Tanya was chosen as a Construction SolarCorps Fellow in September of 2015. We asked her to share a little more about herself and the impact GRID and solar has made on her.
The SolarCorps Fellowship is a one-year term in service to the community during which Fellows develop their careers in the solar and non-profit industry. Tanya has a wide and varied background: she has been a wildland and structural fire fighter, an EMT, a corrections officer, and an investigator for the public defenders office. Before GRID, Tanya was participating in a natural building internship. Her reason for coming on board with Grid is to expand her knowledge in hopes of one day building homes for her family and herself. Now halfway through her SolarCorps year, Tanya has gotten experience on commerical, residential, and community solar arrays; led teams of volunteers; and taken a PV installation class to develop her technical knowledge.
Where Are You From?
I grew up on the San Carlos Apache Nation. After high school I moved to the Hualapai Nation and then moved to Hopi. I don’t have a definite spot to say where I’m from. I guess I could say I’m from Arizona.
What Are Your Passions/Hobbies?
My passion is to learn as much as I can and share what I’ve learned. Hobbies are any activity outdoors. I play the guitar and drums, (although not that great but I do play and rock out). I enjoy art and making art.
What Does Solar Energy Mean to You?
Solar energy has made an impact on me this year. For one, taking an online class made me realize how much energy I am wasting and how it is polluting the earth. For example this lap top and my cell phone. Crazy being that these days technology is a necessity just to function.
To Your Community?
I think Hopi is a great place to have solar energy being that it is out in the middle of nowhere. For San Carlos Apache too. It would also be a benefit being that their electricity is supplied from Coolidge, AZ which is about a 2 hour drive. Both places always have outages during storms.