Think Like a Data Detective, The Hidden Skill Behind AI (Middle+)

A single question from a four-year-old, “What is data?”, sparked a four-year journey that turned everyday moments into a blueprint for teaching kids the foundations of AI. We sit down with Chandra Donelson, chief data and AI officer, Air Force reservist, and author of The Data Detective series, to show how data literacy starts at home with simple habits that build real confidence.

Chandra shares the carnival breakthrough that helped her son grasp quantitative and qualitative data by counting people in ride lines and noticing details in the world around him. We unpack how she tested each draft by asking her son to explain concepts back, if a five-year-old couldn’t re-teach it, it didn’t make the cut. She walks us through translating artful curiosity into STEAM, the value of slow, intentional creation even as AI tools speed up publishing, and why her newest book, The Data Detective at the Airport, weaves real family scenes and snapshots into the story.

We also dig into practical, parent-friendly routines that turn life into a data lab: checking the weekly forecast to plan outfits, budgeting toward a VR headset, and cooking with measurements to build intuition for patterns and predictions. Chandra ties these skills to math fundamentals and explains why data is the true foundation beneath AI, no clean data, no trustworthy intelligence. Her career arc from military intelligence to data leadership highlights the power of raising your hand, finding mentors, and building community through Women in Data, where representation and support open doors for the next generation.

Resources:

• The Data Detective at the Carnival
• The Data Detective at the Airport

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Mission: AI For Kids
• 1:31 Meet Chandra: Mom, Author, CDAO
• 3:57 The Question That Sparked A Book
• 5:29 Rapid-Fire This Or That
• 7:22 From Art Class To STEAM
• 10:39 Building A Better Math Tool
• 12:52 Career Path: Military To Data
• 17:11 Why Data Powers AI
• 21:42 The Carnival Breakthrough Story
• 26:16 Writing Lessons And Kid Testing
• 30:43 Crafting Books In An AI Era
• 34:14 Everyday Data Habits For Kids

Transcript

Amber Ivey: 0:30

Welcome to the AI for Kids Podcast, the podcast for moms, aunties, and teachers who want the kids they love to understand AI without more screen time. We keep it simple, safe, and fun. No tech degree required. Each episode breaks down AI ideas and includes activities to help kids use AI in ways that keep them curious and creative. No pressure, no overwhelm, no extra screens. Just clear, engaging learning you can feel good about. Let's get started. Hi everyone, welcome back to the AI for kids podcast. Today, we are so excited to have Chandra Donelson. She's laughing. I can't even get through her because I'm so excited. She's a data and AI expert, an Air Force reservist, and the author of the book, The Data Detective. If you have not heard about her, oh my gosh, you are in for a treat. I'm so excited she's spending time with us today. Shaquille, tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to write a children's book about data. Like, what even is that about?

Chandra Donelson: 1:32

Yeah, so my name is Chandra Donelson as stated. I work for the United States Space Force as their chief data AI officer. I am also the author of the data detective at the carnival, but I will tell you my most important role is being a mom. So I have a little boy named William. He is nine years old, and he is the inspiration behind everything that I do. The reason that I wrote the data detective is actually there's a little bit of backstory there. So back in 2020, during the pandemic, I was working for the Department of Army. I was also going to school full-time as a single parent. And all that you heard in my household was the word data, data, data. And my son, who was four at the time, asked me one day, Mom, what is data? Like, what is this thing that is consuming all of your time? And I'll tell you as a parent, being in data science analytics, when I got that question to Amber, I was like, I was really excited. I'm like, my son is gonna be a data scientist, he's gonna be an AI engineer. I'm like, oh my God, the future is bright. So I got really excited and I explained the concept to him. And my son does this like people's eye rod things, which meant he had no clue what I was talking about. So I'm like, I'll go on Amazon and I'll buy a book to teach him about these concepts. And when I went on Amazon at that time, there were zero books for his age group that taught kids about data. And me being a mom, I think as any mom would do, I said, hey, I'll add something else on my plate. I'm not busy. Forget this full-time job and this part-time job and working on these two degrees. Like, I'm gonna add something else. I'm gonna teach my son about data. And that is really what started the journey. So I go back to that one question. For me, it has changed my life, it has changed his life. It was probably the hardest project that we ever did, but it was something that I'm very, very, very proud of. So, kids continue to ask questions of your parents. You never know what change is going to make and what impact your questions are going to have on the world.

