Bridging Baltimore's Digital Divide with Kenya Asli, JD '08

In this episode of “The UMB Pulse,” Kenya Asli, JD ’08, director of the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Broadband and Digital Equity, shares how she blended her Maryland Carey Law degree with her social work degree to help close the digital divide in Baltimore. 
 
Asli discusses the city’s broadband strategy, initiatives to provide public Wi-Fi and digital resources, partnerships with local internet service providers, and the role of makerspaces in fostering creativity and innovation.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Kenya Asli
01:47 Kenya's Educational Journey and Career Path
07:27 Advice for New Graduates
11:43 Role and Goals of the Office of Broadband and Digital Equity
15:46 Challenges and Solutions in Baltimore's Internet Access
20:37 Public WiFi and Consumer Protection
22:22 Addressing the Equity Issue in Baltimore's Internet Service
23:43 Expanding Fiber Infrastructure for New ISPs
24:34 The Importance of Internet Access in Modern Life
25:38 UMB's Partnership with Waves for Free Internet
26:18 Challenges and Innovations in Providing Reliable Internet
29:12 Public Wifi and Device Accessibility in Baltimore
32:42 Empowering Seniors with Technology
36:22 Bringing Technology to the Community with Mobile Units
39:16 The Rise of Makerspaces in Baltimore
42:49 Personal Preferences and Final Thoughts

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Transcript

0:00

So welcome back to the UMB Pulse! Today, we're here talking all things tech and equity with one of UMB's own Maryland Carey Law alums, a shaker and a mover who's pushing Baltimore City into the future. Today's guest is absolutely one of those people, Kenya Asli. Uh, she's bridging the digital divide right here in Baltimore City. She's the director, uh, of the Mayor's Office of Broadband and Digital Equity, which means it's all about high speed internet public access, and Kenya is the one steering that ship. I think what's great about her story, like so many of the guests that we've had recently, Charles, is that she started out at Morgan State University. She studied social work. She went on to graduate school here at UMB and wound up with a law degree and as we'll hear her explain. Her path has kind of taken her somewhere where she didn't exactly think that, you know, she wasn't planning to be where she is today, but she's doing a bang up job working for the city, making change. And you know, I tell my kids all the time, like they're young adults, and I'm like, where you are today in your job is not necessarily where you're going to be in 10 or 15 years. And we've had a few guests recently who've had that same kind of trajectory. Right. So it sounds like her career went from dial up to DSLs, to now she's kicking into high gear with that gigabit fiber. So let's dive in and hit the internet superhigh with Kenya Asli You are listening to the heartbeat of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, the UMB Pulse. Kenya, I'd like to just thank you for joining us today, one of our very own Maryland Carey Law alum, here to spread the, the word about the good works that you do here in Baltimore City. Thank you. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. We appreciate it. And, um, to, to jump right in with what I just alluded to, you are a graduate from UMB and you also have a, um, an undergrad from Morgan in, um, social work. So I'm very, yes, very curious. Like did you originally, was that your original intended path of study? Did you know where you were going with it? I kind of imagine, yeah, when you got that, that degree, maybe this job that you're in now didn't even really exist, so tell us. No, it didn't. After completing my undergrad from Morgan State University in social work, I knew that I wanted to go a step further. Uh, Morgan gave me a great foundation in working with neighborhoods and communities, but. I knew that there was something bigger. There were folks like Barbara Mikulski who had, uh, really influenced a lot of my decision. I had a great boss at the time, his name is Michael Sarbanes, who said, Kenya you really ought to consider law school? And so I did. And my time at the University of Maryland, Carey Law was awesome because I was able to marry what I learned about the conditions in Baltimore City with what I was learning in law school. So I felt like I gave myself a custom designed education because we we're property law. I questions about tenant landlords and knowing, because I was already working with folks that were, uh, facing some challenges in that area. So I was able to apply what I was actually doing full- time because I went to school full time and I worked full-time. So I was able to apply what I was doing every day in Baltimore City neighborhoods to my education at UMB, and it worked. It was great. And so, so what did you think you were eventually going to do with