The Alpacees of 2020
Our mentees, “the Alpacees”, are currently in college, just graduated, or have plans to return to college. Most come from low income households, worked to pay their own tuition, and/or support their own families financially...all while being a college student. They are preparing to embark on their first career and are ready to take a step forward in their desired field. They’re always eager to learn, but lack some of the skills, experience and networks needed to reach their goals.
Project Alpaca hopes to fill in the gaps that their schools and families could not provide resources for. This begins with regular goal-setting meetings, hands-on professional development, project-oriented training, social networking events, and a community of mentors who can shed light on new possibilities. All Alpacees must be willing to learn from their paired Alpaca, and be active in social events and portfolio building projects. Our end goal for the Alpacees are for them to be happy in their respective careers, and one day come back to support future generations by becoming Alpacas.
Dontae Richardson
I am an aspiring Game Designer, with an Associates in Game design and a junior for Computer Science. Video games have been an important aspect of my life, ever since watching the “Indie Game” movie in 2012, which opened me up to the behind the scenes world of games. I want to be able to create high quality games for the future generation to interact with, and with Project Alpaca I’ll be able to access the tools and support I need to do so.
Jeffrey Pena
I am a Digital Designer and Photo Retoucher, in my senior year in college and about to earn my Bachelors degree in Digital Design. I have applied my skills as a Design intern in college, but wish to further them as a career. All my life, my family has provided for me and my sisters. Being able to get a career in digital design will help me to provide for them and myself, and with Project Alpaca I will be able to achieve this.
Kurk Fisher
I am a skilled coder and my major is Computer Science, with my final days of being a senior undergrad coming to a close. Working with computers has been a dream of mine, especially because my Dad had done it for college and for work. Being able to help others with my knowledge in computers, whether in Information Technology or Web Coding, at work is very rewarding and what I desire to make a career in. At Project Alpaca, I’m able to express my skills professionally and educationally, and will continue until I’m where I want to be.
Ngozi Fisher
I am an aspiring marketing designer with a passion for marketing. My favorite form of marketing is through various social media platforms. As I complete my senior year in my Bachelors in Computer Graphics and Imaging, it has taught me a lot about the importance of design in digital marketing and advertising. With the support of Project Alpaca, I hope to expand my knowledge with my mentor, to be the best that I already know I can be.
Patricia Pack
I am an aspiring character designer and game developer. With my Bachelors in Studio Art and an Associates in Game design, I am able to achieve my goal. I’ve been inspired by video games since I was a child, from how cute the characters were and how their design was crucial in developing the story in a game. From that exposure, I’ve decided to pursue a career in character design in games. With the help of an Alpaca (mentor) I can achieve this with the connections and guidance available through them.
Victoria Pogue
I am a self taught artist and story writer, with past experience in teaching youth. My ambitions are to be a creative writing professor with my own multi-media platform storytelling career, with animation and games,. Though I’m on break for my junior year in college, I want to use this time to build my experience, and with this program I can focus on what I need to accomplish in order to be where I want.
Zsoreign Sanchez
I am a self taught music composer and musician, with an added interest in game design. Learning game design and Emerging Media in college, I am gearing up to become a game designer and music composer. I would like to be able to connect with like minded individuals, and be able to put my work out there for the world to see.