The End of Digital Democracy and What We Can Do About It

The End of Digital Democracy and What We Can Do About It

Digital technologies were supposed to help strengthen democracies around the world, not threaten them. In this talk, Professor Gina Neff of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge looks back on the optimism about digital...

Mom and Pop Businesses: Reactive, but Resilient

By Andrea Martinez, Class of 2026 My community, Brownsville, Texas, is home to many small businesses and entrepreneurs. The local businesses in the community are frequently owned by Brownsville natives and are family operated. Brownsville, on the border of Mexico and...

Learning to Reframe Rejection in Community Interviews

By Daniel Guerra, Class of 2027 Although the send-off was the most difficult part of the process, I am now finding myself safely sailing and enjoying the view. In reality, nothing major changed from my previous approach at this interview process: I persistently...

South Texas’s Disaster Recovery

By José Manuel Vazquez, Class of 2026 Disasters strike in all parts of our Earth. On a smaller scale, my community has undergone a few natural disasters. Among the three biggest disasters, South Texas has endured a pandemic, a handful of flooding incidents, and a few...

Business Success by Overcoming Challenges: Passion Matters

By Mariana Arevalo For the South Texas small business interview portion of the Disaster Strength Research Program, I had a primary source perspective on how circumstances fluctuate for these owners. As I interviewed people from my community, I realized they all shared...

My RGV: Stories Grounding Disaster Strength

By Andrea Martinez, Class of 2026 The city of Brownsville, my hometown, is renowned for its orientation to the South Texas Gulf Coast and border with Mexico as well as its rich history. My close connection to the culture of South Texas prompted my participation in UT...