it? So, you know how we have these. These ideas, these thoughts, these plans. Life rarely ever goes that way. So once I started thinking, once I started in law school, I really got interested in family law. I was turning completely away from the community work. It was great, I'd done it, but I got very, very interested in family law. So after law school I worked with, um, a local attorney. She is. Tatarsha Harris, she is a family attorney and said, listen, I'm not, and I'm, I don't, and I'm, I'm not sure if I'm ready to fully commit, but can I at least work with you for a little bit? Can I clerk with you for a little bit so I get some experience? And I did. And it was great. It was, it was a lot of work and I still felt torn. There were issues that were, that that, that were very important to me that I was not working on in family law. So I went back to the community work. I actually started working for Baltimore City Department of uh, Public Works. Then I went over to the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. From there, um, I started working for the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology. I had no idea that I would end up there, but I will say this, I will say this. I had a friend, I had a friend who was, and she was actually a student over at the School of Social Work, University of Maryland School of Social Work, and she says, Kenya, I want you to tell me. If there is a class that you lawyers take that tell you you can do anything, and just as I say, you know what, if I ever take that class, I'll let you know. Sure enough, there was a seminar. All of the, uh, graduating law students were called into the ceremonial courtroom and one of their professors, Brenda Bratton Blum, I am calling names Professor Blum. She gave us this speech, and one of the things that she said is, you can do anything, she said, you have the skills, you have the experience, you have the relationships. You have the depth of knowledge that will allow you to do just about anything. And sure enough, the skills that I learned from UMB, the relationships I developed at UMB, the ability to apply all of that. To technology, to workforce development, to, to law, to any, any area that, uh, that I decided to, to, to work in it. It's worked. I've actually had, uh, my former CIO say, Kenya, you are unique. She, he said, I can drop you into any area, any topic, and you will apply your skillset and you always deliver. So that's what I got from the University of Maryland School of Law. Carey Law. I, it would, it's been an amazing experience. That fantastic. That sounds wonderful. Like, um, it, it's good to be a Jack or Jill of all trades. I, I really think of, of, of having that broad education. That's where, you know, liberal arts education is great for, and it's, it's even better when you get that exposure in a professional and a, and a graduate school too. So. With all that said, based on your journey, we have some fresh graduates from Maryland Carey Law this year. So what advice would you give them as they're trying to figure out their journey now that they, you know, have that degree in hand? Okay. If you already know what you wanna do, there are folks, I had some, uh, classmates who, they were, as a matter of fact, Nancy, I had a classmate who was already a surgeon, so I went, I went to the, to the night school. It's a little different feeling. So, um, I had a, she was actually the head of, of surgery for a local hospital, but she was, she was in law school. So if you already know where you wanna focus, you know, you have a passion for health, you know you have a passion for cybersecurity, you know what, what your passions are, then you're probably set. But if you like me, and there are a few of us. Like me, if you have a very clear skillset that UMB helps you to develop, you get to choose where you work and how you work. So my, my advice to you is to figure out where your passions are and apply your skillset there. And don't just stop there. I will say while I was in law school, my children were very young. One in daycare and one in elementary school. I taught my children, if you ever want anything from me, I gave them. For those of you who have not attended law school, we call it CRACK or IRAC. It's conclusion, rule analysis, conclusion, or the issue. The rule. The analysis. The conclusion. So my children now, even when they were younger, mom, I really want to go to this dance. Okay? My answer is no. Now you have to convince me otherwise, and they would use. They would use that outline to craft their argument. So, and they are actually, my daughter is a therapist and my son is in IT. So, um, it works. It's, it's that, it's the skills that you get, it's the relationships that you can develop. And not only that, because you are attending University of Maryland, Carey Law in Maryland, right? So because you're in Maryland, you get to really get your feet not just wet, but