This year’s alumni reunions season generated a lot of discussion and reflection. We wanted to share what we’ve learned about throwing alumni the best party possible.
Connecting at Code School
We teamed up with Epicodus last month to create our first Switchboard for a code school. Epicodus runs an immersive, four-month code program where students from all backgrounds come to pursue programming as a career. Epicodus alumni and students connect on Switchboard to find opportunities, share resources, and make time to play together.
Jennifer McCarthy, Epicodus alumna and enrollment coordinator, says that collaboration and peer learning are cornerstones of the Epicodus experience. Switchboard’s focus on community-building and connectivity make it the perfect fit for the school.
“We wanted to continue that collaborative spirit outside our classroom doors and create a place for our students—past and present—to communicate on what matters to them!” Jennifer says.
Over a hundred members of the Epicodus community signed up for the Switchboard in its first month. Alumni have been eager to share and pay their knowledge and experience forward. Even new students have offered advice and help. Epicodus’s mission is to prepare its community for meaningful careers as programmers, and the Epicodus Switchboard is a natural extension of that aim.
“Our Switchboard community can grow with us, but the quality of the communication and connections that are made does not decrease. It’s kind of a big deal.”
Jennifer is optimistic about Epicodus’s future. “As we continue to grow and bring on more students, we are more committed than ever to maintain the feeling of closeness and affinity we have for each other. Switchboard is the perfect tool to allow for that,” Jennifer says. “Our Switchboard community can grow with us, but the quality of the communication and connections that are made does not decrease. It's kind of a big deal, and we love it!”
We can’t wait to see the Epicodus community grow on Switchboard.
Code for America Profiles Switchboard and Portland's Early Adopter Program
City governments have to solve complicated problems every day, and they don't always know where to turn to find solutions.
Portland's Early Adopter Program aims to connect city officials with individuals and businesses in the local tech community to surmount those obstacles. Code for America recently profiled the city's launch of the Portland Switchboard as part of the Early Adopter Program:
“Switchboard is not only our technical platform, it is also a wonderful example of the power of tech and business to improve local government,” said Vidya Spandana, Strategic Advisor to Portland Development Commission.
We're excited to be working with the PDC to build private-public partnerships. "The City of Portland is modeling a new way to do business," our Co-founder and CEO Mara Zepeda says. "Portland’s Switchboard is meeting space where bureaus and vendors can problem solve and make the procurement process more efficient."
Want to know more? Read Code for America's full story, visit the Portland Switchboard, or see whether Switchboard is right for your community.
High School, Sunsets, and Birthday Cake!
March was a big month for us at Switchboard. We celebrated the first birthdays of four of our favorite Switchboards and we moved into our new office in the newly renovated Washington High Building! In short, it was the perfect time to throw a party.
Last week, friends flooded through the open doors of the renovated high school to celebrate with us. We introduced ourselves with asks and offers, enjoyed the sunset from our unbelievable roof deck and ate cake, lots of cake. We wrote each other love notes and got silly in the photo booth. It was, hands down, an awesome night and we didn’t have to give anyone detention!
Willamette, PSU, Wheelwomen, and PDX Startups Switchboards were important milestones for us when we launched them a year ago. Our first new institutional customers after Reed and the beginning of the Start a Switchboard program, these four set the standard for the Switchboards that followed. Over the last year their members have posted thousands and asks and offers and found countless successes. Every day is an outpouring of generosity and enthusiasm that fills us with hope.
But we can’t celebrate a thriving Switchboard without celebrating it’s founder. These superhuman community builders have worked hard to set a precedent of generosity, spread the word, and make priceless connections. Switchboard’s milestones (yep, even moving into a new office) were possible because your successes are our successes. It’s truly an honor to be building a more generous internet with all of you. We’re looking forward to having you back soon!
Introducing the Eugene Tech Switchboard
This awesome Eugene Tech Switchboard logo was born out of an ask.
We’re excited to introduce one of our newest Switchboards! In just a few short weeks the Eugene Tech Switchboard already boasts more than 100 users and has new posts every day. A home for startups, tech companies, teachers, freelancers, artists, bloggers, and developers, the Eugene Tech Switchboard features posts about everything from teaching kids to code to robotic pet feeders, to abundant job opportunities.
“Switchboard is a key element for opening dialog and making things happen in Eugene moving forward.”
Mark Davis started the Switchboard to spread the community’s wisdom and resources more broadly while taking the pressure off the usual matchmakers. “There were, and still are, a handful of us in town that are known for knowing people. I'd personally get approached a few times a week with someone looking for local tech talent,” said Mark. “I'd try to play matchmaker for each of these requests and even jump in on projects to get them started... I saw Switchboard as a way to remove people from the middle of those interactions and move it to a public with a much wider audience.”
Since kicking things off, Mark has rallied support throughout the community, fired up a Twitter and Facebook account for the Switchboard, threw a launch party, and even got a spot in the local newspaper. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. There are already 23 successes like the ones below. That breaks down to almost one success a day since it started!
One member, Kali Orkin, heard about Switchboard from her boyfriend and hopped onboard to start connecting . So far, it's yielded a flurry of positive experiences: “I have met several people in real life and found out about local events I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I met with one person, have another meeting pending, and a job interview next week. It's going great!”
Another win for the Eugene Tech Switchboard has been seeing underutilized spaces flourish. The Lane Community College Dojo space had available training rooms and offered them up to meet-up groups and kids classes. They already have five meetings listed for March when they were previously averaging only one a month. This activity is really important, says Mark, because it’s going to help them fulfill their mission and hopefully get funding next year.
The explosive launch of the Eugene Tech Switchboard speaks to a community hungry for a space to connect and collaborate. As the community continues to grow and evolve, the hope is that the Eugene Tech Switchboard will continue to be an essential facilitator. Mark believes that, “Switchboard is a key element for opening dialog and making things happen in Eugene moving forward. It really gives people who want to help a place to apply [their] energy as well as a safe place for folks with specific technical needs.” The way things are going, it is only going to get more awesome.
Next-Generation Networking
"Switchboard can build you a stronger and happier university community." So concludes CASE Currents' senior editor Tara Laskowski in her recent profile of Switchboard.