Meet the ARIN 36 Fellows [Archived]

By Melissa Goodwin

Only a few days are left until we head to Montreal for ARIN 36 Public Policy and Members Meeting. We’re getting excited and hope you are too!

While you are at ARIN 36 make sure you take the time to introduce yourself to our nine fellows:

Jose R. de la Cruz

Internet Society, