A few years back, I became very interested in the Tiny House movement. I’ve always been nomadic and have worked towards becoming a minimalist, so naturally this movement really appealed to me. Because of this, I became interested in the trades. One day, I was on the bus, and I mentioned to someone that I was interested in the trades and was hoping to become an electrician. They told me about this pre-apprenticeship program called Constructing Hope. It was there that I realized how much I enjoyed woodworking and carpentry. I used my first sawzall, and it felt so natural. It felt like I was meant for it.
I sort of stumbled upon the Instructor position at the ReBuilding Center. I have always enjoyed being around people, so the ReBuilding Center’s focus on community has really kept me engaged and involved. I serve this organization as a person living within many intersectionalities, and I look forward to being a tool to help reach and connect with others who have similar lived experiences. The ReBuilding Center has given me a chance to teach, but also has allowed me to continue learning myself.
What’s your favorite part of being an Instructor?
I have always wanted to help people, but my past work experiences have focused much more on sales and productivity. Being in an environment like the ReBuilding Center is very fulfilling because I have the ability to give back with the sole goal of teaching and providing access.
When I teach a women’s class, there is always such a large sense of empowerment in the room. Folks are expressing it all the time. That’s dear to my heart.
I have heard so many stories about how women were only allowed to take Home Ec classes and not allowed in the shop growing up. The generational effect this has had on folks is huge. Creating the space to empower those who have historically been pushed out allows for folks to start shedding fears and insecurities. I look forward to providing space and encouraging non-binary, trans & gender-fluid folks to also lean into our building community.
What’s a favorite story from your time at the ReBuilding Center?
Ah, I have so many. One comes to mind from an Intro to Carpentry: Boxes class. There are many techniques you can use to construct the box—oftentimes we use the fence technique, allowing folks to work independently. This time around I decided to use a buddy system so two people would work together. There were two women who were having such a good time together. They were making plans to get together and build projects in the future. I assumed they were long-time friends, but at the end of class, I learned that they had just met each other. The connections that people make in class can be so impactful, and it’s very heartwarming to experience.
What is on your mind for 2020?
Personally, I am so excited for 2020. It’s a new decade and an opportunity to take what we have learned and start fresh. Recently, the ReBuilding Center staff got together to create a plan for what we want to accomplish. We have concrete goals for 2020 on paper. It is exciting because there is so much to look forward to in the organization. Specifically, I am excited about the plan to start developing Spanish-speaking classes. It will be a learning curve for all of us, but it is an exciting project.
Additionally, our team recently participated in a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training. I gathered so much insight & I believe we can all agree that our heart as an organization is in the right place, but we have much work to do to keep pushing the needle forward. The POC (Person of Color) experience is often feeling inadequate and being labeled a minority; insinuating we are less than, and I look forward to seeing how the ReBuilding Center will be here to lift up the POC community and hone in on racial equity work in the coming year.
