Claudia Porras Scott, a first-year student at the Clinton School of Public Service, has been selected to participate in the 6th Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Ithaca National Student Dialogue.
Hosted by the SNF Ithaca Initiative and supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the annual immersive event brings together students from across the country to bridge civil discourse and public policy. This year’s event centers on two defining topics in higher education: “Campus Civility and Artificial Intelligence.”
Scott, a native of San José, Costa Rica, who now resides in Fayetteville, was chosen after applying through opportunities highlighted at the Clinton School. She will attend the event Oct. 30-31 at the University of Delaware’s Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration.
“I was really excited to find out I had been selected,” said Scott, a member of the Clinton School Online program. “One of the things I’ve really appreciated about the Clinton School is how many opportunities it shares with students that go far beyond the classroom. I’m also grateful that I’ve already built relationships with faculty like Dr. Lea Metz, who are willing to serve as references and support students in pursuing opportunities like this.”
Working alongside faculty facilitators and student leaders, participants will explore pressing campus civility challenges related to AI. Using Open Space Technology, students will collaborate in small-group discussions, panels, and town halls to develop concrete action plans to implement on their home campuses.
Scott noted that the focus on artificial intelligence offers a timely platform to examine both its practical benefits and complex societal impacts.
“I’m particularly interested in the AI focus because I’ve seen firsthand how useful these tools can be and how they can lower certain barriers to information and opportunity,” she said. “At the same time, those benefits come with harder questions around privacy, bias, workforce disruption, and the environmental and infrastructure impacts of the data centers supporting these technologies. In higher education, there is another layer of questions around academic integrity, critical thinking, and how institutions define responsible use.”
For Scott, participating in the event aligns directly with her focus on community engagement, public service, and access.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to learn alongside students from universities across the country who are approaching these issues from different perspectives and to expand my public service network in the process,” Scott said. “A lot of my own work touches public service, community engagement, and access, so being exposed to new approaches to collaboration, dialogue, and problem-solving will be valuable both in the work I’m doing now and as my career continues to grow.”