Alumni
Whether you have been a SIC alumni for years, or are just recently returning from your time in Tanzania, we want this to be a place where our alumni can reconnect and find resources for continuing to develop leadership skills.
SIC Alumni Spotlights
Each month we will be showcasing the inspiring achievements of our fabulous alumni.
Summer 2011: Vikki Fanslow
Vikki Fanslow (left) and Diane Gattenhammer as they set off on their
1200-mile bike trip raising money for and awareness about SIC.
Vikki Fanslow (VP4 Volunteer, 2009; VP3 Coordinator, 2010):
Never one to shy away from adventure, SIC alumnae, Vikki Fanslow (VP4 2009 Volunteer, VP3 2010 Coordinator), has just returned from a month-long bike tour to raise funds for and awareness about SIC. Vikki recruited her friend, Diane Gattenhammer, and together they road from Vancouver to San Francisco in May of 2011.
Vikki and Diane have been friends since high school and both share a love of travel and a passion for international connectedness. After graduating from Stanford in 2009, Vikki volunteered with SIC as part of VP4 and fully immersed herself in the Tanzanian culture, while taking advantage of all that East Africa has to offer. After returning to the States, Vikki moved to San Francisco where she worked for a doctor, but travelling was never far from her radar. With quick international trips whetting her travel appetite, Vikki returned to Tanzania in the summer of 2010 to coordinate VP3 (with a quick trek of Mount Kenya to start the trip off right!) After VP3 ended, Vikki travelled to Zambia and Zimbabwe and eventually made her way back to San Francisco where she continues to live.
Diane has had a similar dedication to travel and adventure. After graduating from Wagner College in 2009, Diane moved to Australia to travel and immerse herself in the Land Down Under. After Australia, Diane kept the travel bug alive by moving to Brazil to teach English, a job that would ultimately determine her choice of careers.
Both Diane and Vikki knew that they would have some time off in May and opted to travel – by bike – from Vancouver to San Francisco with the intent of raising funds for SIC and spreading awareness about SIC’s mission and programs. Vikki said, “I obviously know SIC’s offerings very well and I have the utmost confidence in what the organization does in Tanzania. I knew that every dollar we gave to SIC would be spent directly helping SIC achieve its mission of limiting the impact of HIV in Tanzania.” With Diane on board, the two set off to start planning and raise funds for the trip.
The trip began with a few days in Vancouver, assembling bikes, supplies, and itineraries before the pair headed north to Vancouver Island and back south along the Canadian coast. Despite all of their travels, neither Vikki nor Diane had ever been to Canada, and wanted to take fully advantage of their time north of the border. After exploring the Vancouver area, they headed south to Seattle, where they stayed with fellow SIC alumni and Vikki’s co-volunteer and coordinator, Bryan Furst. Despite their mid-week arrival, Bryan, Vikki, and Diane were able to take in Seattle and enjoy the rain from the comfort of a warm apartment (instead of a bike seat). After Seattle, Vikki and Diane biked down to Portland, and arrived to the city with the unfortunate popping of four bike spokes. Fortunately for them, Portland is the most biker-friendly city in the country, and they were able to get on their ways with little trouble (aside, of course, from a stitches-inducing fall on railroad tracks, and a few more flat tires…) After Portland, the pair headed down the coast through California and back to San Francisco. All the while, when the times got tough, the tough got… talking about SIC. On particularly grueling hills, Vikki and Diane would remind themselves (and those close enough to hear) that they were biking for a cause, by LOUDLY talking about how amazing SIC is and the merits of limiting the impact of HIV. An interesting drive-by performance, for sure.
Always in the spirit of adventures and stories, Diane and Vikki utilized coachsurfing.com and warmshowers.org to find accommodations along the way. Not sure what to expect, Vikki and Diane encounter the kindness, most generous people they could imagine, and met people all along the way who were very interested in SIC.
After 1200 miles, Vikki and Diane arrived to San Francisco knowing that they had made their travels into something bigger than just a trip. They knew all along that they wanted their adventure to be more than a vacation, but after a $2,200 donation to SIC and promoting the cause in two countries, Vikki and Diane certainly made an impact far bigger than they could have imagine. Now that they are showered and back home, Vikki is beginning medical school at UC Davis this July, and Diane is beginning a new job teaching English as a Second Language at an international school in Chicago. Thank you, Vikki and Diane, your efforts are sincerely appreciated by SIC!
As our family of SIC alumni keeps growing, we want you to stay connected! :
- Update your contact information. Unfortunately, we still have university emails for some of you and no emails for others! Please feel free to forward the link to this site to other alumni that you think might be out of the loop.
- See what our alumni have been up to on our interactive map. Don’t see yourself on the map? Update your contact information!
- Catch up with old friends and stay in touch with current programs via our Facebook page.
- Visit the Alumni Resource Center which is available for you to browse job/fellowship/internship opportunities as well as upcoming events and relevant lectures. If you would like to make a posting, please send the information to us and we will make sure it shows up here!
- Check out photos or post your own on our Flickr site.
- Stay up to date with SIC in the field including SIC-related news, links, opportunities and more in real time on Twitter.
- Be part of creating our blog content! We are encouraging all types of authors to generate discussion and inform the SIC network of interesting news and commentary on the HIV/AIDS front. Email us if you are interested.
- Get creative. We’d love to talk to you about how you would like to stay involved or what other resources you would like to see in this section! Please send us your comments!
