YP Member Spotlight
Each month, we spotlight a YP member who is doing exceptional things in our community. We know all of our members have a story and bring something valuable to our chapter, which is why we highlight them here so that you can learn more about them and what they are doing. Check back here every month to see who is the new monthly YP member spotlight, and if you think someone should be a YP member spotlight email our President at president@joinyp.org.
Alan Ware
The December YP Member Spotlight goes to Alan Ware! Alan is a freelance engineer and consultant, and also an organizer for Sacramento's Hacker Lab. Read more about Alan and why he chose to become a YP member:
Q: What impact do you want to have on your community?
A: "A positive impact. I want to be the type of person who makes the community around me better. I'm a big believer in action instead of words. Rather than talk all day about what needs to be done, I'd much rather say nothing and do something useful."
Q: What originally brought you to YP?
A: "Piggybacking off the previous answer, the desire to make a positive impact on my community, and seeing a group of people that were sincere in their desires and efforts as well. That, and the energy and persuasiveness of YP president Laura Murell."
Q: What do you enjoy about being a YP member?
A: "I enjoy the opportunity to engage and work with professionals in my area, whom if not for YP, I probably would not interact with. Along those same lines, I enjoy the exposure to aspects of my community that I would otherwise miss."
What is your dream job (a fun one)?
A: "Honestly, if I was to describe my dream job, I'd have to say the job I have now. I currently work as freelance designer/engineer/consultant (http://www.amwdesign.net). The path that has led me to this point is definitely off the beaten track, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I have a lot of agency over my work, and how I choose to get it done, which is very important to me. With that agency, I'm also able to do things I both enjoy and are important to me, and somehow still make enough money to pay my bills (for now, anyway). I consider myself very blessed to be able to answer that question in this way."
Q: What else can you tell us about yourself?
A: "I used to think everything about me was painfully obvious, but now I'm not so sure. I think the things I value don't always line up with others, and that attitude has allowed me to have a varied set of experiences in my life thus far. I'm fairly well traveled, I think. I've lived all over the US: Washington DC area, NYC area, spent significant time in Boston, Baltimore, Florida, and now I live in CA. I've been to Japan 3 times in the past two years, and I aim to travel to France, Brazil, and Japan again in the next couple of years. Foreign languages are a big thing for me. I've studied Japanese off and on for the past 10 years, and I'm currently deciding what language I'm going to study next—Spanish, French, and Portuguese are on the list. The simplest thing I could say is that I'm more than meets the eye in many ways."
Q: What impact do you want to have on your community?
A: "A positive impact. I want to be the type of person who makes the community around me better. I'm a big believer in action instead of words. Rather than talk all day about what needs to be done, I'd much rather say nothing and do something useful."
Q: What originally brought you to YP?
A: "Piggybacking off the previous answer, the desire to make a positive impact on my community, and seeing a group of people that were sincere in their desires and efforts as well. That, and the energy and persuasiveness of YP president Laura Murell."
Q: What do you enjoy about being a YP member?
A: "I enjoy the opportunity to engage and work with professionals in my area, whom if not for YP, I probably would not interact with. Along those same lines, I enjoy the exposure to aspects of my community that I would otherwise miss."
What is your dream job (a fun one)?
A: "Honestly, if I was to describe my dream job, I'd have to say the job I have now. I currently work as freelance designer/engineer/consultant (http://www.amwdesign.net). The path that has led me to this point is definitely off the beaten track, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I have a lot of agency over my work, and how I choose to get it done, which is very important to me. With that agency, I'm also able to do things I both enjoy and are important to me, and somehow still make enough money to pay my bills (for now, anyway). I consider myself very blessed to be able to answer that question in this way."
Q: What else can you tell us about yourself?
A: "I used to think everything about me was painfully obvious, but now I'm not so sure. I think the things I value don't always line up with others, and that attitude has allowed me to have a varied set of experiences in my life thus far. I'm fairly well traveled, I think. I've lived all over the US: Washington DC area, NYC area, spent significant time in Boston, Baltimore, Florida, and now I live in CA. I've been to Japan 3 times in the past two years, and I aim to travel to France, Brazil, and Japan again in the next couple of years. Foreign languages are a big thing for me. I've studied Japanese off and on for the past 10 years, and I'm currently deciding what language I'm going to study next—Spanish, French, and Portuguese are on the list. The simplest thing I could say is that I'm more than meets the eye in many ways."