Community Building

JPL Early Career Community

R. Davis Born • Richa Sirohi

2019 - 2021

Overview

This is not a “technical” project, but it is every bit as important—if not more—and it is very close to my heart. When moving to a new city to start a new job when you are fresh out of school, it can be extremely challenging to establish a community. This is a struggle I and many other early-career JPL-ers know well, and when my friend Richa wanted to do something about, I was all in.

Towards the end of 2019, we began aggressively organizing events and communication channels to help early career folks find and connect with each other. It took off immediately, and the community quickly grew to over 500 members. It was so fulfilling to both find myself engaging with my community more fully than ever and see dozens of others making the connections they had been longing for.

Our timing wasn’t perfect, though, because the COVID-19 pandemic slammed on the brakes for us in March of 2020. In the following months we re-doubled our efforts to help our community members connect virtually. We found success, even during the pandemic, and we gained considerable notoriety around JPL as a vital resource for new hires and an integral part of JPL’s culture. It made me so happy to contribute to such a vibrant and valuable community.