New student organization WARN (We Are Not Robots or Numbers) hosted Maura Youngman, their first guest speaker on March 30. We Are Not Robots or Numbers is an organization on campus that analyzes and discusses technology ethics, the future in relation to technology and how we can use technology to strengthen community bonds.

Since graduating from Hamline in 2009 with a degree in communications studies and international journalism, Youngman has gone on to work for the New York Times and Google. Youngman’s career began by delivering newspapers for The Oracle. However, she worked her way up to write for the paper.

Once she graduated from Hamline, she started an internship with The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a small news media organization based in Washington DC. Through this internship, Youngman was able to fully immerse herself in the world of journalism. She stated that because small non-profits allow you to explore many different opportunities, they are a great job to have right after college. 

After accepting a job offer with The Pulitzer Center, Youngman quickly noticed that the center did not know who its audience was. Realizing that the center, and many other businesses like it, would greatly benefit from someone with knowledge of audience interaction, Youngman decided to get a master’s degree in order to pursue a career in research.

Since receiving a master’s degree in Information, Human Computer Interaction and Information Policy from the University of Michigan in 2014, Youngman has worked for the New York Times, the Berkman Center, and Google in research-driven positions. 

The transition from journalism to research was quite natural for Youngman. 

“Good journalism and good research share a lot of common threads,” she said. 

 Both research and journalism are all about using confusing information to tell stories, and both fields contain their own obstacles.

However, Youngman made sure to give guidance to those looking to enter her field. First, she addressed the reality of being a woman in tech. She stated that, while being the only woman in the room can be very intimidating, it can help to find allies in your workplace and to consult with peers to make sure they have your back on possibly controversial opinions.

She then went on to state that it is vital to find a specialty that you genuinely enjoy, and furthermore to be open as to where that specialty may take you. She went on to say that understanding what current events are impacting your speciality is extremely important and can make you stand out from the crowd.