“Y” Not Change the World?

As a sophomore, Jessica Constantine ’03 wired the Troy YWCA for Internet access. Now, the IT graduate will work as its full-time “Human Potential Advocate.”

Constantine will teach technology classes and offer specialized support to a growing group of women in need.

“My two passions have always been computers and empowering other people,” says Constantine. “I enjoy the combined work so much that I have a hard time using the word ‘service’ to describe it.”

Constantine developed the Sally Catlin Resource Center (SCRC) at the YWCA. The center aims to empower area women with the technological tools to help them locate the resources they need to care for themselves and their families. She also spent three months at a YWCA in the African Republic of Botswana as part of ITCORPS — a Peace Corps-like organization with an information technology focus.

By the time she left the city of Gaborone, Constantine had a dozen PCs up and running, and had obtained and installed software including Microsoft Office, PhotoShop, and Dreamweaver. Thanks to the software tutorials that she programmed before returning to the U.S., citizens there can continue to learn the technology.

Advocates at the Troy “Y” say Constantine’s contribution has been substantial.

“Learning to use the Internet is a privilege, but in today’s society, if you don’t have the technological abilities you are clearly at a disadvantage,” says Christine Nealon, director of the SCRC. “Jessica will continue to make technology available and accessible to people who are consumed with life-critical needs, such as food, clothing, and shelter.”

Service-minded students can combine an Information Technology degree with a minor in Science and Technology Studies, which emphasizes the social, human, and organizational dimensions of information technology.