Lately, in an effort to engage with my new home in Salt Lake City, I have been volunteering on local projects that take those international and large-scale skill sets I have developed and try to apply them in hyper-local situations:
- Joining the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Salt Lake and the Junior League of Salt Lake, both dedicated to improving the lives of local women and children
- Becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah to a local high school student and helping encourage the path to college and beyond
- Helping the board of WIT, a new local charter high school focused on computer science and agile development methods
- Working with local co-working groups to help promote the trend in SLC
- Getting involved with the Natural History Museum of Utah and their programs
- Helping start the SLC chapter of Creative Mornings
Working towards safe and engaging audience communities online can feel detached at times, especially when you are working in the thousands or millions of users ranges. I haven’t lost my desire to work on online projects, of course, but it’s great to be able to see those digital skill sets translate so easily into the offline space.
It’s nice to see the direct impact via work on the local level. I have met and been inspired by so many people in my new city and I am excited about the potential I see here.
Joi Podgorny 