Introducing Community Manager, Mia Ranard
It's official; I'm now the new face at the front desk of TechArtista! It's a new year and a fresh start for me as I take on the role of TechArtista's Community Manager. Those of you here during the regular 8-5 will likely see me at the front desk. I'm still learning names and faces but I will be able to recognize you all before long!
I'm new to the CWE scene. My husband and I just moved to St. Louis in October from Bloomington, Indiana where I worked as a high school special education and math teacher. Before that I worked in the wine industry and at Indiana University in their Bursar and Financial Aid offices. I've worked and volunteered at a lot of places in the public and private sector, and am excited to put all of my skills to use here at TechArtista!
So why did we move to St. Louis? Well the last six months have been a whirl-wind... In August my mother-in-law (who lives in Alton) was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia. She went from being an active Zumba instructor to barely having the energy to walk up the stairs in a matter of a few weeks. By September she was in the hospital undergoing her first round of chemo and was put on the bone-marrow transplant list. It turned out that the closest match was my husband, so we decided to move here to be closer to her and make the transplant process a little easier. By the middle of October we were St. Louis CWE residents!
Phew.... Now that the transplant is complete we are getting to enjoy the city and all it has to offer. We love living in the Central West End where we can pretty much walk anywhere and enjoy running through the beautiful neighborhoods. The last months of the year were hectic but we definitely took advantage of a few months of jobless bliss to be creative and focus on our hobbies. We are both writers and artists and spent countless hours and pots of coffee in our artistic flow:)
My first tasks here at TechArtista are going to be compiling member information and updating the website. Members can expect an email from me later this week. And to any perspective members, feel free to hit me up if you want a tour! Here's to a happy new year!