There was once a time when Ketty Dones ’23 believed college was an unattainable reality.

Today, the 24-year-old is on the cusp of earning two graduate degrees simultaneously, having elevated ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s reputation as a community and society changemaker along the way with the AI for Nonprofits course she helped develop. These milestones aren’t just personal. They’re also serving her biggest passion: helping others.

That’s the thing about opportunity. Sometimes all you need is a chance, a dash of inspiration and someone who believes in you.

Charting Her Own Path

Dones, who was born in Cuba, was just 2 years old when her family immigrated to Miami. Growing up, she viewed attending college as a somewhat unattainable goal.

β€œI remember discussions with my parents where they would say that college is for the wealthy, or that we’d cross that bridge when we get there,” she says. β€œI didn’t have anyone to rely on for mentorship because my parents didn’t know anyone that had been to college before, and all of our family was in Cuba.”

In high school, she joined the International Baccalaureate program and learned about financial aid opportunities such as Bright Futures scholarships. A teacher encouraged her to seek out more scholarship opportunities from Miami-based nonprofits and foundations. That’s when she realized college was within her reach.

β€œI thought, β€˜If everyone around me is doing this, what’s stopping me?’” she says.

Dones connected with the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps students achieve their educational goals like the ones of her own. With assistance from the foundation and other nonprofits, Dones ended up receiving $20,000 in scholarships to attend ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½.

The support not only sparked her academic career; it also inspired a calling to give back to others.

She pulled up others with her along the way as an undergrad, serving as a mentor for local high school students and impressed upon them the importance of internships. She realized how much she loved positively impacting them.

That’s when her own mentor, Josefina Rosario β€” assistant director for access and student support at β€” suggested enrolling in the public administration and nonprofit management dual-degree graduate program next. It was a decision that would further fuel her passion for helping others.

Through the program, housed in , Dones has engaged in real-world experiences that simulate what it’s like to work in the nonprofit and public sectors. Through service-learning, she evaluated and helped develop a strategic fundraising plan for a local nonprofit. She’s also created budgets for the City of Orlando and analyzed how both the city and Orange County Sheriff’s Office use social media. She attended her first professional conference.

Perhaps some of the most invaluable experience she has gained involves the industry’s intersection with artificial intelligence.

Woman in white blazer and traditional black grad cap stands in front of mural that reads "If you want to go far, go together."
More than 25 Orange County nonprofits graduated last month from the AI for Nonprofits course that Dones helped develop. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

Leveraging AI for Community Impact

Through the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Applied AI Innovation Initiative, Dones has been working with associate lecturer and initiative lead ’11±Κ³σΆΩ in using generative AI tools to find innovative solutions for challenges in educational and behavioral interventions. During her time as a student fellow for the initiative, Dones has learned to harness the power of AI to create apps, websites, data dashboards, chat bots, online courses and even a board game that enhances financial management skills β€” all without having a technical background.

β€œI never thought I would be able to build an app, but now we can with the help of AI,” she says. β€œWhen I saw that I can do something like that or create a website with the help of AI, I wanted to continue doing it. Nonprofit organizations tend to get left behind when there’s new technology out there. I imagined how AI can help a nonprofit with time or resource constraints, and that’s how my passion for learning about it started.”

β€œI imagined how AI can help a nonprofit with time or resource constraints, and that’s how my passion for learning about it started.” β€” Ketty Dones ’23

Dones has played a significant role for the Applied AI Innovation Initiative in helping local nonprofits leverage AI to boost creativity and efficiency in advancing their missions. She contributed to creating an AI Impact Hub, an app that serves as a one-stop shop to connect nonprofits with resources and engage with other nonprofit leaders through a discussion forum. She’s also assisted in hosting workshops that explore how AI can be used as a tool to assist nonprofits with social media, fundraising, compliance and evaluation.

Most notably, Dones helped the team develop an in partnership with that covers topics ranging from grant writing, evaluation, storytelling and prompting with AI to ethical guardrails, accountability and security when using the technology, as well as best practices for integrating AI tools in day-to-day operations. The course is also used in the Innovation and Technical Assistance Program, which provides hands-on assistance to local nonprofits engaging with AI-powered tools to help strengthen their organizational capacity.

In fact, 26 Orange County nonprofits graduated from the program last month with an AI for Nonprofits certificate.

Ketty Dones and Maritza Concha, wearing traditional commencement robes, embrace in front of gold wall
Thanks to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Applied AI Innovation Initiative, Ketty Dones and associate lecturer and initiative lead Maritza Concha ’11±Κ³σΆΩ have made a community impact and formed a lasting bond. (Photo by Antoine Hart)

Full Circle and Ever Upward

If it helps bridge the gap between AI and nonprofit organizations, count Dones in.

β€œI always like to think of AI as a thought partner and ask how it can help elevate ideas, not create them,” Dones says. β€œThat’s why I think it’s so important for the public and nonprofit sectors to leverage this technology. Continuing education in the nonprofit and public administration sectors is always important, but especially now with learning how to integrate AI tools.”

Although AI has served as her assistant in creating innovative solutions for others, it’s the combination of her grit and determination to succeed along with a passion for serving others that assists her in unlocking the potential not just within herself but also in the community.

“Ketty has impressed me since day one,” Concha says. β€œBetween her contributions to the AI for Nonprofits course and developing impactful resources using AI and advanced prompting techniques, she is a prime example of a student without a technical background using AI for social good.”

For now, Dones will continue working with Concha and the Applied AI Innovation Initiative to further develop AI tools and solutions, working toward certifications and mentoring nonprofit partners along the way. Although she is considering pursuing a career in AI product management or sales down the road, it’s using her knowledge to set up nonprofits for success that she finds most rewarding.

After all, her accomplishments thus far and her bright future wouldn’t have been possible without some help from nonprofit organizations along the way.

β€œI always think about the Key Biscayne Community Foundation and other nonprofit organizations that helped me receive funding to go to school,” she says. β€œIt’s kind of full circle for me now. I feel that I can give back to my local community in understanding not just the challenges nonprofits face but also how I can help them in the future.”