Amber Ivey: 3:29

I absolutely love that. And before we dig in, because I already want to jump in with you, and I'm so excited. We have to do a this or that so people can kind of see your vibe, see what's going on with you. Okay, okay, robots or humans? Humans. Okay, and you can't explain why. So that's another part of it. Creating something or fixing something?

Speaker 1: 3:53

Fixing something.

Amber Ivey: 3:55

Okay. AI that makes life easier or AI that makes life more fun.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Easier.

Amber Ivey: 4:02

Okay. Books or YouTube. YouTube. Okay. Virtual world or real world? Real world. Okay. Solve a mystery or build something new. Solve a mystery. I'm nosy. I'm sorry. I have to say that. You're totally fine. Talking to an AI or talking to a pet.

Speaker 1: 4:24

Talking to AI.

Amber Ivey: 4:25

Okay. History class or coding class? Coding class. Okay. Bike ride or video game? Video game. Last but not least, learn with friends or learn solo. Solo. Okay. It's interesting how many adults say solo. I'm so interested. I'm not supposed to ask, so I'm gonna keep going. Okay. But even as we get to learn a little bit more about you, what was your favorite subject when you were a kid? Did you always love learning about technology and data?

Speaker 1: 4:55

No, my favorite subject was art. So I'm very, very artsy. I love to go to art class, to color, to draw, to create things, even though I have no ability to draw. It was definitely my favorite, favorite subject. What I like about that nowadays is we have science, technology, engineering, art. Yeah. And then math. So STEAM. It was neat, Amber, because I was talking to some kids. I was at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum a couple weeks ago, and they were asking about my career journey. And there were a lot of really artsy kids there. And I had to take a step back because it was neat because a lot of the kids said, Hey, I like arts and crafts. Like, so I'm not a STEM person. I don't see myself in STEM. But I'm like, well, if you think about it, with arts, you're designing, you're creating everything we do in science, technology, engineering, and math starts with some type of art foundation. But yeah, I was definitely the kid that wanted to go to art class and imagine that I was a Picasso, but I am no Picasso Amber.

Amber Ivey: 5:49

I mean, your book, I know you hired an illustrator, but still the book is pretty impressive. But I found the data detective book. And no, but the art in it is so good. And I know you probably consulted the artist on that. So you are a mini Picasso. If you could know the AI tool to help kids learn something important, what would it do and why?

Speaker 1: 6:08

Math. Definitely math. And I say that because a lot of kids nowadays, and I don't know if it has to do with what happened with COVID, but a lot of kids right now are struggling with math. They're struggling with basic addition and subtraction and multiplications and division. And to me, that is the foundation of everything that you do. So if I could build something, it would be a tool that meets kids where they are, that teaches them those basic foundational math skills and then helps them get to whatever level it is they need to need to be.

Amber Ivey: 6:36

I agree with you because math is the one area where you know if it's right or wrong, right? Compared to other subjects where there's a little bit more squishiness is with the word I'll use. Thank you. Know what's right or wrong with math. And I hate that a lot of kids are scared of math and scared of numbers. I know there's resources like Con Migo and Khan Academy and things like that. But to have a tool that truly meets a kid where they are, I totally am here for that. And I'm I'm thankful that you're thinking about those things. I believe on that long to-do list, you could figure it out.

Speaker 1: 7:03

Yeah. And also one thing just from talking to different kids as we've been on book tour that I have noticed is that a lot of schools, the curriculums are so strict, they don't get a lot of time. So they may stay on one multiplication table a day. And then the next day they're on another one. And I'm like, we're not even giving the kids time to be able to learn this information properly.

Amber Ivey: 7:22

So you had an amazing career working in data and AI across the Department of Defense. What made you interested in this field? And why do you think data and AI are important for kids to learn about? We've gone through DS for data as part of our ABCs of AI. Okay. So they know what it is, but feel free to explain why that matters.

