This talented and dedicated
team of national service volunteers are providing
the human capital needed to bridge the "digital
divide" in local communities in the Central Valley.
Their backgrounds vary, yet they share a common goal
to serve and to get everyone connected to technology.
CVDN currently has four AmeriCorps*VISTA Members serving
in the following counties: Fresno; San Joaquin; Stanislaus;
and Tulare. CVDN is proud to introduce you to our
AmeriCorps*VISTA Team Members...
Central
Valley Digital Network Team
back row: Julio Solis, Erin Mackinney, Debbee Williams,
Martina Virrey, Michele Wilson, Kelly White, Matt Ketchum, and Ala Yousefi. front
row: Jeff Benton, Zakiya
Vallier, and Eli Vaughan.
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Jeff Benton -
Fort Worth, Texas
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 I first became aware of the transforming
power of information technology as a student
at the University of Texas in the early nineties.
The World Wide Web was just beginning to emerge,
but even in its early stages, it was obvious
that it was a unique medium. Given the right
circumstances, it could serve as a platform for
expanding free expression and communication in
a global proportion, and since then, access to,
and use of the Internet has expanded far beyond
the domains of academia and big business. However,
those who could benefit most from this immense
resource are the ones most likely to no access
to computers.
After working for a couple of, personally, very unsatisfying years in
retail sales, I realized that it was time for a new perspective. I had
had enough of the corporate world. Eventually I found Americorps*VISTA
and CVDN, and now, I have the privilege of working with people who believe
that people should come before profit.
Jeff is serving at
Charterhouse
Center for Families in Stockton,
CA - Project
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Erin Mackinney -
North Wales, Pennsylvania
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 Raised mostly outside
of Philadelphia, my goal was to attend college
outside of Pennsylvania!
I graduated in 2003 from the University of Richmond,
Virginia with a B.A. in Business Administration
(Management concentration) with a second major
in Spanish. During my college years my favorite
extracurricular activities were community service
and study abroad. I spent two summers in Costa
Rica and Argentina and my entire junior year
in Madrid, Spain.
Despite many summer jobs working in corporate
world, I knew I wanted to directly serve the
community and utilize my Spanish. What better
state than California! I signed up with AmeriCorps*VISTA
hoping to learn more about technology than
the typical Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents
of a Business student. Firebaugh, a town of
only 6,000 residents, 88% Spanish-speaking
seemed like a challenge in itself. I hope to
learn how a nonprofit organization is run so
that one day I might start my own. I also hope
to observe first-hand the technological, educational
and economic hardships of a small agricultural
town while improving my leadership skills,
outreach techniques, and networking abilities.
Erin is serving at the Firebaugh
Computer Learning Center- Firebaugh, CA- Project
Site Info
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Connor
Murphy - Westminster, Massachusetts
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an Email
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 Born
before the dawn of time, I hop, skipped, and jumped
through a number of jobs including US Army Border
Legionnaire in Germany, Electronics
Technician in the space program, Community Organizer in Santa Clara
Valley, Peace Corps in Honduras, Redevelopment Official in East
Bay, Regional Planner in Alaska, and City Planner
in California.
I have taken zillions of classes at community
colleges; San Jose State
University; University of Wisconsin and Golden Gate University. I hold
a
Bachelors in Social Sciences and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning.
I also have a Massachusetts Secondary teaching credential.
Along the way I also picked up certificates
and certifications in electronics,
computers, truck driving, welding,
and refrigeration and
air
conditioning.
My biggest adventure was living with Yup’ik
Eskimos for five years, my
scariest was avoiding bullets in the Army,
my most decadent was living in a Berkeley commune
back when (a block from People’s Park), and
my most memorable was working as an “outside agitator” in
the ‘60s. I also tested the wiring harnesses for the Lunar Excursion
Module, so now, something I worked on, is resting on the moon.
My next goal is to learn a new skill so I
can head out in a new direction,
doing something different than I have ever done before.
Connor is serving at OASIS:
Older Adult Social Services- Fresno, CA- Project
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Julio Solis - Riverbank
, California
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 I was born and raised in
Nicaragua and first came to the United States
when I was 18 years
old. My parents used to take me to the airport
in Managua, the capital. When I saw the planes
land and take off, I said to myself, one day
I will be in one of those big birds. My dream
came through in 1959, when I boarded a PANAM
plane headed for San Francisco, California.