covered, drenched. What's happening in, in our state. So when I am communicating, we do a lot of advocacy. Um, with a general assembly, my ability to walk into any senator or delegate's office and communicate the issues that we're working on in a very clear way that I know they'll understand. I learned how to do that through law school. You learn how to advocate, you learn, you figure out how to communicate with, um, your elected officials. Very well through that law school experience. So what I'd say to anyone's graduating, focus on your skills. Be clear about what your skill, what your skillset is, and then apply it to a place that turns you on a place that, that, that reflects your passions. For anyone graduating, I would recommend you focus on your skills. Think about what your, um. What, what tools you have in your tool set and then apply it to an issue that, um, also ignites your passions. I, I think your, uh, kids learned well, I'm just imagining them taking out some poster board and be like, mom, here's a five point analysis of why we have to go to Hershey Park this summer. Oh, they would do that summer. They. Oh, oh yes. In the summers I'm at work, they're at home. So it, they, they were ready to leave the house. Like, no, no, no, no, no. You're gonna write it. You're gonna read a book, or you're going to read an article. I want a summary on the article and you know the outline format. Uh, I wanna know what your position is and apply that outline format. Tell me what you think. So, yes, my kids are excellent at debate, by the way. I bet, I bet they learn from the best. That's. So now moving to the present Kenya, um, for your current role. So what does the Office of Broadband and Digital Equity do and what's your, you know, day and day out outlook? Like? The Office of Broadband Digital Equity, we are a program of the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology. Um, our charge for the most part is to close the digital divide in Baltimore City. Now, that sounds huge, but we've broken it down into four goals. We know that the digital divide is closed once all Baltimore City residents have access to a computing device, they, and they know how to use that device. Number two, all Baltimore City residents have access to technical assistance and training. That's two and three. And then number four is all Baltimore City residents have access to high speed, reliable internet. Now, how did a person with a law degree get into this conversation? I'll tell you what happened. I was the director of strategic initiatives for for BCIT, and I was actually hired. I used to call myself the Olivia Pope for, so anyone who's ever watched Scandal, I was the Olivia Pope of of BCIT because my boss would say, something's broken. I need you to go over there and fix it. Now, that is absolutely the role of an attorney in a lot of ways. But my job was to fix challenges, fixed problems, and I was working on any number of, um, IT related projects from uh, figuring out all of our contracts, coming up with some kind of contracts matrix to, uh, negotiating a better deal for, uh, software implementation. Right? So I was the jack of all trades and then COVID hit and my boss said, um, we've got a ton of computers in, in storage. How can we help Baltimore City schools? Because we knew that. Baltimore City School students were going home. Many of them did not have devices. So what could we do? I figured it out and that turned into, hey, so we have this broadband strategy that we haven't really done anything with. Can you make it happen? And so I did, and we very, very quickly operationalized the strategy that had been sitting on the shelf for quite some time and a couple years later. Uh, I am the director of Broadband digital Equity. So day in, day out right now I am working on developing a revenue model for long-term sustainability of digital equity in Baltimore city, especially in this, this political climate. That's what day in, day out looks like. I am, I'm actually on my other screen here. Analyzing. Analyzing Baltimore City policy to ensure that Baltimore city agencies are thinking about digital equity as we are communicating and working with the public. I have an amazing team of, uh, of folks who are, we are, we are, uh, managing grants for, uh, nonprofit organizations. And I have a huge infrastructure project where we are actually building out our middle miles little, the middle mile is. Is very important infrastructure that allows new ISPs to attach to our infrastructure to provide connectivity to residents and businesses. So, but I had to figure all that out. Again, the thing about having a law degree in it, if you don't know anything about it, when you start and you have to learn all of it, it's, it's interesting to be the lawyer in the IT space. I bet. I bet. What's the number one comment that you hear from city residents about either internet or technology? Number one comment is there is