Gabrielle at age 2.[/caption]
1. What’s your position with Brightergy? How long have you been working here?
Office Assistant; since Feb. 11th of this year.
2. Where are you from/where did you grow up? What’s your background (educational/work)?
I was born in Mexico, Missouri, but I grew up in Kansas. First Plainville, then Seneca. I attended Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS and graduated with an Arts Management degree (a business degree with emphasis in the fine arts). During my time at Bethany I worked all 4 years in the Theatre department as a theatre/set technician and on the weekends, I went home to work on the family (grandfather’s) farm. After college I moved to Topeka, KS and worked for Harrah’s Prairie Band Casino as a Slot Attendant for about 2 years. I picked up a fair few tricks of the trade that gives me a bit of an advantage when I play online nowadays! Although, there are so many new games that you can read about at fullsync.co.uk, it’s hard to know what to play. Things have certainly some a long way since I was a Slot Attendant. The internet has made gambling more accessible to more people which is why I guess it’s so popular. The instant bank transfer process makes online casinos a lot easier to use too. That being said, people should always exercise caution when looking to join an online casino, as there are some bad people out there who aren’t genuine. Ottawa Life has this super-useful article on what to avoid when looking for an online casino, which can be found https://www.ottawalife.com/article/what-to-avoid-when-choosing-an-online-casino?set_lang=en here. But, anyway, back to me. When I got married I moved to Salina, KS where my husband had already been living. I worked for Wilson and Company, an architecture and engineering firm, as an administrative assistant for a year, until they had a round of layoffs. After that, I worked a year for Salina Blueprint, a large format printing company. I left Salina Blueprint so that I could spend some time at home with our newborn baby. After a year and a half I joined Bev Lindsey Financial Services as an administrative assistant. I worked there for a little over 5 years until my husband was transferred to Kansas City. I spent some time at home making sure that our children were fully adjusted to the move and new schools, then I started looking for a position with a company that I could be proud to work for. That’s when I found the job opening listing for Brightergy.
3. Why solar? What first got you interested in renewable energy?
I was never not interested in renewable energy. Wind and solar primarily because of where I have lived. Having grown up and worked on land where trees were few and far between and the sun beat down relentlessly all day while the wind buffeted you constantly, I could never understand why more people weren’t using the sun and wind as sources of energy. Also, I feel that it is necessary to think and plan for the future of this planet. I refuse to hand over a future to my children that I didn’t at least try to make better.
4. What is something people might not know about your job and/or what you do?
I am still so new to it, I’m not certain that there is much about it that everyone doesn’t already know. There are parts that I still do not know. I suppose that it is an ever-changing job. I never know quite what I will be working on from day to day. I have a few daily tasks that I complete and answering the phone is the overall priority for me, but each day I get to do a new task or help with a different project. It’s full of variety.
5. How do you define sustainability?
It is endurance, health, and the ability to remain. It is what a good ecosystem is and what we should strive for environmentally. It is everything working together to thrive.
6. When you’re not at work, how do you enjoy spending your free time?
If I’m not reading a book (LOVE BOOKS), I am working on my photography, knitting an item of clothing, or playing video games. I enjoy listening and creating music as well. And over all, I like to do these things with my family while we play or talk with one another.
7. What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?
I have weak ankles that are prone to giving out so I fall down or trip a lot. It’s annoying and embarrassing, but true.
8. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I don’t look at the world this way, so this is very hard to answer. Each successful show’s opening night was an achievement when I was acting. My biggest accomplishment, musically, was performing on stage at Carnegie Hall. I suppose that my greatest achievement lately has been keeping my family together and working well together during the year that my husband lived in KC and the rest of us had to stay in Salina until the house sold.
Gabrielle with her husband and two children.[/caption]
Did you miss last week’s BrighterFaces post? Meet Jessica Oakley.