We’re really excited to welcome three new faces to the Generator community. Read on to learn more about Khadija, Johana, and Kenan and please welcome them to the community!
Khadija Karima Assales, of Belize, is working with Generator as part of her participation in the US Department of State’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). Khadija is the Owner/Manager of a company called Kaj Expressions, a micro woman-owned and run business dedicated to creating handmade precious metal jewelry, custom name plates, and lionfish jewelry in Belize. Khadija’s goal is to create an environmental and cultural impact and awareness through art and she’ll be working on development of this mission while she’s at Generator from June 13 – July 7, 2022. You can click here to view Khadija’s YLAI fellow introduction and to learn more about her work in Belize. While she’s here, Khadija will also be offering two unique jewelry making workshops – check them out:
Johana Ramirez and Kenan Ulku-Steiner are both students at Middlebury College and are participating in Middlebury’s “Vermont Innovation Summer” (more info here!) along with a number of other students interning at other Burlington area organizations and businesses. Johana and Kenan are going to be working on a number of different projects at Generator including interviewing members, fabrication services projects, assisting with summer camps, social media, and more!
Johana grew up in Yonkers, New York and attends Middlebury College. She studies Computer Science, Studio Art and Geography. At Middlebury, Johana is the co-president of Creating Art Together club and a computer science teaching assistant. Johana completed a programming fellowship at ColorStack and volunteered at the NYC Department of Records & Information Services where she interviewed NYC residents about their neighborhoods. Johana is passionate about the intersection of art and technology. She enjoys creating artwork using acrylic paints and markers. She is excited to explore new mediums and tools at the Generator including laser cutting. As an intern, Johana is excited about the opportunity to become involved in a collaborative environment where creativity is encouraged. She looks forward to learning about the diverse set of projects at the Generator and supporting members. During her free time, she enjoys baking and going on road bike trips. Johana also loves to spend time with her cat and turtle in New York.
Kenan grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Lugano, Switzerland before moving to Middlebury in 2018. He is a rising senior at Middlebury, where he studies international politics, economics and Spanish, and is excited to fill in his extensive classroom experience with hands-on learning at Generator. At Middlebury Kenan is a Spanish tutor, president of the student-athlete advisory committee and a member of the soccer team. Kenan has worked for a strategic advisory startup in San Francisco, a Community Credit Union in Durham, North Carolina and a land conservancy in Monterey, California, before joining Generator for the summer of 2022. He is energized by the creative, passionate and driven community at Generator, and looking to soak in the expertise and knowledge of its members and staff. His experiences have made him appreciate the value of great storytelling as both a driver of revenue and a critical community builder, and looks forward to sharing Generator’s compelling story with the world. He loves soccer, tennis, pickleball (and most other sports), and will hike/bike just about anywhere to find a new swimming hole to splash around in.
