Ben Eastvold

GLAD Technology is a non-profit web development and coding bootcamp, serving refugees, immigrants, and under-resourced communities in the Sacramento area. This venture connects my passion for teaching, love of technology, and a desire to serve others in a meaningful way. And more than just teaching discrete knowledge and skills, this learning community also allows me to engage with the bigger questions of vocation and personhood. How does this trajectory align with who you want to be as a person? What mark will you leave on the community and the world through your work? How does an industry of technological expertise interface also with concepts of creativity, compassion, and joy?

After coming back from Kenya, I helped lead Bread of Life through a significant transition of their organization. As the director, I was the "boots on the ground" leader working alongside the Board of Directors. I helped bring in facilitators for our programs, implemented a new donor management system, and enhanced the functionality and design of the website. Bread of Life is a wonderful interfaith community of sojourners on the human journey; it was a real privilege to work with them.

Naipenda Kenya! Watu na mashambani ni wazuri.

I helped develop the curriculum for a gap year program, for sponsored students in-between high school and university.

I also taught academic technology skills and creative web development to OneLife students. It was amazing to see students come through with absolutely no prior computer experience, and finishing with proficiency in typing, the Google Suite, and basic HTML/CSS skills.

But my favorite part? Living in community with the OneLife students - eating, learning, playing, and living life together.

Much of my administrative role focused on improving the quality of our school's instruction and learning. I developed curriculum for instruction, led educational in-services for our teachers, and partnered with teachers to facilitate new and creative ways to teach. My lead helped bring a number of new electives to the high school, better access to advanced AP courses, and a new college and career department available to our students.