In May 2024, I graduated from Rutgers University School of Communication and Information with a [Master of Information (MI) degree](https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/graduate-programs/master-information) and the [data science concentration](https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/graduate-programs/master-information/concentrations/data-science). I returned to full-time employment with the [Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr) (OHSEPR) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), where I started a [Pathways Internship](https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/) in June 2023. I was [converted](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-362/subpart-A/section-362.107) to a position in the competitive service during August 2024.
I visited Washington, D.C. in mid-August to support [the inaugural convening on disaster human services](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr/event/shaping-future-disaster-human-svcs).
I am continuing to attend monthly training sessions as part of the [State of the States Data Ambassador Program](https://boggscenter.rwjms.rutgers.edu/news/njlend-fellow-ethan-yoo-selected-as-state-of-the-states-data-ambassador).
* For the first time since the emergence of COVID-19, I went with several friends to [Blobfest](https://thecolonialtheatre.com/blobfest/), an annual event commemorating the 1958 film [*The Blob*](https://letterboxd.com/film/the-blob/).
* I attended an [NJLEND](https://boggscenter.rwjms.rutgers.edu/student-experiences/njlend) reunion at The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development (formerly The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities).
* I wrapped up my second year as a fellow with [The Boggs Center](https://boggscenter.rwjms.rutgers.edu/). I will continue representing New Jersey in the [State of the States Data Ambassador Program](https://stateofthestates.ku.edu/data-ambassadors).
* I graduated from Rutgers University School of Communication and Information with a [Master of Information (MI) degree](https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/graduate-programs/master-information) and having completed the [data science concentration](https://comminfo.rutgers.edu/graduate-programs/master-information/concentrations/data-science).
* I graduated from the [Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program in Politics and Government](https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/grad-fellowships/).
* My appointment as a research assistant with the Department of Library and Information Science ended in mid-April.
* My placement with the [New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)](https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/eis/) in the Division of Family Health Services ended on April 30.
* I attended the [RU Running? Political Campaign Training](https://cypp.rutgers.edu/young-leaders/) held by the Center for Youth Political Participation at the Eagleton Institute of Politics.
* I visited the [Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr) (OHSEPR) in Washington, D.C. during my spring break.
* I started an internship with [New Jersey Early Intervention System (NJEIS)](https://www.nj.gov/health/fhs/eis/) in the Division of Family Health Services, New Jersey Department of Health as part of the [Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program](https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/grad-fellowships/).
* I started my last semester in the Master of Information (MI) program.
* I was selected to represent The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities and New Jersey as part of an inaugural cohort of "Data Ambassadors" led by the federally funded [State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities](https://stateofthestates.ku.edu/) project and the [Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)](https://www.aucd.org/template/index.cfm).
* I went to the [Museum of Sex](https://www.museumofsex.com/about/) with a friend.
* I attended the [Princeton Prospective PhD Preview (P3)](https://graddiversity.princeton.edu/prospective-phd-preview-p3) program, "a nationally recognized program that focuses on engaging scholars from diverse academic, research, and non-traditional backgrounds around the path to the Ph.D."
* I returned to work with a professor from the Department of Library and Information Science at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information.
* I attended the Eagleton Institute's [Future of Democracy Networking Reception](https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/event/future-of-democracy-networking-reception/).
* I went to the [Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)](https://www.moma.org/) with a friend.
* I started the fall 2023 semester at Rutgers University, including the [Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program in Politics and Government](https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/grad-fellowships/).
* I wrapped up my role with the Center for Research on Ending Violence (REV) at Rutgers School of Social Work.
* I was invited to continue working at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) as a part-time intern. I will remain in the [Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr) (OHSEPR).
* I completed an [8-week introduction to grant proposal writing](https://www.fhsu.edu/sociology/grant-writing-certification-program/) offered by the Sociology Program at Fort Hays State University.
* I started a full-time summer internship at the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where I am working with the [Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response](https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsepr) (OHSEPR).
* I was invited to continue working with the Center for Research on Ending Violence (REV) at Rutgers School of Social Work as a temporary research assistant on a new project.
* I graduated from the 2022-2023 [New Jersey Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NJLEND) graduate fellowship program](https://boggscenter.rwjms.rutgers.edu/student-experiences/njlend).
