My name is Jessica Dickinson Goodman and my ethnicity is geek. I was a 5th Year Scholar at Carnegie Mellon University with a major in Ethics, History and Public Policy, a minor in Opera, and a language certificate in Arabic. I lived in the Middle East for part of my Junior year, and I had too much fun serving as a student ambassador between Carnegie Mellon’s Pittsburgh and Doha campuses. On the wonky side, I wrote a policy proposal for expanding the Fair Use doctrine to include historically vital forms of derivative works which current copyright law leaves without protection. I speak Arabic well enough to have a legitimate conversation with a six-year-old.
I am from the Bay Area in California, and neither understand nor appreciate weather. Growing up practicing karate I was blessed to have a teacher who taught me that “you kick like a girl” is a compliment. In 2006 my essay, “High School Politics”, was published in She’s Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff by Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders.
I am interested in the intersection between justice and technology. You will always find me standing between women and those seeking to harm them–whether as an escort for Planned Parenthood, lobbying my city to fix its human trafficking laws, or teaching self-defense to women in the Middle East. My biggest professional goal is to help who I can, where I can, when I can, as often as I can.
If you want to hear more about my professional life, check out my resume.
For more on my life, read on.
