Kelly Horak
Q: Please share any additional academic plans (dual degree, research focus, minor, specialization, etc.) you may be pursuing.
A: I am working on a dual degree in Communication and Informatics.
Q: Please tell us about your background and why you decided to come to the iSchool.
A: I was a pre-major my freshman year, a Communications major my sophomore year and became a COM and INFO dual degree student at the start of my junior year. When I was only a Communications student, I was interested in community engagement and landed an internship with EnviroIssues, consulting for Sound Transit in the city of Tacoma. There I did community outreach, having many conversations with stakeholders and assessing survey insights to see where people wanted sound transit to improve in Tacoma. That experience showed me how much I enjoy conducting community engagement through interpersonal communication and the enhancement of digital communication. I became extremely interested in user research, so I decided to pursue Informatics along with Communications because I felt I could gain user research experience and connect with professors that align with my values of active inclusion and equity.
Q: What excites you about the information field?
A: As I round out my senior year, I am most excited to join an industry that is dynamic and omnipresent. There is no space where information is absent. I look forward to seeking information from places and people that are often overlooked. As I work to gain new perspectives and understandings through user research, I am excited to be a bridge between people and products. The ever-evolving nature of the information field excites me most, as it offers endless opportunities to bridge gaps and amplify voices that might otherwise go unheard.
Q: What’s been your favorite iSchool course or learning experience (e.g., directed fieldwork, research project, etc.)?
A: My favorite iSchool memories come from research projects with iSchool Professors Spencer Williams and Jason Yip.
Over the summer, Professor Williams, my friend Vera Guber and I worked on a literature review looking to find motivating factors of why people click on certain news articles on their social media feed. This was my first real experience helping with a research paper, and Spencer was an incredible mentor who guided us through the research process. He encouraged us to think critically about our findings and refine our approach. This experience solidified my passion for research and reinforced my desire to explore how information shapes engagement online.
I am also a researcher at KidsTeam, where Professor Jason Yip serves as director. Here, I collaborate with children in participatory design sessions to co-create innovative technological solutions that prioritize equity and inclusivity. Under Professor Yip’s guidance, I have learned how to translate research insights into actionable design recommendations, ensuring that technology is not only functional but also meaningful for its users.
Q: How do you apply your unique perspective as a dual degree student to your experience at the iSchool?
A: With both Communication and Informatics, there is a piece of each major within each department. You can't really have information without a means of communication and you can't have communication without communicating information — they go hand-in-hand. Studying Communications before I got into the Informatics program, especially now that I am pursuing UX research, provided me with a beneficial skill set because I already was familiar with some of the same areas of interest. In my communications classes, we tend to look at how information is dispersed among people interpersonally and online, and my Informatics classes examine how we can make those mediums better for all people.
Q: What about your iSchool journey thus far are you most proud of?
A: I’m really proud of the people I’ve met. In the beginning when I was only majoring in Communication, I had a lot of transfer credits, so I was planning on graduating early and not pursuing Informatics. When I received an INFO major acceptance, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go through with it since I was set on graduating early and finishing my degree, but deciding to pursue INFO was one of the best decisions I've made to this day. I’ve met so many amazing people and made new friendships through which I’ve been able to collaborate on many projects as well.
I also currently serve as the co-president of iQueeries, which is an iSchool Registered Student Organization that empowers LGBTQ+ students in the iSchool. It has been a joy to be a part of that community and help uplift them as well.