Speaker 1: 7:39

So for me, it was interesting. I always tell people there are some people that have their lives figured out. And I've met a lot of those kids while being on tour. So we just finished our 29th stop this year. And a lot of kids, again, it's funny, synthesis grade, they're already like, I want to go to this school. This is what I want to major in, and this is gonna be my first job, and I'm gonna intern with this company. I'm like, great, you have your life together. When I was your age, I did not have my life together. And I'll be honest, I really fell into the career field. So growing up, I'm originally from Arkansas, not a lot of science, technology, engineering, math focus, at least when I was coming up. In Arkansas, you were either gonna be an athlete, you were gonna be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, or you were gonna be able to sing or dance, or you know, some type of performance. So it's neat for me. I actually joined the military. I ended up getting selected to be an intelligence specialist for the United States Air Force. And that was really my entryway into data. I didn't know it at the time. Came really natural for me, and from there slowly kind of pivoted into the roles that I am in today. What really got me here is I was working for the Department of Army back in 2017. I happened to walk into this room, Amber, which I'll never forget. It was like my first week. There are all these senior officials sitting in the room. I'm straight from Arkansas. Okay. So Arkansas to DC, there's a big difference there. So, like, literally nine years ago, I'm like scared, trying to figure out what is the metro and how to ride it. And then I end up being in this room with all these senior leaders, and they were talking about a particular challenge that they've been trying to work through and solve. I was like, I'll fix it. Oh wow. And they're like, who are you? And how did you even get in the room? And I'm like, I'm Chandra Donelson, and I'm gonna fix this for you. And I'll never forget the one leader. And I really credit a lot of my career and progression to him that say, you know what, let her do it. And six months later, we were able to deliver that particular program. This is something that that particular organization had been working on for 15 years and we're not able to figure it out. And Little Girl from Arkansas did it in six months. I give you guys that backstory because we have the tendency to block ourselves out of our own blessings and block ourselves out of our own opportunities because we think of things like our age or where we're from or the way we talk or our tax bracket as a limitation. And it doesn't. If you have the ambition and the power and the willingness to learn, you can absolutely do anything that you put your mind to. And I want all kids across the entire world to know and understand that. And also be bold enough to raise your hand when you have no clue what it is you're doing and signing up for, and also the confidence to build the network of support around you to be able to do really bold things. But again, if I wouldn't have raised my hand in that room that day, I'm not even sure, Amber, we would be having this conversation. So be confident and lean forward.

Amber Ivey: 10:34

I know Sandra's being very nice and saying that. I believe as you all will hear more about her and learn more about her, I believe she would still be here. We would still be having this conversation because you're that person. I believe it. I mean, you wrote the data detective, and you are like part of DOD. You've been a chief data and AI officer. Like you've done all these amazing things. And yeah, I'm sure that room helped and having the right people in your lives are very important. And I get that 100%. But you're still doing amazing stuff. So can you tell us what the data detective is about? The data detective at the carnival, that's a key point, kiss, because there's maybe more than one data detective on the horizon. What it's about and why you wanted to write a book. I know you talked about William and learning about data. Why is data important? Why is it important we think about the AI world as well?

Speaker 1: 11:21

Yeah, so the data detective is a series that again started with my son asking that one question, Mom, what is data? And it was a project that took a total of a little over four years to complete. And I say that also because I don't want you guys to get discouraged. So I started writing a book in 2020 when he first asked me that question. I wrote the book over and over and over and over again. Each time the book was considered a failure because after I wrote the book, I would read it back to William and see if he could explain the concepts to me. And if he couldn't explain it to me, I would start over because I knew it wasn't a good book. Again, if a five-year-old can't understand what you're talking about, it's not good. It's too complicated. Good point. So I'll never forget the kind of the last version of the book before we made the final version. I read it to Will. I'm very excited. I'm like, I finally got the book and the storyline together. I read the book to William and I'm like, Will, what is data? And he's like, Mom, everyone knows what data is. And I'm like, okay, what is it? And he's like, it's a tree. And I'm like, a tree. I was like, oh my, um, oh my God, I can't take you to any work functions. Like, everyone's gonna think I'm a fraud. And I got really discouraged, and I put the book down. I'm like, I thought this is something that God wanted me to do. Maybe it is not. I stepped away from the book and from the writing process. This is towards the end of 2020. 2021 rolls around. It's carnival time. Me and Will go to a local fair in Virginia, and we're walking through the fair. Out of nowhere, Will is like, Mom, that's data. And I'm like, I look around, I'm like, okay, I think back to that conversation. I see a tree, and I was like, You mean the tree? He's like, No, mom, the number of people in the line for the fair is Will. Oh, wow. And I'm like, oh my God, he understood the concept. This is our book. And we actually spent the rest of the day going through all the different activities at that fair. And that's how we got that first book, The Data Detective at the Carnival. People talk about game-changing or life-changing moments. That was like the day the light bulb went off for me. And I realized that I was trying to teach kids about this topic, but probably in a too complex way. So again, how do we meet kids where they are and in subjects and topics and things that they are around every day? And the carnival was just really a fun way to start off the series. And we taught kids in the first book about the difference between quantitative and qualitative data, which was really, really fun. So yeah, it was a fun experience.

