Communiblog

CommuniQuiz - Meet the founders!

After months of research in the CommuniTeach brain lab, we have developed a highly scientific quiz designed to let you get to know the people here at CommuniTeach.

Consider this a formal introduction and feel free to comment on blog posts, chat with us at LearnIts, follow us on Twitter, etc. Don’t be shy! We want to meet you too!

Below are the CommuniQuiz profiles of our Fearless Co-Founders Sarah and Ben:

Name: Sarah the Press (@spressto)
Alias: Spressto Chango
Position: Strategic Co-Founder
City: Chicago
Favorite thing to teach: How to do good in Chicago
Something you want to learn: How to make cool short animation videos like this one
Most “useless” skill you have that has proved most useful: My ability to analyze and criticize every little thing, which I have recently channeled into becoming a project management fiend.
Favorite job you’ve held: Communi Co-Founder, rah!
Most memorable learning experience: Making gnocchi in my kitchen with 8 CommuniStrangers that became CommuniFriends- it was fun and delicious.
Favorite thing to do for free in your city: Jelly Chicago! Amazing free coworking space on Wednesday afternoons (a close 2nd is Summerdance- free dance classes in Millennium Park, what’s not to love?)
Something you wish everyone in the world knew about: The show The Sing Off- it’s so adorably heartwarming.
Where you can be found on a Saturday night: Watching a movie at my apartment and fully intending to leave after to go out but then falling asleep instead.
3 nifty facts about you: 
(1) All my friends from middle school gleefully love to bring up how I used to be a nerdy girl with messy hair and big plastic glasses- I actually still am all those things, but somehow trends have changed and that’s now cool.
(2) I can fall asleep literally anywhere- couches, buses, crowded Mexican Restaurants, etc. 
(3) Playing Blister in the Sun or Tootsie Roll will cause me to immediately break out into a crazy dance fit.

Name: Ben Paul (@benspaul)
Alias: My Grandfather Dated Steven Spielberg’s Mother….not sure if that can be a nickname, but I’d like to try it out.
Position: Technical Co-Founder
City: Pittsburgh, PA
Favorite thing to teach: Piano improvisation
Something you want to learn: Ruby on Rails
Most “useless” skill you have that has proved most useful: How to say “I am a pencil” in Hebrew. You’d be surprised how many times it comes in handy! (Namely, every time I meet an Israeli and want to embarrass myself.)
Favorite job you’ve held: Co-Founder of CommuniTeach!
Most memorable learning experience: A kindergarten teacher showed me how to appreciate little things, like the shape of a button at a certain angle or spots on the ground. Her curiosity was inspiring and as a result I try to look at objects in my environment more curiously.
Favorite thing to do for free in your city: Go to Lili Coffee*Shop in Polish Hill and teach myself to play ukulele using their chart on the wall
Something you wish everyone in the world knew about: When someone tells you something distressing, our natural tendency is to ask clarifying questions and to give advice about how to resolve it. In fact, it’s more helpful to do the opposite- listen intently and try to summarize what they are saying.
Where you can be found on a Saturday night: Let’s be honest, usually I’ll be at home working on CommuniTeach.
3 nifty facts about you: 
(1) I once made a fake backstage pass for This American Life so I could meet my hero, Ira Glass.
(2) I once tried on the God Helmet, but sadly all I saw was some blobbity light blobs.
(3) A complete summary of who I am can be found here.

Check back to meet more CommuniTeam members!