I want to let everyone know how great it was to meet and talk with you all--such an interesting and diverse group in one place--I love it! I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye in person, but I know we'll all be in touch. Best wishes to you all!

Dina

Comment from cheryl jerozal on September 11, 2006 - 10:02am

...meet you too. take care!

Forced blogging, what's next?!

Actually, I really don't mind.

Comment from Richard T. Anderson on September 13, 2006 - 2:53pm

Blog or be flogged. Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha. *whip crack*

:D

Name: Andrea Collopy

Gender: Female

Birthday: November 14

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Blue

Height: 5' almost 8"

Graduated From: UC San Diego, 2006

CTC VISTA org: LGBT Center of San Diego

Confession: This is my first blog ever!

Biggest Fear: Being eaten by a shark!

Interests: Cycling, country music, line dancing, chocolate, burping, maps...

I am in Boston for the first time for the CTC VISTA PSO. It's beautiful here!

I am from Jackson, Tennessee (a small city between Nashville and Memphis) which is also where I will be serving.  On Monday, September 11,  I will start my service as a CTC VISTA at the STAR Center. The STAR Center serves people with disabilties and has a large scope of services.  They do everything from teaching people with disabilities how to use computers to personal assistance in private households.  My job title as a CTC VISTA is "Volunteer Coordinator".  I will be responsible for recruiting in-house volunteers for an adult literacy lab and other various things.  I will also be recruiting volunteers for fund-raising and other large, once-yearly events.  During my "spare time" (ha! ha!) I will be helping to establish a loan program for all different types of assistive technology.

The PSO has been great so far, and I am really looking forward to my year of service! 

Hi      

New day_

 New portable ibook- new experiences--for retired teacher-mother of three-grandmother of 6 learning about todays world.

Comment from dina on September 9, 2006 - 11:02am

Hi Marcia!

It was great to meet you at the PSO. I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye to you yesterday. If you ever need any help with anything, please let me know, and even if you don't need any help, please keep in touch anyway!

Best, Dina

So, as I slowly reach maximum saturation of information, I am asked to throw down some words as my first blog entry.

Loving PSO, getting lots of information and beginning some great friendships. I'm really hoping that some  interaction and information can be shared through this site, as I forsee the need for contact out there once I recede into isolation... all alone in the DC metro.

So, details...I'm Carl Seifert. A cajun from Louisiana, now a resident of Arlington, Virginia, I got connected with a great CTC in Alexandria (literally across the street from Arlington) and started teaching adult computer literacy classes to out mainly immigrant clientel.  After a while, the relationship was such that they wanted me hired on full time, but didnt have the money to pay me, soooo enter CTC Americorp VISTA project.  Now, i'm going to be serving in a new capacity to increase our organization's ability to keep up with our students.  During my tenure, I am charged with creating a way to not lose track of our students, some of whom lack consistent phone lines. This is in order to help with fundraising and increase our capacity to continue to serve the community even after their courses at Computer C.O.R.E.

I think this is all for now, but hopefully I'll keep up with the blogging and there will be lots of interaction between all of us.

Well, here I am. Pre-service Orientation for the CTC VISTA Project. Since I'm so great at coming up with things on the spot (not), I'll keep it short. I'm excited to start my VISTA position at Pangea Foundation in San Diego, but all of this technology stuff is kind of overwhelming. I have limited knowledge of the whole computer word (aka basic skills to be able to use a computer), so I anticipate learning a lot in that field during the course of the year in addition to my VISTA experience as a whole. I promise to be more exciting next time when I'm actually prepared to do this.

 Later,

Laura 

Glazing over at most of the discussions due to the fact that they are very tech specific, and I am not. I am fundraising and marketing for my organization and have no clue regarding computer parts, software, etc. My idea of computer maintenance and upkeep is taking it to my computer repair guys and saying "here - fix it" and they do. I don't know what they do, how they do it and prefer to keep it that way. I am not a computer tech minded person, I come from a strong social work background and not technological, but this is a new beginning and I have much to learn. I guess I will have to learn how to "glaze over" less.

i don't have much to say right now. but in the future this space will be filled with tales of my trials and triumphs as a ctc vista.

Comment from Tim Wescott on September 7, 2006 - 3:25pm

Nice first post. :-)

Comment from cheryl jerozal on September 12, 2006 - 9:23pm

i am awaiting your second! :p