As a teen in Anchorage AYEA I was active with our local pesticides right to know work with the assembly & AYEA’s statewide global warming campaign. After High school I was really excited to work as a member of the AYEA team between 2006-2008 as Technology & Media staff, working on AYEA’s first two websites and on finding ways to incorporate media & art into existing AYEA Events & Trainings, so It was amazingly rewarding to be a part of AYEA’s first Summer Arts training during 2007, The Summer Institute as an Adult Mentor. It also opened my eyes to the opportunities that were starting to emerge for people interested using in Media & Technology for social action in the community, political and non-profit organizing worlds and that I wasn’t alone in that idea. AYEA helped me network with others in the emerging niche of new media & web 2.0 organizing, and my experiences during that time convinced me to pursue those interests academically.
I think it’s great that AYEA is using technology to connect grads together and continuing to cultivate new leaders for Alaska in Tech-Savvy ways. Whenever I come home to Alaska to visit, I try to spend some time at AYEA helping out around the office with technology things; it’s a great to feel like I’m still a part of the program even I’m only in the state a few weeks a year.
I’m currently living in Portland, OR where I’m super close to finishing up an Associate’s Degree in Multimedia & having gained technical expertise with programming, design and media development. I started my Junior Year at Portland State University this fall as a Community Development Major. The program is great because students share a core curriculum that provides a solid understanding, history & application of CD and then choose their emphasis to take more in depth classes in. Being able to focus on Communications within my CD education has made my college experience incredibly applicable to my technology organizing goals.
I also started a job this August on campus as a Multimedia/Web Programmer & Designer working with a team of staff & other students to design & create content for PSU’s Online Classes. I do a lot of scripting for our designs and media & graphics work, but what makes my job so rewarding are the projects that focus around communications organizing like developing social media specifically for Faculty, which is a pretty dynamic project for a university & I’m really excited to be spearheading.
Contact Kale at: me(at)kalebrewer.com
