The New HandsOn Tech Team Answers Some Questions, Part I

Hi everyone! We’re Jess, Alex, and Aimy and we will be taking over where Elissa, Abby and Stephen left off as this year’s AmeriCorps VISTA HandsOn Tech crew! We’re very excited to be a part of this program and continue their great work. Since we will be regularly posting to this blog, we figured we should provide a brief introduction about ourselves and a Q&A for everyone. Enjoy!

The new VISTAs with their very own built-in captions!

Who are you?

My name’s Jess. I graduated from Boston University this past May with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and decided to spend this year volunteering in Seattle.

Hello my name is Alex. I recently graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology. I decided to spend a year in service in the great Northwest state of Washington.

This is Aimy, I am a recent graduate from Western Washington University. I have focused my studies heavily on Creative Writing and Technical Communications. I am excited to learn about nonprofits in the Seattle area and use my skills to further their missions this coming year.

Why did you choose AmeriCorps? What drove you to HandsOn Tech?

Jess - When I picked my major, I knew one thing - I want to help people. I want to help create something that will actually matter and will make a real impact on people. Unfortunately, a lot of people I knew would see “biomedical engineer” and think not about the people and the potential applications, but “money.” By volunteering, I knew I would be surrounding myself with people who had similar ideals and goals to myself: people who wanted to make a difference and were willing to take the initiative to get something done. In terms of HandsOn Tech specifically, well, I did get an engineering degree. I like tech-related things and my background helped to show me all the capabilities of technology. I thought it would be great to be able to work with other nonprofits and help them utilize all of the resources that are available to them.

Alex - I chose AmeriCorps because I wanted to be working in an environment that had the shared goal of social change. I found it necessary to make a switch from something involved in just making money for its own sake. AmeriCorps was also an excellent opportunity to relocate to a whole new city, something which I have hoped to do since I started college. Paired with a degree in psychology and a tech background, I am hoping to make a real impact as a capacity builder that will be able to help improve technology in the non-profit sector of the northwest.

Aimy - I learned about AmeriCorps through an info session at my college. The experience inspired me to think seriously about the program. I knew I wanted to use my degree towards meaningful work but wasn’t sure how I would approach it. AmeriCorps seemed to be the most natural step for me as a college grad to gain experience while serving in my community. I feel HandsOn Tech is the best fit in regards to my interest and professional goals.

- Alex Green, Aimy Enriquez, Jess Fraser

Check back tomorrow for the second part of this FAQ, where the new team talks about challenges, expectations and what they are most excited to learn about!