INFO - BITS - Byte Back

INFO - BITS Byte Back’s Online Newsletter | June 2014

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Table of Contents

FTT Celebrates One Year of Serving the Community

First Time Technology

By: Yuris Martinez, Community Engagement Coordinator

Celebrates One Year of Serving the Community 

Interview Skills Workshop Builds Confidence in Job Seekers

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Success Story: Sean Coleman

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Student Spotlight: Donna Jones

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Volunteer of the Month: Public Allies

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Five Questions with a Public Ally: Yuris Martinez

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Join Byte Back’s AmeriCorps Team!

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Upcoming Events Volunteer Opportunities

This April, we celebrated First Time Technology’s first year of service. We are excited to continue serving members of our community by providing high-quality computer repair services and refurbished computers to lowincome individuals. Michael Mack is just one of many customers who have come to find that First Time Technology is unlike any computer repair shop in D.C. Michael Mack went to several computer repair shops before he found First Time Technology. “I went to a place that wanted to charge me $65 for diagnostics and $164 to fix it, but didn’t want to tell me what was wrong with the computer,” he says. He ended up using their services but his computer still did not work properly. For Michael, not being able to use First Time Technology is located near the his computer meant that he was unable to keep Deanwood Metro Station. working on his goal of learning to read. Living without a working computer can be especially disruptive for families who rely on it for educational materials and services. Since April 2013, First Time Technology has been refurbishing computers and distributing them to people in the D.C. community. Most of these computers are given free of charge to low-income graduates of Byte Back. Others are made available to lowincome families, seniors, students and nonprofit organizations for an affordable price. After hearing about First Time Technology Michael decided to make an appointment and was pleasantly surprised by the customer service he received. “I walked into the right place,” he says. He found that First Time Technology staff took the time to ask him questions and tell him exactly what the problem was with his computer. He soon discovered that his old computer had many hardware problems. At the suggestions of the First Time Technology staff, Michael decided to recycle his computer and purchase a refurbished one for $99, a price that was less than the cost of repairing his old computer. “The way you treat the computers and customers, I would give it a thumbs FTT serves students, senior citizens, low up. Other places I visited didn’t have that,” he says. -income households, and nonprofits. Continued

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Despite the challenges Michael faced initially, he found an organization that met his needs. While the repair shops he first visited offered to fix his computer they did not take the time to ask him questions or explain what problems his computer had. Michael’s experience at First Time Technology made him feel like he was getting to know his computer and like he was finally ready to return to accomplishing his goals. “I am able to get on the website and work on my reading. It’s my first time learning how to read and I am getting so much more information. I can afford a computer, and afford to work on this,” he says. As a former Byte Back student, Michael heard about First Time Technology through other students and Byte Back staff and instructors. “If I didn’t have good people to show me, I wouldn’t know what to do. First Time Technology played a big part, too,” he says. Michael is now recommending First Time Technology to his friends and most recently his pastor. “If you want something this good and good service I refer you to First Time Technology,” he says. Do you want to purchase a refurbished computer, have a computer repaired, or have a computer lab setup? Contact Office Manager Andrea Mack at [email protected] or (202) 803-2704 to schedule an appointment today!

Interview Skills Workshop Builds Confidence in Job Seekers By: Jessica Bates, Communications Associate The interview is one of the highest-pressure components of landing a job. Luckily, with the right preparation, anyone can feel confident during the interview process. Earlier this month, Byte Back hosted an Interview Skills Workshop for eight of our IC3 students. The workshop was led by Jenna Boyer, founder of The Rising Professional, who reached out to Byte Back to offer her expertise. The three-hour workshop was designed to prepare students for interviews by giving them basic tips, individual feedback, and advice on what to wear. Even if you have extensive interview experience or are currently employed, it’s important to stay up -to-date on current best practices for interviews. IC3 students received tips on everything from correct posture to appropriate attire. Interview etiquette and employer expectations change over time, and it’s essential for job seekers to get an outside perspective on their performance. The students were given a chance to practice interviewing in front of the class so they could receive constructive feedback from their classmates. They were also given the opportunity to practice interviewing via Skype, something that has become an increasingly common practice with employers.

Jenna Boyer coaches a student.

Another important factor in feeling confident during the interview is knowing how to dress appropriately. Boyer gave the students tips on creating business-appropriate outfits. At the end of the workshop, the students received vouchers for professional clothing from either CareerGear

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or Dress for Success. Byte Back’s Job Developer Abdullah Alnassar and Career and Employment Associate Marcus Thurston worked with Boyer to organize the workshop and to ensure that all the participants felt comfortable with the process. The response from students was overwhelmingly positive. “It was a great learning experience,” says student Natalie Howerton. “I benefited a great [deal] from the interview questions and on how to answer appropriately.” Future workshops are already in the works, including one geared specifically towards IT job interviews that will help participants practice answering skills-based questions. If you are interested in our certification classes, please call our main office at 202-529-3395 to learn more.