one, one internet provider in the city actively operating in the city now. That's Comcast because they are the only one. The number one comment is we think residents think that if we have more competition, we'd have, uh, better prices, different packages. They want variety as opposed to feeling pigeonholed into working with the one and only. So. We've taken up the charge and we actually have, we have a new, at least two new ISPs coming into Baltimore City, uh, by the end of this year, as a matter of fact. So I'm excited to, I'm excited about that. But the number one comment, the one thing that everybody in Baltimore City wants is they want more, they want more options. They want more opportunities. Comcast is a, is also a cable company and a lot of folks are cutting the cord on cable and they're switching to streaming services. So how do you do that? So, yeah, the number one is we need more options. Makes sense. Makes sense. And then in comparison, what's the top, um, or what's the top, at the top of mind for businesses when it comes to internet or digital equity? For businesses? It's almost the, the same comment, but what I'm hearing from businesses is we want more options. We want more affordable options. That's the thing. We've got even on the, for residents, we've. We are hearing, uh, residents who are paying 200 bucks a month for what they call the triple play and they don't even own a home phone. The triple play includes a phone line, right? But you get, you get sold a package because if you bundle, you save, right? Yep. That's, and our businesses are saying, Hey, we some businesses who, larger corporations, they've already got it figured out, but for your smaller businesses, a lot of your storefronts. So for our small businesses, what we're hearing is it's not just about the options for them, but also having options for their customers, especially for like your restaurants. And they want their customers to be able to log on to, to internet and use that, use the the resource while they, they are shopping or dining. So Baltimore City has launched a, a public wifi network, primarily at, uh, rec centers and senior centers. But we are going to deploy our public wifi to one of the main streets. As you all may know, Baltimore City has 10 Main Streets districts, and these main streets districts are for small businesses. They have a ton of small businesses. So we are launching a public wifi along the Pennsylvania Avenue Main Street. It should go live by September of this year. That's, um. It's incredible that, that, um, that's being done. What's the question of top of mind of tourists?'cause I'm imagining for myself, like what you're saying about free internet. When I go to big cities, uh, it's like, okay, I, I, my cell signal's not working. I need to post or need to find where I'm going. I'm trying to find, to see if there's maybe free wifi, you know, from the city or the tourism agency. Yeah. That least can get me connected. And so what happens is I'll be frustrated maybe going to an event or something, and it's like all the free WiFi's for everybody who lives there because it's, you know, offered as like free Xfinity wifi or I forget, uh, there was a provider in Florida that was everywhere in Tampa that was like, well, I'm not a subscriber for that. And so it's, it's. It creates a, uh, an exclusive club for residents and as a tourist. So like, I, I wanna promote how much fun I'm having in your city, but I can't right now. Yeah. So Baltimore City, if you are, especially if you're in the downtown area, there is a public wifi network anyone can tap into. I, but that's in our tourist area. Mm-hmm. Our residents and our businesses are also interested. So we are all you have to do, you go to FreeBMoreWiFi. You can log right into our public wifi. It's again, free. I will tell you we did. It was, so we had, we had the, we thought we had the best name for our public wifi network. It was like, uh, Charm City, uh, free wifi. And we did a, a little session with some neighborhood leaders and they said, the first thing you wanna do is change the name. Like, excuse me, he said, all folks want to know is that it is free. It's in Bmore and it's wifi, so we changed the name to FreeBmoreWiFi so that anyone can, can tap in. That's great. Um, you brought up a, an interesting point about the affordability and, and having a single ISP provider., You're not. Um, unique in the sense that a lot of areas only have one provider, or maybe I know, um, for a, for a long time out in Washington County where I grew up, you had a local company Antietam cable. Now in Antietam Broadband was the. Uh, a majority, uh, carrier for the county, but then you had a pocket, uh, near Hancock. Another pocket near Sharpsburg was exclusively Comcast, and now Comcast is entering there. And so people are happy to have that competition now there. But I was wondering like how much I. Your office may work with like, um, consumer protection offices, um, through either the state or other agencies about, you know, pricing and, and competition and things like that. Because, you know, you, you touched on like a common complaint. I, I think we've all tried to do, it's like. You got that you got locked in for like the two year agreement, perhaps you had a low price and the old model, I would say 10 plus years ago, you used to be able to negotiate a lower price or have that, you know, I only need two items or I only need one. And then there'd be like a real savings. And now it feels like you're being gaslit where it's like, well actually if you do less, you're gonna be paying more. Let's keep having the three, which is not gonna be any cheaper, but it's just gonna be the same price. Doesn't it look like a savings to you? And you're like, well, I literally have no other option. And so I just, I'm sure you've heard that comment a lot. We do. So, you know, if you live in Baltimore City, you hear often that, uh, residents in the county surrounding, they just, they have more options. They have Verizon and they have Comcast, and they, they, they have more options. I. Then one of the questions I get, I have gotten, especially when we, when I'm out talking to neighborhood associations in particular, the number one question for me is, why is that? Why is there just one company? And I'll tell you the answer really is it's, it's an equity issue. So in Baltimore City, Comcast. I have to be very clear, Comcast has been a great partner. They, uh, work with us on a number of important issues. They are always at the table. They have been a great partner. So I wanna make sure that everyone hears me say that I am. Yes, they have been a great partner. Um, but what, what I'm hearing from other ISPs, other internet service providers about why they aren't in Baltimore. It's because fiber is king and fiber is expensive. And so to pull fiber through all of Baltimore City in order to compete with Comcast is going to cost millions and a lot of ISP just cannot, they have not decided to make that investment. So that's where my office comes in. So what we've done. We have expanded the infrastructure, our fiber infrastructure, to just about every neighborhood in Baltimore City so that a new ISP can piggyback. We call it piggyback, or they can lease our infrastructure in order to provide service in any number of neighborhoods in Baltimore City. That is. The one thing I am most proud of in the time that I've spent in this role is that our team, they've been able to really level the playing field in Baltimore City, and again, we've got at least two new internet service providers. Entering the Baltimore City market in 2025. That is massive. I, the one of them is going to make an announcement in June, and I've, I've, I've been told not to say who they are just yet, but in this year for Baltimore City residents this year, things are changing and that's, that's really important because not only is the internet. We, a lot of us take, take the internet for granted. Not only is it important, but you gotta understand that nowadays 80% of jobs are now online, right? 92% of US jobs require digital skills. So it's not enough to be able to get online. You gotta be able to figure out, get, know how to use the computer and navigate online so it's not just. A great asset or resource to have in your home? It honestly, now it's a utility. It is the difference between thriving and surviving and, um, in this economy. Talking about affordable inter internet and free internet. Um, UMB, we've been doing our part. Um, we've been a strong partner with Waves, which used to be known as Project Waves, installing wifi towers, antennas, and relays in buildings in West Baltimore. Uh, that's both on the top of the UMB Community Engagement Center and over at the, uh, Poppleton Bio Park Garage. Um, a lot of that happened during the pandemic. Mm-hmm. And I know that they had. Uh, connected and upwards of 300 families to free internet. Mm-hmm. And I know that they're doing similar work thanks to a grant, uh, through, through the city, the Connect Baltimore Grant program. How important has that grant program been and Waves and trying to kind of fill that gap? Great question. Um, so Waves is a local nonprofit internet service provider. They've been operating now from the early days of COVID. And you know what Charles, their business model has changed a wee bit and we have supported this, this new version of Waves. So initially, to your point, initially, uh, Waves was using, um, uh, wifi towers. And that, that's a great option. Creates a mesh network. It's a great option, but it doesn't give you the reliability, uh, because you gotta have that line of sight. Your equipment has to be in clear line of sight of the antenna, and if something happens, then you lose connectivity. So waves, they are now in the fiber business. They have partnered with a local company. And they are able to use