As a young high school student, I was always
intrigued with the flow and creation of money
and business. My intense curiosity in business
sparked my interest in Economics where I obtained
my Bachelors of Science degree in Economics
from San Francisco State University. Later
on I pursued another dream which was to expand
my knowledge beyond economics and explore International
Market Behaviors. It was at this point that
I decided to study International Economics,
so, I enrolled at Golden Gate University in
San Francisco where I completed my MBA in International
Business Finance.
A fast advancing communist revolution turned
the course of my life and I followed a wise
piece of advice from my wife that I will never
regret. That piece of advice was to come back
to California where I have been since 1972...
Existing poverty throughout the countries
I have been to, including my city of Riverbank,
have deeply motivated me to join VISTA. I see
through the programs provided by VISTA that
a combined community effort will make the difference
in assisting many people who need help. I have
no magic pill to prescribe, but I am committed
to hear the moral voice of the community and
offer my humble knowledge learned through my
many years of experience and sacrifice.
There is a challenge once again, but there
is hope also that a commencement is just the
beginning.
Julio is serving at the NETProject
- Community Casa - Riverbank, CA - Project
Site Info
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Zakiya Vallier -
Brockport, New York
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 I was born in Houston, TX, but spent parts of
my life in both Durham, NC and Brockport, NY.
In grade school I was a member of various clubs
dedicated to service. After graduating from high
school I attended the University of Notre Dame.
In college I did not volunteer as much as I had
planned so I decided that after I graduated I
would dedicate at least a year of my life to
service. In May of 2004, I graduated with a B.S
in Computer Engineering and decided to take the
long trek out west to be an AmeriCorps*VISTA
with CVDN. As a *VISTA working with the digital
divide I know that I will be challenged in many
ways. I hope to persevere and provide my skills
and know-how, so that learning about technology
is easier for those who normally would fear using
it because of the perceived complexity due to
little-to-no access.
Zakiya is serving at the Empowerment
Institute Inc- Fresno, CA - Project
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Eli Vaughan -
East Thetford, Vermont
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 Born and raised in rural Vermont Eli is now
scoping the big city of Lodi Californ-i-a as
a second year AmeriCorps*VISTA technology Volunteer
at the Lodi Library.
After graduating high school in East Thetford, VT Eli began his West-by-South-West
journey; fist stop: Elizabethtown Pennsylvania.
Mr. Eli attended Elizabethtown College
a small liberal arts college -near
Hershey, PA. Upon graduating with a
B.S. in Computer Science and a Minor
in Music Eli had no idea what to do with his life (and who does?). Mr.
Eli knew that he wanted to give-back & help people, and that he didn’t
want to sit in an office all day; then while flirting with Ms. Peace
Corps Eli met her friend AmeriCorps.
This brings us to the next stop on
Mr. Eli’s living-tour-of-the-USA:
Kentucky; Eastern Kentucky to be more specific. It was in the town of
Booneville, KY that Eli served his first year of AmeriCorps*VISTA for
Save The Children of Appalachia. He coordinated a computer lab, much
as he is doing now, only on a very smaller scale. As well as being tech
support for most of Owsley County. This was a great learning experience
in Hardware and trouble shooting for Eli.
After coming just under a full two
years in eastern Kentucky Mr. Eli made
the most recent step in his West-by-South-West
journey in a final
drive cross-county arriving in California’s Great Central Valley.
As an AmeriCorps*VISTA for CVDN Eli hopes, as always, to encounter new
experiences, knowledge and people. And make the world a better place.
P.S. Now in California Mr. Eli hopes
to fulfill his dreams of becoming a
rock&roll star! w00t!
P.P.S. ...and yes Lodi, CA is the biggest
city Eli has ever lived in. He hopes
this will develop and broaden his idea/concept
of what ‘community’ is
and how it functions.
Eli is serving at the Lodi
Public Library- Lodi, CA- Project
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Kelly White Cary,
North Carolina
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Email |
 I
graduated in May 2004 from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel
Hill with a B.A. in Sociology, Women’s
Studies, and a minor in Spanish. There I had
one heck of an adventure as an active member
of the community serving in English as a Second
Language Tutoring programs, women’s rights
groups, and other human rights groups. Through
the Great Valley Center I will be working in
Goshen, California at Community Services, Employment
Training (CSET). My mission in Goshen is designing
technology programs and performing community
outreach. I came to the Central Valley to understand
problems that communities, such as Goshen,
face and the creative ways people have challenged
themselves and worked through those barriers
to community development.
