Member Bio: Meet our new member Emily James

Interview by staff writer Michael Espinoza

I had the privilege of interviewing Emily James this afternoon and not only is she smart and quick, she's also pleasant, super-friendly and a great asset for the team. Please help me in welcoming her to the team!

Where She's From
Emily is from Frederick, a town in Central Maryland situated an hour away from DC and an hour away from Baltimore. She attended Ithica College in upstate New York where she got her degree in flute performance. She has travelled all up and down the Eastern seaboard but up until now had only spent one week of her life on this coast, in Petaluma, CA to visit family.

Impressions of Walla Walla
Emily has been here in the valley for a very short amout of time, but is already singing the praises of Walla Walla. So far, she has felt very welcomed by the kind people she's met. She sees a high level of enthusiasm we have and notes a pride in our community. This is particularly visible for the wide-ranging group of non-profits we have doing great work in the valley. She is excited by the beauty of the valley and hopes to see more soon, and of course says the downtown is "really cute." The only thing missing, she laments, is access to great public transportation options. She is used to being able to get to major cities by trains that run on regular schedules, much unlike our once-a-day train more than an hour away.

Her Site
Emily has received a special position with BMAC in PR, marketing and fundraising for the organization. She has the esteemed privilege of working side-by-side with team member Stephanie. So far she has found everyone at her site to be friendly and helpful. She likes to hear music in the halls each morning. She has been researching current BMAC programs and reviewing past marketing and fundraising strategies.

More About Emily
Emily has a wide range of hobbies and interests, but when I first asked her about them, she went right to her artistic pursuits. She seems to be very passionate about painting, creative projects and collage, especially when creating meaningful images and objects for friends and family. Obviously, she's also interested in jam sessions, live and local music and looks forward to the opportunity to find open mic nights.

It cannot be emphasized sufficiently that Emily's great passion is to cook, eat, and share great flavors with people. If you want to get to know Emily better, suggest a potluck, a dinner night, or anything else surrounding food!

Emily came to the valley without a car and is ready to become a bicycling enthusiast. She'd love to check out new trails and see the mountains. Besides that, she has yet to find a friend for racquetball (hint, hint!), so please approach her if you want to get your game on.

Emily has travelled all over Central, Eastern and Western Europe as a part of her study abroad program in Vienna, Austria. Perhaps the best part of her trip was a beach in Croatia that seldom has visitors from the West. Emily makes Croatia sound like the next great place to travel. Next, she would like to check out more of the west coast, including Seattle, Portland, and more parts of California. Beyond that, her next big travel goals include Cambodia and Argentina.

Introduce yourself when you see her, she's great!