fiber to do, uh, lots of connections all over the, all over the city. We recently gave them a $2 million grant to continue that work and through that work thus far, we gave them, I think they got their, they, we approved them just this year. Thus far they have 13, um, uh, apartment buildings connected. Out of those, those 13, over 727 residents are now getting free internet through waves and they've only just begun. Uh, so it's really important where we can to help build the capacity of local internet service providers because. Waves understands the community. They partner very well with, uh, property owners that they, they can get in, they provide the connections, but they go a step further. They were also a partner with us on our 50,000 Chromebook giveaway initiative. So they were able to, uh, the, quite a few of, first, let me go back. So we partnered with Pratt Library. We got a grant from the state to distribute 50,000 Chromebooks and Waves. They were able to distribute a lot of those Chromebooks through their customers and a number of these, these properties. So they are a important and strategic partner. Are, are they replacing the, like the wifi towers with the fiber or are they still leaving some of the old infrastructure up for the, the neighborhoods that they partnered with? Um, I think they're doing both. I think they, their work, their into the fiber world is relatively new, so I think they we're going to see a great expansion from Waves in the future. Okay. Great. So Kenya, you mentioned in a WYPR interview recently how it's important to have wifi available to someone versus a computer lab, a freestanding type computer lab. Is there still a place for public computer labs? Alrighty. So, right now in Baltimore City, about 60% of homes have a dedicated wireline connection. That means that they have fiber or, um, uh, for Comcast, Comcast uses, uh, coaxial connection, but they have a connection to their home. What a lot of folks who don't have a dedicated line at home, they rely on wifi, public wifi. So what we've done is knowing that folks want to have this continuity of connectivity. You wanna be able to, if you're home and you have connection in your home, you're great to use it at home. At the moment you leave your house, you have to get to the next wifi location if you don't have a data plan on your cell phone. And we know about, we know quite a few Baltimore City residents don't have a data plan. They on a month to month, um, plan. So what we've done is. We have partnered with senior centers and 10 senior centers, I'm sorry, eight senior centers and uh, 46 recreation centers now have indoor and outdoor public wifi. But we didn't stop there because it isn't enough to just have the connection. Wifi or broadband is just the connection. What does it mean to be able to do your homework on a cell phone? Right. You got, you have to also have a device. So, uh, we brought in, we broken a deal between in our Pratt Library and, um, the Baltimore City Department of Recreations and Parks to deploy Chromebooks to every recreation center that does not already have a, um. A computer lab. So that is roughly 20 recreation centers that do not have a dedicated computer lab. So let me explain what the landscape looks like. Now, I want you to imagine that you are, um, a third grader living in Baltimore City. You may have a cell phone that your parents gave you when you're home. You have, uh, siblings and parents that are also using the computer. If you wanna get on that computer to either do your homework or or just to, just to go on Facebook or TikTok. Right? So it may be a line at home if you only have one device. So now in all Baltimore City neighborhoods that have access to a rec center, you can go to the rec center, you can borrow a device, use that device on site, and tap into our public wifi. All of this is for free. And as long as the rec center is open, you can use that device. I have heard a couple of stories where, um, young people have, uh, pushed the envelope and kept the rec center open a little longer than needed. But you can now do, uh, you can conduct business, you can have a telehealth appointment, you can do whatever you need to do now in a rec center using one of these devices. So. Now you can. So to make sure I'm answering your question, Dana, you can now access through public wifi, a device and connectivity in a rec center. Now, if you are at a senior center, our senior students are a little different. If you are at a senior center, one of our eight. You can access a, uh, the public wifi that's easy, indoor and outdoor. But I gotta tell you, Dana, what we learned from older adults, they said they do not like. The mouse pad. I didn't know this. They do not like the mouse pad. They don't, they don't want a Chromebook or anything that had, they want an actual mouse. Better yet, what they told us was, can I just get a tablet? They just want a tablet. They wanna be