#support spotlight

Today’s spotlighted bat conservation is the Lubee Bat Conservatory!

Founded in 1989 by Luis F. Bacardi , Lubee has worked as a nonprofit organization specializing in the conservation, breeding, and release of endangered critters, more specifically to bats. It is located in Gainesville, Florida, and houses over 200 bats currently. It is incredibly focused on education reach and is regarded fondly for its tours as well as their diversity and inclusion policies. Their website contains photo galleries, educational information, links to live bat cams, and more. They even sell paintings done by their bats!

[DONATE TO LUBEE]

[SPONSOR A BAT]

[SHOP WITH LUBEE]

Good morning! Since it’s no secret I’m such an advocate and supporter of bats, I’d like to share this support-seeking tiktok with you! Fruit bats are important and underappreciated pollinators, and insect-eating bats help to decrease the population of nasty pests. If you can spare just a moment of your time to view the video, and if you have a tiktok account, if you could like, comment, and/or share, I’m sure that would mean the world even if you can’t donate! It helps to push the video further into the algorithm so more people get it on their FYP.

For better access to their site, I’ve provided the link below:

https://www.batsqld.org.au/

I want to write a series of posts about the people who helped make it possible for me to enroll at Turing, because this would 0% be happening if it were just me alone. I’m so thankful to all of you.

Today’s Support Spotlight is about my Wednesday morning lab volunteers, Mike, Willy, and Wim. From my first shift with them as an only-just-twenty-six-year-old, they’ve challenged and encouraged me, engaging in lively discussions about politics, religion, and all the other subjects that you were told not to bring up because they are not polite.

In between washing dishes and refilling microscope slides, this gang of grumpy-on-the-outside, squishy-on-the-inside retirees shared their stories and perspectives with me, commiserated with the difficulties of being young in the new millennium, listened without judgment as I talked about my professional lassitude, and were thoughtful and encouraging as I explored new directions.

Their interest, honesty, and humor helped make tackling the future seem ... doable. I also am going to be them when I grow up - volunteering my time, ragging on the young-uns while not-so-secretly supporting them, being empathetic, being sassy, being an example of rad adult-ness.

I want to write a series of posts about the people who helped make it possible for me to enroll at Turing, because this would 0% be happening if it were just me alone. I’m so thankful to all of you. 

I have to thank Brad! From the first time I mentioned an interest in programming, he’s been such an enthusiastic source of information and encouragement.

I took him to lunch over the summer to pick his brain about life as a programmer. He later told me that I didn’t need to bribe him with food, because he was always happy to help me out with any questions or advice.

Brad also brought me a bunch of his programming textbooks to look over, way back several months ago. He’s always happy to share his experiences, tips he’s picked up over the years, and any other help I might need when I run into coding problems.

I want to write a series of posts about the people who helped make it possible for me to enroll at Turing, because this would 0% be happening if it were just me alone. I’m so thankful to all of you.

This is a no brainer. I am grateful to my parents, Jim and Jan, for their support and encouragement.

My dad was a logarithmic thinking engineer who messes around with spreadsheets FOR FUN (nerd alert :) ). My mom is practical, organized, and artistic.

I think all of these traits fed into my interests. I grew up watching Star Trek: Voyager and documentaries about the Hubble telescope with my dad, and doing arts and crafts with my mom.

Their interests informed mine, and hopefully they make a blend that will lend itself to website development.

I want to write a series of posts about the people who helped make it possible for me to enroll at Turing, because this would 0% be happening if it were just me alone. I’m so thankful to all of you.

Oh, man. What can I say about Sonnie? She is one of the citizen scientists at the museum, and she has been a mentor and cheerleader from the day we met.

Sonnie has functioned as a role model, a non-judgmental coach, and a source of encouragement. She is independent, STEM-minded, practical, and optimistic. She and I would have long talks about life and direction and jobs, and she helped me brainstorm paths to a career I want. Sonnie asked me to think about what I want from a job - not in terms of tasks or pay, just ... what keeps me at a job, day in and day out? Is it interacting with people? Is it fixing problems? Is it creativity?

Her advice and open-mindedness helped give me the assurance to really consider programming as a possibility. She has show me in tangible ways how much she believes in my future. It’s weird to have that fresh-faced, teenaged feeling of Potential. It’s pressure, but not the crushing, paralyzing kind of pressure - it’s like being helped up a steep climb.

I want to write a series of posts about the people who helped make it possible for me to enroll at Turing, because this would 0% be happening if it were just me alone. I’m so thankful to all of you.

First up is Nick, my main weirdo. He is taking on our combined living expenses for the 29 weeks I’m in school and unemployed, and I literally would not be able to attend this program without that sacrifice on his part.

And even beyond the financial support, he’s been a constant source of encouragement and advice, cheerfully being a sounding board as I’ve flailed around, trying to figure out what to do when I grow up. He hasn’t just been patient; he’s been actively supportive and understanding.

I’ve been trying to finish this post for three days; everything sounds trite and little - none of it is accurately articulating my gratitude, or Nick’s guileless and wholehearted excitement for me.

Basically: if it weren’t for Nick, I wouldn’t financially be able to do this program, and without Nick, I don’t know if I’d emotionally be able to do this program, either.