Amber Ivey: 13:57

I did not realize that was the whole story behind that.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Oh, yeah. And there are pictures. So the neat part is when we were doing the character design and the story layout, I actually took pictures. I was we were going through the activity. So the pictures in the book are actually there's real pictures to go with all of those. Wow.

Amber Ivey: 14:14

That makes it even more special. I love that. That's such a beautiful story.

Speaker 1: 14:18

It was a beautiful time for me as a parent. It was a beautiful time for me as a professional. I'll never forget that day. And then to see the finished product, which took about three years to get done and actually hold the finished product in my hand, like go through all those memories of like, oh my God, the tree and the Ferris little line and all these. Again, this was a real experience that me and Will had together. So a real storyline.

Amber Ivey: 14:43

I think that's why the book is so successful. Um, she has a bunch of reviews on the book. If I will have the book dropped in the show notes for you all to check out and pick it up, is very beautifully done. It's vibrant, it's super easy for kids to understand. And I think you totally nailed it. You talked about this like long experience of getting there. Yes, there's a kid listening right now who also wants to write a book. What advice do you have to give to them?

Speaker 1: 15:08

My Nike advice would be just do it. Again, I have no experience writing books, and I was able to figure it out. It was definitely not easy. And it's definitely not something I know a lot of people like quick and easy, you want to go to YouTube, but they want instant gratification. And is that is not the case. I failed so many times and stumbled and then had to go take a class or learn through the process. So the first thing is like pick your topic. Like, what topic do you want to write about? And it should be something that you are passionate about. My kind of my second advice that I like to give a lot of adults because a lot of adults will see kind of the success of the data detective and go, hey, I want to write a book. And I'm like, hey, first of all, you're not going to get rich from writing a book. Okay. Uh we may make what about 10 cents to maybe $2 or so per copy. So if you're trying to get rich, this is not the career field for you. You should just go be a data engineer or something. And then once you get what do you want to write about and understand you're not going to get rich, only a few people get rich, is coming up with kind of your storyline and how do you want to tell that story to the audience that you're trying to engage with. And then what my favorite part was for us, because we use ourselves as characters, is like doing the character design and the environment design. So another interesting thing about the book is that everything in that book, again, so not only the carnival setting, but also the kitchen and the bedroom, like that's Will's bedroom, and that's his bed, and that's his curtains, and that's his bookshelf, which is like right to my right here. Like all of that stuff was real. And we wanted again to make it as intimate and as close to us or our family setting as possible. So again, figuring out kind of how you want to approach those. It was really neat because when we did the character design, we had to take like hundreds of pictures of William's different facial expressions, body movements, you name it, 360 photos of William, of myself, of his friends, just to even create kind of the layout and the design. So it was definitely a process, and William doesn't like taking photos, so he was not happy about it.

Amber Ivey: 17:11

But that's interesting because in today's world, right, where AI is replacing a lot of authors, how do you feel about that? Like the process you went through, and now AI is making it easy. Like, what are your thoughts about that?

Speaker 1: 17:23

So we just released our second book last week, November 11th, on William's birthday. And there were a lot of opportunities for us to leverage AI to make things easier, but it was interesting. I made a choice that I wanted to go through that traditional process. And yes, it made it longer where we probably could have put the book out in about a month. It took 14 months to come up with book two, which is better than four years. Oh, yeah. Um, but again, it was so personal, right? The whole thing was personal. So since we've been on tour, we've spent just about every week in airports, and we were able to go through airports and get snapshots and pictures to be able to send back to the illustrator. We were able to test the scenarios. We were able to put my favorite restaurant inside of the book. So if any kid can figure out what that restaurant is and what page, let me know. I'll send you a shirt or something. But again, it was just so personal. And for us, it's not necessarily the finished product. Like we want that to be great, but it's really a binding experience for me, my son, and my other family members that were introduced in book two. So I mean, it's again, it's a family building and binding um experience for us.

