Location: California

I spent many years doing the traditional lifestyle; corporate job, family, community, etc. I began shifting in my forties to being more renaissance, seeking modalities outside the main frame of daily lifestyle, including holistic sciences, massage therapy, and methods of natural healing. Activities included multi-media art, photography, community theatre and writing. Successes were more personal and community building than financial. I have enjoyed in more recent years teaching massage therapy, working with adults with TBA (tramatic brain injuries) and doing reflexology and clinical massage. "Listening", to me represents universes that go beyond the norm of just "hearing". People seek change in their lives for growth and development . I believe we are put on this earth to culitvate and nurture the human spirit. What better way to encourage and support each other than through listening, whatever media that takes. So, I'm excited to be a part of this fantastic global exchange.

2nd generation Vietnamese American

I'm a recent graduate of The Evergreen State College where I studied documentary media and gender studies, culminating in the creation of A Problem Like Maria, a documentary film featuring the stories of religious sisters (nuns) and their struggles for gender equality within the Catholic Church. As a 2007 Young People For Fellow, I coordinated a documentary photography and audio exhibit on the lives of families facing welfare cuts in Washington state. I also spent a summer doing human rights documentation work in Guatemala, organized a Take Back the Night rally and currently serves on Amnesty International's Women's Human Rights Steering Committee.

After spending the last year in Seattle working on the community outreach campaign for the documentary film Inlaws & Outlaws, I am thrilled to continue combining my passions for media and social change through my work as a community organizer at The Center for Digital Storytelling.

In my spare time, I can be found freelance writing for various publications, taking photographs of gentrifying neighborhoods, and/or making mix CDs for every imaginable situation. 

I teach Life Storybook Workshops for older adults at California State University, Fullerton's Gerontology Center as well as a course in Autobiographical Studies at the University of Southern California's School of Gerontology. As a writer, educator and personal historian, I help older adults write their life stories, digitize and repair their old photos and create a series of small books containing their story collections. I have masters degrees in both counseling and sociology from California State University, Fullerton and am working on my PhD in Counseling. My dissertation is entitled: Grandparent Tales: Exploring the Meaning of Autobiographical Story Writing for Older Adults. Although I have facilitated numerous groups for the writing and sharing of stories, I have not done digital storytelling, and I would like to add this wonderful technique to my repertoire.

I'm an educator, mediamaker, and community development practitioner. My work incorporates storytelling, documentary, social science research, media production, and public gatherings to facilitate collaborative, community-based endeavors aimed at personal and social transformation. Currently, I'm Co-Directing a regional media inititive that uses storytelling to document community efforts to conserve the culture, economy, and environment of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.

My background includes urban and rural projects, US and international initiatives, university teaching and non-profit management, community arts and grassroots organizing. I draw from all of these experiences to create community cultural development projects that generate media literacy, community capacity, creative self-expression, and civic action.

I believe in and thrive on networking and look forward to engaging with folks in this Stories for Change endeavor!

I dove headfirst into digital storytelling after taking a CDS workshop in 2003. My educational background includes the bizarre combination of theatre and computer information systems, so digital storytelling has presented me with an interesting opportunity to utilize both sets of skills. At Ukiah Players Theatre I have tackled the incorporation of projected digital stories into live theatrical productions.

I teach digital storytelling workshops at the local middle school through a gang prevention program associated with the department of public health. I also teach a digital storytelling class at the local community college.

I am especially interested in the role of story in creating a more connected and compassionate community and managing encroaching urban sprawl.

Oh, and I use my day-job as a graphic designer and video editor to support my digital storytelling habit.

Hello to all. I'm the Community Projects Director for the Center for Digital Storytelling, where I have worked hard to expand our teaching staff and deepen our focus on social justice issues, with an emphasis on youth development, trauma/violence, and international work. Can't wait to connect with others!