What motivated you to become a volunteer at the Tool Library, and how has the experience been?
Aria got started as a volunteer when she moved to Buffalo in 2021 as a student at UB. Moving from Albany, she wanted to get out and get to know her new home, and she found the Tool Library when a peer mentor introduced her to UB’s Rotaract Club. A great experience so far, Aria says, “volunteering makes me feel like a real member of the community.”
Is there any overlap in your interest in the Tool Library and your studies at UB?
Pursuing a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology, Aria finds herself ahead of the curve because of her experiences with the Tool Library. “We’ll talk about stuff in class,” she says, “and I’ll think, ‘hey! I know about that!’” While she is data-oriented in her studies, her volunteering has made her want to pursue a more community-oriented career. “It’s cheesy,” she says, “but it’s great to see things happen in real life… I like when the numbers start to actually mean something. I need to know why they’re there.”
What’s your favorite thing to do with Tool Library tools? Do you have any DIY or repair specialties?
Aria’s tool expertise is rooted in set design, in her words, “I know a lot about the tools a high school theater could afford.” While her drama days are behind her for now, Aria is very excited about decorating the space she has: “I recently acquired a carpenter’s ruler, and I’m very excited about it. It’s gonna help me decorate my room!”
What would you most like to learn to do with the tools that you don’t know already?
“I’d like to learn more about home improvement,” says Aria. While she’s getting used to power tools, she would like to explore the world of plumbing supplies. She also thinks stud finders are “really cool!” Aria is “a ‘knowing-how-things-work’ kinda person,” and she enjoys using “anything with a vaguely cool mechanism.”
How has being a volunteer impacted your perspective on the Buffalo community?
When she first started volunteering, Aria didn’t see this as such a large part of who she was, but she says, it’s become a source of consistency in her life.
Since you’ve mentioned a number of favorite tools already, are there any that you like to go visit when you first get to the shop?
“The battery powered hot glue gun! – you can move around with it. That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Aria. She considers herself a “big gadget person.”