Outreach-Networking.md

Thomas Laird - Outreach & Networking

Meetups/Networking Events: Identify 1 meetup and/or other networking event that you'll attend between now and the end of Module 3. Answer these questions:

1. Why will you attend this particular event?

Code for Denver. I will attend this event because of my interest in civic tech and because Code for Denver provides an opportunity to work with the broader tech community in Denver.

2. Who do you hope to connect with at this event?

CFD leadership, Turing grads as available and other attendees of the event. CFD leadership connections will provide me both with insight into the people who are making civic tech work behind the scenes. Turing grads will help expand my network beyond the cohorts currently at Turing and could potentially lead towards mentee/mentor opportunities. Other attendees will further widen my network and introduce me to people with a variety of backgrounds both in tech and otherwise.

3. How will you follow-up with the people you connect at this event?

I will continue to attend meetings when available, and will seek to collaborate and interact with people from CFD on a frequent basis.

Warm Outreach: Identify a mentor, alum, or someone else in the Turing community you will reach out to by the end of Module 3. If you have someone you'd like to reach out to outside of the Turing community, go for it! Describe:

1. Why you want to connect with this person and what you hope to talk about

I am interested in meeting with someone with a background or mutual interest in machine learning. Given the experience of many of the people on the list, I feel fairly confident that anyone could be a good resource, but it can sometimes be difficult to find somebody with knowledge of a fringe or complicated topic like machine learning. Several people list this as a topic of interest or expertise, therefore I would like to get the opportunity to meet with them in some capacity!

2. When you will contact them by and how you plan to meet

I will contact them via slack if possible and email otherwise. I'll meet with them according to their preference as listed on the mentor list.

3. What your follow-up will look like once you've met with them

First I would want to extend my thanks to them for meeting with me in the first place. I would also want to reference our conversation and maybe some things that I followed up on that we might have discussed during our meeting in order to demonstrate my continued interest in working with them.