The Generous Technology Extraordinaire by: Gabrielle Sanderson Elena Rodriguez of the county of Arlington and the City of Alexandria has helped her community to integrate technology into their Extension Master Gardener program. She is being recognized for her dedication and ambition to serving and educating her community. Technology is an integral part of the modern day world. It can be seen in the palms of people on the street, on the walls of homes, and in classrooms across the country. Its use is rapidly increasing and is now a significant part of the Arlington/Alexandria Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program. The quick advances in technology can be hard to grasp, yet there is one tech savvy Extension Master Gardener (EMG), Elena Rodriguez, that stepped up as a leader and educator in her county.
Elena Rodriguez was certified as a Master Gardener back in 2014, and became immediately involved in the program after retiring from her job as a librarian. “Elena has been very involved with the training of Extension Master Gardeners, in accessing information online,” states Kirsten Conrad, extension agent from the County of Arlington. “Elena’s knowledge was positioned in a way to help the volunteers with technological challenges.” One of these challenges that Elena has helped with is converting all of the county’s documents, photos,