* I accepted a Governor's Executive Award for the 2023-2024 [Eagleton Graduate Fellowship Program in Politics and Government](https://eagleton.rutgers.edu/grad-fellowships/).
* I completed the non-credit [Certificate in Nonprofit Career Development (Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy, Texas A&M University)](https://tamu.badgr.com/public/assertions/ifg0paHpTSOBvVutj4_JsQ?identity__email=ethan@ethanyoo.com), for which I received a full scholarship.
* I was awarded an [Equity Scholarship](https://www.njla.org/scholarships) by the New Jersey Library Association (NJLA) for the 2023-2024 academic year. The Equity Scholarship was funded through partnerships with Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, the New Jersey State Library, and LibraryLinkNJ.
* I started working for the Center for Research on Ending Violence (REV) at Rutgers School of Social Work as a temporary graduate research assistant.
* I decided that I will pursue a research doctorate (i.e., a PhD) after graduating with the Master of Information (MI) degree - most likely in a social science (e.g., sociology or demography).
* I started working on a pilot study with a professor from the Department of Library and Information Science at Rutgers University School of Communication and Information.
* I interviewed for full-time employment with many interesting government and non-profit organizations, but I ultimately decided to continue attending school full-time while working part-time. For example, I started working for Rutgers University Libraries as a Data Science Graduate Specialist, a role in which I develop and teach weekly, open workshops in "Data Science Basics" for individuals who want to improve their data management and visualization skills.
* I finished my year of national service in the [AmeriCorps VISTA](https://americorps.gov/serve/fit-finder/americorps-vista) program on October 24, 2022.
* Using the scholarship I was awarded by Thomas Edison State University, I started a graduate-level course (Optimization - Linear Programming) in the data science program.
* I met with a group of friends from Swarthmore College in New York City.
* I was certified to graduate from Thomas Edison State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and an associate's degree in mathematics on June 10, 2022. I also completed the undergraduate certificates in Computer Information Systems and Operations Management.
* I was awarded scholarship funds for the fall 2022 semester by the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University.
* I was awarded a Joseph Lippincott Fellowship ([Swarthmore Fellowship](https://www.swarthmore.edu/fellowships-and-prizes/swarthmore-fellowships)) by the Fellowships and Prizes Committee at Swarthmore College.
* I was selected to participate in [The Boggs Center's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (NJLEND) program](https://www.rwjms.rutgers.edu/boggscenter/student/LEND.html) as a Library and Information Science Fellow during the 2022-2023 academic year. NJLEND is an interdisciplinary graduate fellowship and leadership development program.
* I officially withdrew from the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at Smith College School for Social Work, from which I had been taking a leave of absence.
* I finished the November 2021 term at Thomas Edison State University, including three [online courses](https://www.tesu.edu/academics/online-courses) (Data Structures; Database Management; Software Engineering) and two [e-Pack courses](https://www.tesu.edu/academics/e-pack-courses) (Computer Concepts and Applications; Industrial Psychology).
* Between moving in January 2021 and summer coursework at Smith College, I had some months where I wasn't regularly volunteering as an EMT. I'm back to it as of late November 2021.
* I started participating in [#100DaysToOffload](https://100daystooffload.com/) on December 1. #100DaysToOffload "challenge[s] people to publish 100 posts on their **personal blog** in a year." I'm posting these entries to [Write.as,](https://ethan.writeas.com/) a blogging platform with its foundations in [free software](https://writefreely.org/) and [a respect for privacy.](https://write.as/principles)
* I disabled access logs and updated the [privacy policy](/privacy/) on December 24.
* I left Mastodon for a few weeks before creating a new account as [@ethanyoo@todon.eu](https://todon.eu/@ethanyoo) on December 29.
## November 2020
* I wrote my first "personal" post on November 2, where I describe [leaving Cloudflare and GitLab Pages.](/cloudflare/)
* I'm back to volunteering as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) as of November 4.
* I posted the [privacy and security policy](/privacy/) for this website on November 8.
* I wrote a new ["Start" page](/index.html) on November 11; it's now more of a landing page. There is an image of the old index page at the bottom of this post.
* I added the "Now" page (what you're currently reading) on November 11.
# Images
