Staff Spotlight: Gabby Kim
This month, we welcomed Gabby Kim (she/her) to our staff as our first AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Specialist! For the next year, Gabby will be working closely alongside Madison, our Volunteer Coordinator, to help build additional capacity for our volunteer program through outreach, recruitment, process improvements, and more. Gabby’s no stranger to volunteering at ACR, she started out as a core volunteer before taking on this new role. She’s already made her mark as a calming, steadfast presence in what can often be a chaotic environment at the center and in Volunteer Land, especially. We’re looking forward to working with her and getting to know her better!
Read more below about what brought Gabby to ACR, and what she’s like as a human being outside of work.
How did you find Austin Creative Reuse?
Mainly through one of my old coworkers! I knew other creative reuse centers existed around the US but somehow completely missed ACR when I first attempted to find one in Austin. I was super excited to find out about ACR and even more excited once I saw the prices.
Why are you excited to be a part of the ACR fam?
Growing up as a lower income immigrant, finding ways to reuse the materials I had or found unintentionally became one of the main ways I expressed myself, creatively. At ACR, not only do I get to share that passion/knowledge with other community members, but I also get to meet (and work with) other creatives in Austin who value reuse!
How’d you end up as the Volunteer VISTA at ACR?
I actually found out about Americorps VISTA and this particular position while looking for ways to get more involved at ACR! I really connected with VISTA’s mission of tackling poverty with real, systemic changes and thought the opportunity to combine my interests in environmental justice, equity, and creativity at ACR was just too good to pass up. :)
Are you an artist, crafter, or maker? What mediums do you work with? What kinds of arts and crafts do you like to do?
Since selling a bit of my soul to make a LinkedIn, I’ve learned that job titles are not real. So, screw it, I’m an artist! I’ve always loved creating things but due to my short attention span, I’m almost never consistent with my materials. During my Tumblr days, I made candy wrapper bracelets for my classmates and felt embroidery pins. I dropped off for a bit until the pandemic hit, which is when I began to draw and paint again. Since then, I’ve taught myself how to knit, crochet, bead, and make jewelry.
During my last year of college, I volunteered with the local library to help open up a seed library and took control over the branding and promotional materials. I began my first foray into collaging and digital illustration, and I’m super proud of how they turned out!
Recently, I’ve been enjoying junk journaling/scrapbooking with all the little mementos and ephemera I’ve kept over the years. I even tried my hand at zine making with a mock Narry (1D) fanfic (it’s complicated…). I’m looking forward to finding my next obsession!
What do you do when you’re not working at ACR/what other hobbies do you have?
I like to journal and hang out with my friends who like to make fun of me for being short. I’ve been trying hard to get back into reading so please, let me know any good book recommendations!
Do you have any children or pets?
I have a family dog named Dancer. We have a love-hate relationship.
Are you from Austin? And if not, where are you from?
Sadly, I am a transplant. *whomp whomp* I moved to the Austin area from a small town in New Hampshire right before I started college in Maine. It definitely made answering the oh-so-common ‘where are you from?’ questions overly complicated. Prior to living in the northeast, I lived in the Houston area and am both happy and sad to be back (I miss the snow). I’ve only explored maybe 15% of Austin, but I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far!
About Gabby:
Gabby is a semi-obsessive, hands-on creative, environmentalist, and somewhat-a-Texan who loves claymation/stop-motion, Matisse, socio-political theory, and terrorizing the aux. She is a recent graduate from Colby College with a double major in Environmental Science and Government and is interested in environmental justice, renewable waste streams, clean water, and community building. She genuinely believes that she can make anything she wants herself and is determined to help others see her vision and find theirs.
About the AmeriCorps VISTA Program:
Founded in 1965, Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) is an anti-poverty program designed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to increase their capacity to lift communities out of poverty. VISTA members dedicate a year of full-time service with a sponsoring organization (that’s us!) to create or expand programs designed to empower individuals and communities in overcoming poverty. More information can be found at their website.