Tell us a little bit about yourself and The Hacker Gals.
I graduated from the MBA program at Western Michigan University (WMU) a year ago and have been excited to be a part of the startup community in Kalamazoo since then. In the fall/spring of 2013-14 I continued in school under the Rhetoric and Writing Studies program and also was accepted into the WMU Starting Gate student business accelerator.
Hacker Gals is a community group of women who meet in a common space to work on projects. Each of the Gals contributes to the resources of the community through sharing knowledge and teaching classes. We have been able to utilize the WMU Starting Gate space for the meetups and I have access through August 2014. The projects we work on include writing a book, building a robot, job searching, learning to crochet, and making old T-shirts into a trivet, coaster or rug.
What will The Hacker Gals be showing off at Maker Faire Detroit? What was the inspiration?
Since Hacker Gals are relatively new, the idea is to show off what we have been up to during the last six months and showcase some of the upcoming events. Any physical examples of projects may be included whether or not they are pictured.
How long did it take to create your project(s) for Maker Faire Detroit?
We didn’t complete anything specifically for Maker Faire Detroit.
As a maker, what inspires you and the rest of the Hacker Gals?
What inspires me is being able to solve problems with skills that I have, and sharing passions and anything else that is helpful. The inspiration for the Gals is similar – they have ideas to share and they want to learn. Most in the group do not consider themselves “makers,” although by definition, they really are.
What are you most looking forward to at Maker Faire Detroit this year?
I am looking forward to meeting others in the Maker community and in attendance at the event.
