Introducing the 2007-2008 AmeriCorps Members
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While in the Civil Air Patrol, Katie Boehm trained other cadets about aerospace and leadership. With her background in science, she developed a science curriculum for students which she taught to 5th and 6th graders during summer vacation. Katie then went on to volunteer as a media technology intern during college, ultimately graduating with a degree in computer animation and web design. After graduation Katie joined the National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) where she served with several Habitat affiliates as well as with disaster relief organizations in the Gulf Coast. “Building with Habitat is unique because the organization aims to build low-income affordable housing, which is in great need everywhere.” |
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With his education and work experience in Geology, Jeremy Coerper has contributed to groundwater development projects in the Caribbean and groundwater remediation projects in Oakland. While living in the Bay Area he volunteered with Grid Alternatives, an organization that installs solar panels on the homes of limited-income families. He has previously worked in construction, building a new school with straw bale construction. While volunteering with the Sustainability Institute, “witnessing how many underprivileged people live was humbling, made me appreciate my blessings even more, and inspired me to take a larger role in improving the lives of those less fortunate than myself using the gifts I have been given.” |
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Johannes Copeland began serving in the US Marine Corps in March 2003, following graduation from the University of Chicago as an Economics major. Having completed two tours of duty in Iraq, he looks forward to serving AmeriCorps. “I would like to be involved in ending the world’s dependence on oil. I believe that energy efficiency and independence will empower the working and poor of the country, which will in turn create stronger, happier communities.” |
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Matt Durham Matt grew up in Oakland before attending Cornell University to study Government, where he served as the Scholarship Chairman of his fraternity. While home for the summers, he took the opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for East Bay, building during the Earth Day Build-A-Thon. One day on the construction site he “decided to bring a small grill and some hot dogs and watermelon… And we turned that Saturday lunch hour into a team barbeque.” Matt looks forward to hosting more barbeques as the Volunteer Coordinator. |
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Stephen Eales returns for a second year of AmeriCorps service with Habitat East Bay! He previously served as an AmeriCorps NCCC member, performing community service in construction, trail building, disaster relief, and tree planting. It was his experience assisting with disaster relief efforts in the Golf Coast areas that motivated him to continue his service through AmeriCorps with Habitat. “The important thing for me is to gain appreciation for what I have by giving back, which will never be enough.” Stephen is originally from Stockton, and when he rides his bike to the summit of Mt. Diablo, he can see both his Stockton and Oakland homes. |
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Andrew Goldsworthy graduated from Colorado College in Colorado Spring, CO with a BA in International Political Economy. He often volunteered with other Habitat affiliates in the Bay Area and is happy to make the mission of Habitat his everyday work. When not raising money and awareness for Habitat East Bay, Andrew enjoys a variety of outdoor activities, including skiing, fly fishing, hiking and rock climbing. |
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Alejandra Guillen is serving her second year of service as a Homeowner Relations Coordinator with Habitat East Bay! Originally from L.A., Ali decided to make her new home in the East Bay following a year traveling in Central and South America. We are thrilled that we have convinced her to stay. |
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Peter High managed his high school wrestling team for four years, motivating his team through practices and organizing meets and tournaments. Following graduation Peter served with NCCC, where he worked at many different Habitat affiliates. It was then that he decided to contribute another year of service, this time with a Habitat affiliate. Peter plans to pursue a career in construction and carpentry, and feels that “this is a great place to start.” |
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JP Lor comes to Habitat East Bay with Habitat experience, having led his college Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter while attending Bard College in New York. Also while at college, he founded the Bard Musical Theater Company, directing and producing four student-run musicals and leading a company of over 30 members. During his term of service with AmeriCorps, JP hopes to be “exposed to the problems this country faces and learn about the ways people are addressing these problems.” After AmeriCorps, JP plans to attend graduate school to study urban planning. |
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Abigail Loughrey is no stranger to construction sites, having spent her childhood running around on her father's residential contracting jobs. Now she has the opportunity to build homes to benefit others, explaining “I love the Bay Area and would like to use my skills to give back to my community.” Abby enjoys backpacking, rowing, and designing. |
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After receiving his Aeronautical Engineering degree at the University of Illinois, Robert Maldonado served a year of AmeriCorps through the NCCC. During his NCCC term, in which he volunteered with Habitat for Humanity’s Katrina relief efforts at Musician’s Village in New Orleans, Robert “learned the value of community service and service learning.” Of joining AmeriCorps with Habitat East Bay, Robert explains “I feel compelled to continue answering the call to service that I took up by joining the NCCC, particularly for housing and environmental concerns. |
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Gaylen Mohre Gaylen will continue her affordable housing work as the Homeowner Relations Coordinator. In her hometown of NYC, she volunteered with Picture the Homeless by organizing fundraising benefit concerts. With Food Not Bombs, she cooked, served, and coordinated food pick-ups to the homeless community on the Lower East Side. While serving as a Public Service Scholar in college, Gaylen gave presentations on supportive housing and assisted individuals in housing placement. In her free time Gaylen enjoys hanging out with her dog Dee Dee and playing guitar in Blonde Ambition ’87 (Paranoid Time). |
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Natalie Monk grew up in Oklahoma City, OK, attended school in Miami, FL, and currently resides in the Independent Republic of Berkeley. In addition to her strong credentials as a Siding Squad member, she is also a LEED Accredited Professional with a background in green architecture. In her spare time, she studies Aikido and reads books. Natalie is serving her second year of AmeriCorps service, trading in her toolbelt for site plans as she assist the project management department. |
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With a B.A. in Architecture, Aaron Preman traveled to Moldova to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer. There, he managed community development projects making indoor sanitation available to a high school and renovating a sports terrain. “AmeriCorps would be rewarding and challenging like my Peace Corps service, but different in that I get to see positive changes in communities in my own county.” Currently, Aaron is pursuing a Masters degree in Sustainable International Development, having just completed his classroom studies. |
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Maggie Schouten grew up and attended college in Oregon before relocating to the East Bay in 2004, where she has worked at Girls Inc. teaching math and engineering to middle school students. Maggie’s previous experience as an apprentice furniture maker has prepared her for her new position as construction site assistant. She looks forward to “organizing people for tasks and teaching new ideas in fun ways, both for me and those being instructed.” |
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Kwan Hong Teoh was born in Kuala Lumpur and has graduated Cal Berkeley with a degree in Plant Biology, Forestry, and Fine Arts. While in college, he ran arts and crafts programs at a local elementary school and provided labor and education programs at a dairy farm. “I am drawn to service work because it is motivating and rewarding to do. I enjoy taking on challenges and exploring possibilities.” Kwan is excited to take on the challenge of building affordable housing. |
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It was Alyssa Thunberg's high school youth group that introduced her to volunteerism. Through that group, she traveled to the mountains of Nicaragua, a Lakota Indian Reservation in North Dakota, and small towns in Mexico, North Carolina, and Atlantic City. “These varied destinations gave me a broader sense of humanity than what I had been exposed to growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.” Alyssa recalls building a wheelchair ramp for a handicapped man who was then able to leave his home for the first time in two years. With a degree in Architecture and several years of professional architecture work, Alyssa looks forward to gaining more hands-on construction experience with Habitat for Humanity. |