Amber Ivey: 18:30

I love that. I was telling you earlier I was interviewing a couple other folks, and today I interviewed two men, Tim and Tom, I'll link to their podcast. But one of the things they were talking about is like if AI is doing it, it's normally easy. And we want you to do things that aren't just straight easy. Like part of a kid is like doing challenges, spelling, and trying those things. It's really exciting to hear that even though, in a world of all the AI things, you did it the true like author way, and reading your book, I haven't gotten the second one, so I do plan to get that. And with that being said, like I think it's so important to remember AI tends to be a little bit easier, and it's generative AI figuring out things. So I'm gonna back this up a bit. Okay, you did this book on data, you're also this data and AI, like chief data and AI officer. How do data and AI come into play? Like, why does data matter when it comes to AI?

Speaker 1: 19:23

So, data is the foundation. I'm glad you asked that. I was in the conversations with people about this today, and I think it's it's interesting to see people want to jump straight to artificial intelligence. Like it's this fun, cool thing you want to see. It's almost like playing a video game. Like you want to play the video game, but you don't want to do all the work to build everything to make the video game actually what it is. And data is that foundation, it is the initial foundation for everything that we do. The reason that data is so important for me and so important for kids to learn and understand some of the practices that I do with William is data is part of your everyday life. Like every decision that you make, you are consuming data and then making decisions whether you are intentionally doing it or not. So, one of the neat things that we do here at the house with William is like William has to get up in the mornings. He has a Alexa in his room, and hopefully it doesn't go off right now. I am in his room. He has to ask Alexa, what's the weather today? What is the weather forecast going to be this week? And helps him determine what clothes to pick out and what to wear. And does he need to take a raincoat, etc.? And also the same with money. So William has his own bank account. He manages his own money when he wants to buy things. We are leveraging data and he's going, okay, this particular thing that I want to buy costs ten dollars. These are all the chores of things that I need to do. And he predicts out, okay, this is how long it's going to take me to get it. So I will tell you, Will had a big buy. He wants to buy a VR headset this year. And I very well could have just swiped my card and bought him a VR headset, but it would not have taught him anything and he wouldn't have probably valued it as much. So we we actually went online, we looked at the different VR headset options. He mapped out like which one he wanted. He knows how much it's going to cost. And Will has been saving all year to be able to purchase this headset. Then he's checking his bank account on his card. He's like, okay, I got this much money this week. And okay, if I save this, okay, I got enough money to set aside to be able to get snacks. And if I stay with this amount of money each week, I'll be able to buy it by December. And believe it or not, he started this in January. And in December, he's still on track to be able to go purchase that VR headset for self. Now I don't know if I'm gonna let him buy it. I think he's a little younger. But he has done very good again managing and taking in data, predicting, you name it, forecasting out what it is that he needs, and it's just been phenomenal for him to see. He's also like less likely to spend his money. So again, for with me, he'll just spend it. Oh yeah. But now he's like, Well, I gotta save money to buy this VR headset and these other things that he has listed out, and it's just neat to see how I'm budget, and they understand. So I don't think kids are too young to be able to make these decisions. Same way with recipes, if you like to cook. So I started teaching William, I'm Southern, started teaching William how to cook at three years old, and we started learning about measurements and what type of seasons, you know, and give you which flavors and you name it. So they're not too young, they're again leveraging data every day, whether they know it or not.

Amber Ivey: 22:24

So many things you said just resonated with me. One, like William is actually dealing with data, he's already interacting with AI in a way that's safe and a way that is like covered by his mom and tested, and you're able to walk him through that. Kids are born in the moment they're in, they figure it out. And if you give them the tools and the guardrails to do it, and I think that's so cool that you're doing that and allowing him, even the Alexa example, I thought it was like a really good idea of like helping him think about his clothes for the week. Like, I mean, that's how I use it, and for other stuff too. But that's a main thing is like, do I need an umbrella today? Like, I'm asking or a coat, but even for a kid to do that in a safe way.

