Contributor readers are you ready to meet our newest volunteer, Annie? Just how new is she? I had the pleasure of interviewing her on her very first day with the paper and she took it all in stride!
She is a local girl from right here in Nashville where she attended Hume-Fogg High School. She’s been away at college at the University of Chattanooga for one year focusing attention on her Humanities/Liberal Arts degree.
In case you’re wondering, as I was, this degree instructs individuals on different methods of how to learn, to think, to write and communicate effectively with others, helping them advocate for jobs, positions and roles they are seeking to acquire when pursuing various employment opportunities.
It’s appears to be an open field with lots of potential, and a vast number of possibilities.
She’s undecided as to exactly what she wants to do with her degree, but the one thing she knows for certain is she wants to establish a sense of community after feeling disconnected during her time away at college. (I can attest that such an environment exists within The Contributor organization) and ultimately, she wants to help people.
So how did she come in contact with The Contributor? Her mom has frequently bought the paper for many years and as a result Annie has been reading them since she was a child! Way to go, Annie!
Wanting to know more, she did research on The Contributor while she was away at college in Chattanooga. That led to a phone call. She must’ve liked what she heard, because she’s here now!
Since this was her first day, I had to ask how she liked the paper release meeting. She said, she “loved it” especially how the other volunteers know the vendors by name!
She says she’s looking forward to building relationships, networking with others, and getting to know the vendors by name as the other volunteers do. That is what her degree is about after all: PEOPLE.
She says she wants others to get involved, saying, “There are plenty of opportunities out there. All you have to do is look!”
Annie told me she’s VERY close to her family including parents and her 16 year old brother.
As a singer she particularly enjoys musical theater and choir with an emphasis on jazz and pop styles and she has developed a special fondness for a cappella style music. (For those who don’t know, that’s singing without musical accompaniment.) Now that is music to my ears!
She gave me a small sample during the course of this interview — it was lovely!
While our styles are definitely different, EVERYBODY knows how much I LOVE music!
It is my sincere hope that she finds the sense of community she is seeking, and that she continues to sing the praises of The Contributor to everyone she knows as well as others she meets who may not be as familiar with the paper as she is.
Welcome aboard, Annie!
Editors Note: We’re currently looking for more volunteers! Especially people who can commit to at least one 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. shift per week. Email Chelsea@thecontributor.org if you’re interested.