able to hold it in their hand and use the tablet. So what we are doing is we are outfitting our eight um, senior centers with devices and not just. Not just tablets. Not just computers. Okay. Charles, I want you all to imagine we,'cause again, with older adults, you gotta help them learn the skills, right? So I'm tickled to to report this, but it's an electronic bingo. So I want you just, just for a second mentioned if everybody had an electronic bingo card. It also has an electronic bingo, a game that's reporting the numbers, but it gives our older adults an opportunity to practice some of the skills that they are learning. We're also using, um, virtual reality goggles and technology at, at our senior centers to give our older adults some ex. Other world experiences. So yes, you can learn digital skills through virtual reality, but you can also take a trip to, I don't know, to Kenya. My name is Kenya. You can take a trip to Kenya. If you can imagine, Google Earth has this interface that there's a program. Through, um, virtual reality where you can experience other countries, you can, you can take a trip to Italy if you like. So having those kind of enrichment activities at our senior centers has been game changing. It's, it's making sure that our older adults are still very much engaged. They are learning the skills they are experiencing, uh, the broadband connectivity. And so for us it's a win-win, win. So they just are bypassing that built in mouse pad. They just wanna go right to, you know, AI Right to AI. So I guess if you wanna be on the cutting edge of technology, go to a senior center in Baltimore City. There you go. And so what you're basically saying is the old time computer labs really are kind of fading away and just becoming more, modernized, more, yeah. Catered to what people need Even in our rec centers. Um. The ones that don't have, some of them have dedicated computer labs. Those are much larger locations, and they use those for training. But when you think about how you use your computer at home, like in Middle Branch. Middle Branch is a recreation, is a recreation center in Cherry Hill, you can borrow a computer and just sit on one of the sofas right near the front door, relaxed, you know? Surfing the web, right? You don't have to sit in front of the computer. It isn't, isn't nailed to the, to the table, but it, it provides a more, um, relaxed, uh, social environment that create, let, let's down that barrier to entry for a lot of folks who have some anxiety around using computers. So computer labs have their role, especially for training. When you wanna just surf the net, you want that same experience out, out in the community that you may have at home. This partnership has allowed us to do that.. So Kenya, when you are looking at cities, say across the country, and mm-hmm. You might identify a city who's doing something really great, they're, they're, you know, making a difference. What is it that you're bringing home to Baltimore that you're saying, this is what we should be doing here. Like, let's figure out and implement what they're doing that's working in our own city. Okay. You know what? There are so many great examples. Short answer. Short answer, I have brought here. Um, I'll tell you one from my Smart City days. I was on a panel at, uh, again, at my tenure with the Baltimore City Office of Information and Technology. I've worn quite a few hats. One of them was as our Smart City strategist. So I was on a panel with someone from New Orleans and they said, you know, part of the challenge is our residents really want to understand how we're using our city watch cameras. How a 3 1 1 actually operates. When you, when you submit a request for service, how does that work? Why am I not getting the feedback? So what New Orleans did was they got a van that they outfitted with all this technology. And they take the van into communities, open up the back doors, and then allow the residents to take a peek into the technical world, I guess, of, uh, New Orleans government. Well, I, I brought that idea back to Baltimore. We have, we are getting a van. The van will be outfitted with our, uh, public wifi so I can park it in a neighborhood, turn it on, and everyone, um, in about a, uh, 50 foot, you know, don't quote me on the distance, but everyone in the vicinity will be able to tap into our public wifi. We will be able to open up the back doors and help residents learn more about. What we're doing in Baltimore City in terms of technology. Um, also under BCIT is our City Watch program and a lot of, a lot of folks have questions about our Crime Watch cameras. Well, we can show you what our crime watch cameras are doing. So that's one of the things that I, I brought back that I'm really, really excited about. And we should be, I think we are going to go live with our van this fall. Nice. That sounds like basically the, the 21st century bookmobile almost. Yes. Bringing