Kelly is serving at CSET
(Community Services and Employment
Training) - Visalia, CA - Project
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Debbee Williams -
Visalia, California
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an Email |
 I
just knew when I grew up I would be a corporate
woman wearing power-suits, demanding perfection
and getting it. And yet every position I obtained
from my first job at age 15 as a day camp counselor
with the YMCA spoke to my need to give back and
nurture the community around me. With one semester
to go, and to my parent's chagrin, I left Texas
A&M University where I was studying to be
a Sports Agent. Heading west to California, I
pursued my desire to work with youth. I completed
my degree in Youth Development, and worked to
engage youth in the development and design of
systemic substance abuse prevention programs
via the California Friday Night Live Partnership.
Jokingly dubbed the Power Point Queen, I coordinated
the state system in converting its training manuals
to CD ROM and web accessible materials.
Young people today are growing up much more
computer and technology savvy as part of generation-e.
Engaging them in typically adult-driven systems
requires more innovation and thought than in
the past, I hope to bridge not only the digital
divide, but also the age divide. Joining the
Boys & Girls Club of Tulare County allows
me an opportunity to serve youth locally and
better understand a national youth development
organization.
Debbee is serving at the Boys
and Girls Club of Tulare County- Visalia, CA
- Project
Site Info
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Michele Wilson -
Austin , Texas
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an Email |
 In
May of 2003 I graduated from The University of
Texas School of Business
with a degree in Management Information Systems.
Like most college graduates I had no idea
what to actually do with my degree but I knew that
I wanted to have a positive impact on society.
At the time I wasn’t sure how to integrate
business and technology into my plan to save
the planet so I began to research the non-profit
world. The
first job I took out of college was the position
of Waterfront Director
at a summer camp for at-risk youth. This was
my first experience with non-profits and I
loved the people and the work. However, soon
I became tired of living out of a tent and
eating summer camp food and decided to move
on. Although I did not leave camp with a love
for Calamine lotion or bug juice, I did take
with me a passion for service. I spent the
next year serving with Americorps *NCCC (National
Civilian Community Corps). In NCCC I served
the Southeast region with a team of eleven
people from all over the United States. My
team completed several projects including tutoring
children, blazing new trails and building houses.
Upon graduation of Americorps *NCCC I knew
that I wanted to continue service
but I needed to integrate my background in
business and technology. I was extremely excited
when I found the Great Valley Center on the
Americorps website. This program allows me
to utilize my knowledge about technology while
working in underserved communities.
My project focuses on
capacity building through technology at the
Golden State YMCA. Through use of process
analysis and technology I am able to positively
impact the Central Valley by increasing the
YMCA’s ability to serve the community.
I love my work here because it is the perfect
combination of my two loves, service and
technology.
Michele is serving at the Golden
State YMCA - Visalia, CA - Project
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Ala Yousefi -
Sacramento, California
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an Email |
 I
was born in Tehran, Iran and lived there for
seven years until my family immigrated to
the United States and settled in Oklahoma. We
lived there for three years and then moved to
Sacramento, CA where I have spent most of my
life. I enrolled in the University of California
in Santa Cruz with a major in Computer Engineering
because I have always been interested in computers
and their technology.
During my stay at UCSC, I took a Computer
Lab Consultant job on campus in order to somehow
reduce the financial burden of higher education
and living in the bay area. Working at various
labs on campus, I was not only able to help
students improve their work and studies by
using technology but also help faculty and
community members improve their productivity.
It was obvious to me that access to technology
was critical to education but also valuable
for creating self-sustainability for a variety
of ages.
After graduating with my B.S. at a somewhat
inopportune time, I decided graduate school
was in order but before that, I needed to gain
some professional experience. I had seen the
effectiveness of the computer labs on campus
but that was mainly funded by tuition money
from the pockets of their users. Since not
everyone is so fortunate, I decided to join
AmeriCorps*VISTA and the Central Valley Digital
Network so that everyone could have the same
opportunities to better their lives.
Ala is serving at Charterhouse
Center for Families - Stockton, CA - Project
Site Info
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