Speaker 1: 23:01

Funny when we started doing that, some days he would get it wrong, right? And me as a parent, like, I'm not gonna let my kid freeze to death. But there are times that, like, for instance, last week I think it was really cold, and he got up and he's like, I want to wear shorts. And I'm like, But it's like 30 something degrees outside right now. And he's like, Well, I still want to wear shorts. And I'm like, Are you sure? And he's like, Yes. I'm like, Okay. So he did it, and I'm like, the next day I was like, Are you gonna wear shorts? He's like, No, I'm not, I'm not doing that, right? So he learned. So my mom always taught me again, southern mom, there's no lesson like a learned lesson. And no, he was not in danger, but he is, I don't ever have to worry about him checking the weather and it being 32 degrees and him deciding to wear shorts. Like, it's not happening anymore. But also giving them a space to be able to kind of learn through failure, right? It's been very neat. It's kind of like um as a kid, I don't know about you, your parents are like, don't touch the stove, it's hot. And you're like, Okay, well, I want to touch it anyway. Okay, you will learn not to touch that stove again.

Amber Ivey: 23:59

He was able to test out something, he got the data, he decided to make a different decision, and he learned what it means to make a data-driven decision that he didn't really follow the data on. So that's really, really cool. And you and I, we met actually because you started this really cool group called The Women in Data, the DMB chapter. For those who are listening, DMB stands for DC, Maryland, Virginia metro area. It does not stand for all of Maryland, all Virginia. Just in case you got it confused, DMB is only for the DC metro area. Yeah. Can you tell us why you started this group and why it's important to support women in data?

Speaker 1: 24:36

It's funny because I tell people that I started the DMV and they're like, you started the Department of Motor Vehicles. I was like, no, not the place you get your license. Like you have to explain. Yeah, so I started the chapter. It was funny. I can't remember what year at this point, but coming here, being new to the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. When me and my son first moved here, he was actually a little over a month old. We didn't know anyone in the area. Like, I literally oh, yeah, I was a trooper. And one of the things that I learned is like the importance of community. For me, I'm a single parent. Had this like month-old baby moving to the big city, yeah, and not really knowing where to start. I didn't know again how to even ride the metro. Riding the metro is still extremely scary for me. And it was community as other moms who saw me like in bathrooms trying to figure it out that were bold enough to go, hey ma'am, do you need help? And other parents that would see me and my son out trying to figure things out and go, hey, do you need do you need help? Or this is how you do XYZ. And I think that we need to really emphasize the importance of community and people coming together. We're in a very technology-driven world where kids, even adults, are just so naturally of being again solo to themselves, heads down, looking at a device 24-7, literally 24-7, because people don't even sleep now. They're just strolling through TikTok and Instagram and really like putting the devices down, looking around and really getting to understand the environment, but also the people that are around us and how you can work together with those people to be able to do some really great things. So I used to get women together and we would just, I would set up these meetup spots and we would meet up and rotate in different spots across DC, Virginia, Maryland, and just hang out and talk through these discussions and realize that a lot of us were either experiencing the same challenges, a lot of us were trying to figure out how to promote, we were trying to figure out resume writing, we would try to figure out how to be a woman and data with kids. Like there were all these challenges and things that we were all balancing at the same point in time. Um, and we're like, let's formalize this and let's make this into something. And I'll never forget like going online, looking up, learning about this organization called Women in Data through LinkedIn. And I actually sent a note to um the CEO of the company and said, Hey, I'm in DC, Maryland, Virginia. Uh, I'm gonna host an event in three weeks um with your company, and this is how it's gonna go. We're gonna do a golfing thing at the St. James. And they're like, great. And it was funny, I got a call about two or three days later, and they're like, ma'am, we actually looked you up in the system. You're not a member, and we don't even know who you are. Who are you? And I'm like, I'm Chandra Donelson. Right.

Amber Ivey: 27:25

If you didn't know, you know now.

Speaker 1: 27:28

Oh yeah. So it was so funny. Um, and so I went through training and stuff over the next week or so, got on boarded properly with the the company. It was neat because the the leadership team for the company actually flew out, and I think we ended up hosting one of the biggest women in data events across the entire world. It was huge. Like anybody that was in data or AI across industry, government, or academia in the DMV, who's who in the zoo ended up being at this event. It was phenomenal. And so we've continued doing different events in kind of smaller settings, getting a little older, so we're kind of balanced how we do. But no, it was really phenomenal to see that come together and then just some of the impact that we've been able to have on the local community to donating books and resources to kids. You also donated some books and funding to help some kids in some of the Title I schools. Oh, yeah. A lot of the leaders going out teaching kids about data and artificial intelligence. When you're talking about giving back, having impact to see what that group of women and men have been able to do over the past four or five years has been phenomenal.

