Volunteer Spotlight: Nathan West, Tech Support

Nathan West is a student at Wilmington Friends School who volunteered with Brandywine Counseling last summer doing tech support. He was a great help in fixing many troublesome computer issues that we lacked either the know-how or the time to address.

How did you hear about this project?
I heard about the project through a volunteering website designed to give people who are looking for volunteer opportunities the ability to easily find the ones they want, near where they live.

What made you want to volunteer?
I decided to volunteer because I had to do community service for a school project, but more because I really wanted to put my skills with computers and technology to good use.

What did you think of BCI?
I wasn't really sure what BCI would be like, having never experienced a drug counseling institution before. However, I found it to be a very pleasant experience. The people were all very friendly, and I felt very welcome even just a few days into it.

What did you work on?
I mainly worked with the older computers, running through them and making sure they were still in working order. I also helped out people with their computers directly, when the need arose, throughout the building.

What will you take away from your experience?
The biggest thing I gained from volunteering at BCI was using my skills to work with people who needed them. Before this, I had only used them personally (i.e., for my own personal computer work), and this gave me an excellent opportunity to work with other people.

How does it feel to help people in need?
I was thrilled to have an opportunity to use my much-needed skills with computers and technology to help people who needed them. Even though I wasn't making any money, it felt really good to be able to provide the service. Plus, I was able to work with computers for many hours a day, which is never a fault in my book.