BeadforLife Volunteer Coordinator, Korri Roach, met with Andrew and asked him the following questions:
Where are you from?
Andrew Gansky
What are some of your hobbies, likes, dislikes, interests, passions, etc.?
I am an amateur photographer, I like to backpack, I like to attempt to fix the myriad mechanical problems my bike develops, and I enjoy exploring the limits of passive-aggressive behavior in social settings.
How long have you been a volunteer with BeadforLife?
I have volunteered at BeadForLife since spring of 2008.
How has being a volunteer at BeadforLife changed your life?
The friends I have made at BeadForLife, both among the staff and other volunteers, have provided a phenomenal support group for all the pressures of collegiate life. Coming to Fulfillment on a Friday afternoon after a stressful and busy week is a great way to decompress, and at the same time experience the joys and benefits of service with a passionate and committed organization. Before volunteering at BeadForLife, I had little personal connection to conditions of extreme poverty in non-industrial countries, and little sense of what I could do to help change the situation. I have been inspired to see the phenomenal success of the organization in Uganda, which has imparted me with a greater sense of how I can help enact social change in a variety of contexts.
What brings you the most joy in your life?
I experience the most joy in my life when I can give myself without reservations to the people in my relationships and friendships, and the most wonder when we experience connection based upon the pure enjoyment of each other’s company, and the sensation that our lives are mysteriously yet profoundly more complete.
If you could meet any one person, who would it be and why?
The person I would most like to meet is Robert Pirsig, because his persistent sense of joy and amazement in a society I often find alienating and upsetting has provided me with an understanding of existence that has made my experience of life more comprehensible and wondrous.
Tags: Bead Circle, BeadforLife, Boulder, Uganda, Volunteer