the books to the people while you're bringing technology to the people, you know. Yes. Wheel, wheel it around that. That'd be really cool.. We are in the creator economy and people they are creating and not just content, they're creating tangible things thanks to, uh, technology and. We just had a, a recent announcement that our Office of Community and Civic Engagement just launched a new partnership with Open Works, which is one of the nation's largest, uh, nonprofit maker spaces. So they're gonna be expanding the, the programming and the access to the hands-on makerspace that we have for West Baltimore residents. And I just think it's really cool to be able to, you know, do or learn 3D printing, laser cutting different sewing techniques to, to make different things and vinyl design. What Open Works is helping us do is be the operating partner for Steven Mim Dubin Makerspace at the Community Engagement Center. So I know they have a presence throughout the city and you know, we just talked about computer labs and their roles. Well, this is a different lab for a very different reason, uh, and newer technology. So, um, you know, how do you view the rise of maker spaces in their role within the city? I think that it is Great. So let me just say, I am a member of the, uh, Baltimore, uh, Tool Library, and when I made my first coffee table, I went to Home Depot and bought a whole bunch of tools. So I, not only do I approve, but I'm also, I'm also a member of the Makerspace. And I'll tell you, um. One of the most amazing makerspace that I've seen here in Baltimore City is at the Enoch Pratt Central Library, but their space is restricted for teens only. They have 3D printing. They have crickets. They have everything that you mentioned, Charles. They have it in a restricted area. For teens only, which I think is an amazing investment. Um, and I, I think, oh, I'll, I'll tell you Open Works specifically, but just as an example, but Open Works did something, uh, kinda awesome. Early days of COVID. This is, this is a great example of the importance of the makerspace. They created these, uh, charging stations. These solar powered charging stations that also emit a wifi signal, and they had two different models. One was mobile so you can set it up and move around, and the other was pretty stationary. We actually funded them in our first round of grants. Um, but that just gives you an example of, uh, the ingenuity and innovation that's coming out of the makerspaces. You see some very interesting solutions to everyday problems. And again, I have a, now that I'm, now that I'm in tech from law school to tech, now that I'm in tech, I very much appreciate, um, those, I call that smart city designs because that's the place where people and technology meet. Very cool. I know I've recently been in our makerspace and just watching the community in there using the different. I know, I wouldn't call them products, but the, the different things that they can use, like you said, the cricket and the tools and it's, it is really exciting to see somebody create something with their own hands that they take home and they feel good about, and it's functional. They can use it. So, mm-hmm. About that too. Okay. I have a, a parting question for you, Kenya. You're, I'm ready. Super savvy. We've learned, not only are you social work, your law and your tech, what's your, what's your go-to PC or a Mac? Oh, I'm a PC, Android girl for the rest of my life, I wouldn't have guessed that I am p. I am p. I am Android, I am pc. I just think that it's so much easier to use, uh. For the rest of my life. No. It's funny, in, um, government, I have a lot of friends that work for, uh, federal government. They're all, they're iPhones. They are Mac. Yeah. I don't understand it at all. But the moment there's this ongoing battle that we have, the moment. I lose my phone or I can't access, they're like, see, if you had just switched to iPhone, you wouldn't have these problems. And the moment they get locked up, like, wait, if you just, if you just switch to Android, right? Once they get their virus. Once they get their virus. So yeah, I am definitely a PC, Android kind of girl. Well, Charles, I owe you $5. Darn. Well, Kenya, thank you so much. If there's anything we've left out, you know, be sure to let us know. We'll add it to the show notes. But we appreciate you being on. We certainly, as I said at the onset, we love to promote our UMB alumni, especially when you're doing really meaningful, important work like you are. So thank you. It was wonderful meeting you and we wish you continued successes and look forward to seeing where you are in 10 years, because I'm sure you're gonna. Find a new, a new path 'cause you just seem to keep that. That is very true. Thank you. The UMB Pulse with Charles Schelle and Dana Rampolla is a UMB Office of Communications and Public Affairs production. Edited by Charles Schelle, marketing by Dana Rampolla.