Amber Ivey: 28:32

We do a data event with kids each year, folks, and Sandra's talking a little bit about that. And it's so cool because it's like kids can see themselves similar to William in these spaces. When you're thinking about that event or any of the events that you've been responsible for bringing and starting, what advice do you have for young people who are interested in careers in technology, data, AI, or these areas?

Speaker 1: 28:56

I would say try to spend as much time as you can with people in those career fields and not just people in those career fields that look like you. You need to spend your time with people from diverse groups.

Amber Ivey: 29:09

100%.

Speaker 1: 29:11

And grow and learn from them because there is so much that you can learn from different types of people. Because for me, I got into this career field initially. I did that one project, but what really, really, really to me set me up for being here is I happened to go to a conference about eight years ago. And I walk into this conference, and there's this lady sitting on stage, and she's talking about IT and data, artificial intelligence. And it was the first time, and I would think I'm like 20-something at this time, the first time in my career that I had ever seen a woman that looks like me on stage talking. And I was like, who is that lady? I don't know who she is, but that's what I want to do. I want to be like her when I grow up. And remind you, I'm like well into my career. I think I think I was like 29 at the time. And if I hadn't seen her again, that's just another, again, life-changing moment for me that I don't, I don't still don't know if I would be sitting here because before seeing her, I was very happy being a data manager, being heads down on keyboard programming and building databases and applications and innovative. Like I was really, that was my thing. And I didn't see myself being anymore. But when I saw her, I was like, okay, there's other opportunities for me. And I'll never forget, I was so nervous. I didn't want to talk to her. I did look her up on my phone while we were sitting there. I was like, okay, this lady, this lady is cool. Like, there's these news articles, and she's on these YouTube channels. I was like, who is this? And I'll never forget a mentor of mine at the time happened to be with me and happened to notice. So this is the importance of like being aware of your environments. And he saw me like trying to hide my phone to like look, and I'm like, okay, who are you? Who is this? And he said, Do you want to talk to her? And I was like, No, like, absolutely not. I can't talk to her. This lady is on the news. Like, I can't talk to this lady. He's like, No, we're going. And as she was getting off stage, he drags me up there to the front of the stage and was like, This is Chandra Donelson and introduced me to her. It's like, you guys should connect. And me, really great friends to this day, just a powerhouse lady has done some phenomenal things in tech. We had that initial conversation. She took me under her wing, she mentored groom, shape team, made sure I was in all of the right rooms and able to see how decisions are made and how relationships are built and kind of the ends and out of politics as well as tech. And again, she didn't even have to do that. And so, yes, don't be afraid to talk to your heroes. And again, don't be afraid to have relationships with diverse uh groups of people. It's very important.

Amber Ivey: 31:45

And Chandra is also on the news now herself and traveling the world. She's always on something, she's won a bunch of awards and has been like the base of this movement. She's not gonna gloat, so I'm gonna do it for her. But she really has taken these like steps and these like intentional moments and like connecting to those. People always ask, like, how do you get somewhere in your career? Honestly, it's one step, one connection at a time, and it's being open, yes, exactly. Like Sandra was being open to those moments and what was happening around her. And I think that's so important. I think now's a good time to do the fun bio segment so folks can learn a little bit more about you. So we do something fun, it's called Two Troops in a Dream. I have to guess which one is the dream.

Speaker 1: 32:26

Okay, so I am in the Air Force. Okay, I am a twin. And I used to be a flight attendant.

Amber Ivey: 32:34

Okay. If you're a twin, I'm totally off. The first one is she's in the Air Force, so listen to the clues. She's also laughing at part of it, kids. So take that as context. And the second one was she's a twin, but you could be a twin that's not an identical twin. You could have a twin brother. So I'm thinking about that. Sorry, I haven't seen any pictures of a person that looks like her, so that one's throwing me off. And then she wanted to be a flight attendant is the other one, right? Yes. Okay. I think you're in the Air Force Reserves, if I'm not mistaken. You're one of the DODs. Now you're confusing me. So I think you're in the Air Force Reserves, if I'm not mistaken. Plus, she mentioned earlier we've talked about the Department of Defense and what that looks like in her role as a data and AI officer. So I think that is true. The second one, I'm gonna leave the twin for a second. I don't know. I want to say that's false, but you laugh and you could be tricking me. Uh, you could have wanted to be a flight attendant, who knows? Or you could have been a flight attendant. Like that could have happened. You were in the Air Force. So technically you could have attended flights. Okay. I'm gonna say I'm gonna say the dream is that you're a twin. I've never seen a picture of a twin or another human that looks like you or that was born on the same day and same time.

