We are delighted to introduce Caroline Bull who joined the MSP staff as an IT intern in October.
Where did you grow up?
I was raised from preschool all the way through high school in rural Downeast Maine. I lived in a village called Surry of just barely above one thousand people. My K-8 elementary school was within walking distance and had fewer than one hundred students.
Name one book you would recommend.
I can recommend the book I read most recently which is The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. It is a factual account of a family of Hmong refugees living in California in the 1980’s.
A young girl from one of these family suffers from severe epilepsy, and the narrative of the book deals in the multi-faceted cultural obstacles complicating her treatment, from the language barrier between the doctors and patient’s family, to the parents refusal to comply due to a distrust of western medicine and their religion which glorifies her life-threatening condition.
While it is not a very light-hearted book, I think it is a fascinating and relevant case study in modern intercultural communication which faculty and students here may enjoy very much.
What interested you in working at MSP?
I was attracted to the smaller size of MSP and seeing what sort of network architecture may exist within it.
With a smaller staff I was enticed by the idea of becoming familiar with many different people and seeing the work I may do have an immediate effect on the workflow that both staff and students experience with the school’s devices.
Tell us about your role at MSP. What are you doing day to day?
As an IT intern I do a variety of computer-related tasks such as updating software, taking inventory of hardware, and troubleshooting connection problems on devices connected to the school’s network.
What is your favorite part about working at MSP?
As an undergrad student in IT it’s very exciting to see a smaller network gradually grow more complex in tandem with the school’s expansion.
With the construction of the clinic building next door I’m able to watch IT Director Jeff Cross construct the new server from scratch.
I’m also very touched by the warm and welcoming reception I’ve received from everyone I’ve met so far.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I have been studying Japanese intensively for close to ten years (There wasn’t much to do in my home town).
After high school I lived in Kyoto, Japan on and off for about two years. Once I graduate, my dream is to work either domestically or abroad for a Japanese firm.
