Kathryn Ortiz:  

Look for me on Twitter and FaceBook. I will begin a Ph.D. program in Education in Fall 2009 at the U of AZ to continue my work in the area of e-Learning and new media, also known as the use of technology in teaching. My former corporate high tech career adds to what I now bring to the college classroom, the use of new media in the teaching of college composition. I am concerned, though, about the lack of access to tech hardware and connectivity in the rural areas of our nation. Those who are poor and disenfranchised often lack access to computers and the internet. American education and corporate America needs to help bridge that gap if we hope to develop the next generation's 21st century job skills base. One way to dig ourselves out of this recession/depression is to create jobs and keep them in the USA. We need to ignite the spirit of entrepreneurship in our country. Summer 2009: I am teaching professional & technical writing at the of U of AZ and First Year Composition at Pima Community College. I have been happily married for 29 years to 2nd husband, Gary. My only child , Justin, is now 39 years old. We live in Tucson, AZ where I just earned a Master's in English from U of AZ. I have been teaching college English for five years and hope to find a full-time teaching job at a community college. Today, I am a grateful member of the Alanon Family Groups where a power greater than ourselves (call it God, the universal spirit, or whatever you like) helps us live the Twelve Steps. We are the family and friends of people who suffer from the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction. I have many relatives who are or were alcoholics and drug addicts and I love them all very much. I did not cause, cannot change, and cannot cure this disease. I am learning how to live a peaceful and serene life in spite of this disease. We are an anonymous group, but as long as I do not break anyone else's anonymity, it's ok for me to tell you that I am a Alanon member. God bless you if you have a family member or friend who suffers from the disease of addiction or mental illness. Since high school, I have lived many different lives and have had several careers. Being a good little Catholic girl, I was unwed and pregnant at 18 and divorced by age twenty-one. I left San Bernardino for good in 1973. I lived in Santa Barbara until 1998. Then I moved to the CA Bay Area where I worked in high tech and graduated from Santa Clara U in 2004. Now I teach writing to Freshman at UA & at Pima Community College as an adjunct (not full-time). Besides wife and mom, my prior jobs include: executive assistant to Silicon Valley execs i...Expand for more