Hello Everyone! My name is Amanda Elzbieciak and I am a recent graduate student from UIUC’s School of Information Science focusing on emerging technologies. I am currently the workshop manager for the Illini Gadget Garage, coordinating pop-ups, appointments, and working with volunteers. I’m originally from Northwest Indiana and did my undergraduate coursework at an extension of Purdue University where I earned degrees in English Composition and Liberal Studies, and during that time I worked in my local public library. I greatly enjoyed being able to assist individuals with learning how to navigate and use digital technology, so it was a natural segue for me to end up in library school taking courses relating to information technology. During a course introducing myself and my classmates to networking systems, we were encouraged to volunteer and work collaboratively with a community entity, and that was when I first became involved with the Gadget Garage. During my time volunteering at the Gadget Garage, I was really impressed with the supportive environment that is created in working to collaboratively repair old and broken items in order to not only prolong the life of the item, but to empower individuals in understanding that fixing technology doesn’t have to be something only for professionals. I was a complete beginner when it came to dissecting technology; my only experience in taking things apart previously was what I had done during my volunteer work with the Garage, but let me tell you, it is very satisfying being able to take something apart, put it back together, and have it work again. You feel like a rock star, and before you know it, you’re trying to take other things apart and fix them as well. Tinkering is contagious, and I feel that the more you’re aware of how technology works, the less you have to be intimidated by it and that opens the door to a world of possibilities of what you are able to do with it. I’m really excited to be a part of the Gadget Garage and I can’t wait to see what we can do together against the tech troubles that life throws at us.