Speaker 1: 33:49

That is so funny. So can I give the answer?

Amber Ivey: 33:51

Yes, go for it.

Speaker 1: 33:52

I am a twin. Where are they? They're in Arkansas.

Amber Ivey: 33:57

Is it a girl twin or a boy twin?

Speaker 1: 33:59

It is a boy twin. I wish he was a girl so we could switch places because that's like that would be my dream. He is in Arkansas, and people say we look just like I don't think so.

Amber Ivey: 34:10

So you are in the Air Force. Yep. And then the dream is the flight attendant.

Speaker 1: 34:16

Yes, I always wanted to be a flight attendant. Like, if someone would just like let me, so Southwest American Airlines, if you're looking for like a flight attendant for a flight, call me. It's something I've always wanted to do.

Amber Ivey: 34:27

But I'm like, you're in the air force. So technically, if you've been on a plane, can't you just stand up and pretend and it counts now?

Speaker 1: 34:33

Yeah, it was like my dream job in school. Like, I wanted to be a flight attendant. Like at the time I wasn't tall enough. They've relaxed a lot of the rules and restrictions to be flight attendants, but I wanted to be a flight attendant. But I got robbed of my dream, and here I am doing, you know, doing data and AI now.

Amber Ivey: 34:51

So it was nice to find out something new about you that didn't I know after knowing you for a couple years. So this is that's super cool. So before we go, do you have any advice or anything else you want to share and make sure you leave with the kids before we wrap up?

Speaker 1: 35:05

Advice for the kids. I talked about this a little bit earlier. I want to really emphasize it is you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to. I know you may see, like, especially with everything that's going on right now with social media and the internet, and there's like all these like influencers and TikTok stars or whatever. I can tell you they are human and they bleed just like you bleed and they have emotions just like you do, and they are no better than you. So I want you guys to again just be confident, identify what goes and what it is that you want to accomplish, and lean into them. And if you have any doubts, you have your parents, you have friends, you have family members that you can lean onto for advice. But I just don't want kids to get caught up into all the perfectionism around social media because it's absolutely not true and not real. I see a lot of again influencers who seem like everything is going great online. I was actually just talking to someone about this. There's a particular influence, like if you go to that individual's page, like everything is perfect online. But that same influencer is literally asking people for money to be able to pay bills and find somewhere to stay. So again, everything that you see online is not real. Be true to who you are, believe your dreams. And if you you need help, feel free to reach out. Even me, I'm happy to jump on a call and walk you through things with your parents' approval, of course.

Amber Ivey: 36:26

And kids will make sure that you have all the resources. Oh, you need to say the name of your new book. I know you talked about it, but what's the name of the new book?

Speaker 1: 36:34

Yeah, so the new one is called The Data Detective at the Airport this time, and it features my niece, so William's cousin Angel, and my mom also gets introduced in this book. It was very exciting to write.

Amber Ivey: 36:47

And I love that you gave us the backstory for how you got to the airport. I think that's so important. Sandra, thank you so much for like talking about why data is so important. Like the kids learn about data probably in the very first months of the podcast coming out and just being able to connect it to why this continues to matter and why data is like the foundation of AI is super helpful. Thank you for everything. Kids, thank you for listening as always. Make sure you talk to your parents to get both of those books. And I will drop information to be able to contact Miss Donelson to make sure that you're able to reach out to her and learn more about the cool stuff she's doing. If you feel like she's a mentor, I'm sure she's happy to take a call. Other than that, we will see you all soon. Stay curious. Bye-bye. Thank you. Thank you for joining us as we explore the fascinating world of artificial intelligence. Don't keep this adventure to yourself. Download it, share it with your friends, and let everyone else in on the fun. Subscribe wherever you get your podcast or on YouTube. See you next time on AI for Kids.