experiences widened the lens by which I see myself and where my career can go. 

What are you doing now? As a doctoral candidate in the Doctorate of Liberal Studies Program at Georgetown University, I am researching Syrian single mothers residing in refugee camps in Jordan and their access to communication technologies. My work as a student and researcher underscores my life’s thematic purpose of service and education, which was highlighted during my time at CCT when I won the 2020 Public Policy Challenge at Georgetown for a project on homeless youth moms in the District. While this project is taking me much further geographically, my interdisciplinary training will be the key to understanding the intersections of agency, cultural identity, and integration, a project I hope to scale and replicate across refugee camps worldwide.