Success Story: Sean Coleman By: Jessica Bates, Communications Associate Sean Coleman never thought he’d need to know how to use a computer. In school, he didn’t take his computer classes seriously, and as an adult he was mostly self-taught. For years he worked as an auto mechanic, but he was laid off in 2011. He decided he needed a career change and he signed up for a Byte Back class at a friend’s recommendation. “[Being a mechanic] wasn’t my passion,” Sean says. “I didn’t enjoy it but I did it because at that time it seemed like a secure thing to do. But that’s the time all the car dealerships started going out of business and everything slowed down.” After losing his job, he began looking for job training that would make him more marketable. At first he didn’t think he had the aptitude for computers, but when his laptop stopped working, he used his background as a mechanic and what he could learn from Google to salvage parts and data from it. This experience made him feel confident that he could undertake the Byte Back A+ Certification Training. He took IC3 and PC Hardware with Byte Back Instructor Scott Ryan before enrolling in the A+ class with Michael Williams. Though he enjoyed the first classes he took, he found his A+ class Sean Coleman speaking at Byte Back’s December graduation. and First Time Technology internship especially exhilarating. “It didn’t really hit me until I started A+ and the internship,” he says. “That’s when it was tangible.” Like many of the students in the program, he was excited to see the real-world applications of what he was learning. “You [get to] do experiments like trying to power on a computer without the processing chip or with no ram and you see the different error codes,” he says. “Later on, if you see those error codes you can recognize the problem.” These lessons came to fruition when Sean received his A+ certification, and began work as a contractor for Acentia, a technology and management company, this past December. Recently, he’s been working at the Department of Labor migrating their computers from Windows XP to Windows 7. His job allows him to travel around the United States and learn from his fellow technicians. “There’s always more than one way to do something, and you’re always learning from the people around you,” he says. In the future, he hopes to return to Byte Back to become certified in Security+ and Network+, so that he can Continued www.byteback.org | 202.529.3395 | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

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continue to advance in his career. “My experiences here have been very positive,” He says. “If it weren’t for this program, who knows what I would be doing. [Byte Back] has opened a lot of doors for me.”

Student Spotlight: Donna Jones By: Kara Young, Computer Instructor Donna Jones loves to learn. She has degrees in business administration and accounting, and she’s working on a master’s in business management. When she was laid off from her fulltime job as an accountant in the development department of Catholic University, she decided to expand her studies by gaining computer skills at Byte Back. “Catholic University was my past. I’m ready to move forward. Someone else needs my skills,” Donna says. She enrolled into the Office Track course at Anacostia Library. From the beginning, Donna was a standout student with passion and curiosity for the material. When Donna isn’t in class or working part-time at the Container Store, she’s working on her side business which includes event and retreat planning. She has been applying her Byte Back lessons to help her expand her business. Donna Jones “Learning how to insert pictures into a Word document was important to me because of my event planning,” she says. “PowerPoint took it to a whole other level!” She gained additional skills by volunteering at Byte Back’s Community Computer Day, where she helped to organize lunch for over 100 people. “I’m just people oriented and with my event planning it seemed like a good fit,” says Donna. Donna plans on continuing her education after graduating from Office Track. “My sister told me, ‘Sign up for the next class! You aren’t in a job, you have the opportunity,” says Donna. She hopes to enroll in Byte Back Academy’s advanced certification courses soon. Her five-year plan is to find a rewarding job that allows her time to her work on her other projects. Donna is a great example of how important it is to continuously learn and explore new opportunities. “I’m not scared, that’s not me,” she says. “I’m a free spirit. I’ve worn a bunch of different hats!” She’s happy to have the support she needs from organizations like Byte Back. “Byte Back is designed to help people understand basics and then move forward,” says Donna. “It helps people with their confidence.”

Volunteer of the Month: Public Allies By: Ashley Luttmer, Director of Volunteer Services Public Allies is an AmeriCorps program that prepares young adults for leadership through nonprofit apprenticeships and rigorous training. For the past four years, Public Allies have been an integral part of the fabric of Byte Back. They’ve contributed to Byte Back in countless ways, including teaching, developing curricula, managing volunteers, and planning events. Two Allies finished their terms of service this month, and I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the contributions they have made to Byte Back and the DC community. Marcus Thurston jumped into teaching PC for Beginners 1 with enthusiasm and joy. His genuine interest in his students and delight with their successes made him an instant hit with the group, and his enthusiasm kept them engaged throughout the long class. Although his teaching service only included the five-week course, the lessons he learned as an instructor made a lasting impression. Marcus realized the importance of preparation and clarity in creating a successful lesson. In his main role as the career and employment associate, he worked Continued www.byteback.org | 202.529.3395 | Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter

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painstakingly to create effective workshops for job seeking students, and to help them revise their résumés to be attractive to employers in IT. Throughout the year, Marcus also built Byte Back’s capacity to serve students in the certification classes by networking with employers, developing partnerships with other nonprofits, conducting outreach to recruit potential students, and assisting with the new information sessions for incoming students. Fellow AmeriCorps member Kalleigh Landstra says, “He’s really come into his own, professionally, over the year. He’s refined his goals and is driven to achieve them.” The role of Community Engagement Coordinator was a new role this year, and we weren’t sure how an Ally would fit into our community engagement and communications strategy. Yuris Martinez exceeded our expectations. She brought thoughtfulness and diligence to her service, creatMarcus Thurston and Yuris Martinez ing and improving materials ranging from our PCB1 in Spanish curriculum to brochures for First Time Technology. Yuris conducted outreach for new students in diverse communities, successfully recruiting students for our basic classes in Spanish and for our expanded certifications program. Yuris most values the time she spent working directly with students and is hoping to work in direct service in the future. “My most memorable moments at Byte Back involved my students,” she says. “Every class was truly special because I would learn a little bit more about them and what drove them to take the class. Their love of learning inspired me to be a better instructor. I am very grateful to have had that experience at Byte Back.” Communications Associate Jessica Bates, Yuris’s supervisor, says “Her thoughtful presence and critical thinking skills have made her an invaluable member of our team and a compelling spokesperson for our work. I’m very sorry to see her go, though I know she’s going to go on to do great things.” Thank you, Marcus and Yuris, for serving at Byte Back. We’ll miss you, and are excited to see what amazing work you’ll do next!

Five Questions with a Public Ally: Yuris Martinez Interview by: Erica Young, Computer Instructor Q: What has been the focus of your position as the Community Engagement Coordinator? A: I focus on doing outreach for our many programs and classes. Some of the time this involves creating and passing out flyers, creating partnerships with nonprofits in DC, or engaging our fans on social media. Q: What has been your favorite moment as a Byte Back Public Ally? A: My favorite moment has to be the last day of my PC for Beginners Spanish class. My students were nervous, but I felt confident in their ability to pass the assessment. The class before I had asked them if they wanted to bring some food to celebrate on the last day. Presenting them with their certificates, enjoying some delicious homemade food, and chatting with them was the perfect

Yuris Martinez Continued

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way to celebrate their accomplishments and growth throughout the course. Q: What do you like best about living in the D.C. area? A: I currently live in Virginia, but my time as a Public Ally has made me fall in love with D.C. I lived in D.C. as a child so it has been interesting to see how it has changed. What I like best about D.C. is that, despite the increased development, there are businesses, nonprofits, and communities that have been invested in D.C. since before I was born. Q: What do you hope the students you have worked with have learned? A: I hope that students realize just how powerful their curiosity for computers and technology is. After their time at Byte Back this same curiosity will lead them to want to keep up with changing technology and learn new skills. I also hope that they left class feeling not just that they learned something but that it was relevant to their lives. Q: What is your favorite animal and why? A: My favorite animals are birds. They are all incredibly beautiful and have unique characteristics. It’s fun to try to identify them and notice which birds are around during the different seasons. One of my favorite birds, the Baltimore Oriole, visits the area in the summer, so keep an eye out for an orange and black bird!

Join Byte Back’s AmeriCorps Team!

Byte Back is now recruiting AmeriCorps for the 2014-15 program year! Our AmeriCorps instructors give back to their community while building critical job skills. Find out more about the year of service through AmeriCorps and our Byte Back position description. Contact Director of Volunteer Services Ashley Luttmer at [email protected].

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Volunteer Opportunities "Volunteering is the most effective means to give back to your community and to continue to develop the human spirit." - Ted Frazier, Volunteer Instructor We have several exciting volunteer opportunities coming up! These include: 

Teaching Workshops: Lead a series of short classes on a variety of computer topics

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Become a Board Member: Give back to your community by helping us carry out our mission. You can join a specialized board committee such as our Sustainability Committee.

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Become an Ambassador: Help us share our mission and vision by introducing community members to Byte Back through our twice monthly tours.

If you'd like to learn more about these opportunities, or if you are interested in volunteering with Byte Back, please email Ashley Luttmer, Byte Back's director of volunteer services, at [email protected].

About Byte Back Founded in 1997, Byte Back seeks to improve economic opportunity in the Washington, D.C. area by providing computer literacy and job training for disadvantaged communities. Byte Back offers courses ranging from basic computer literacy to Microsoft Office to internationally recognized computer certification preparation. Byte Back is licensed by the DC Educational Licensure Commission as a postsecondary educational institution.

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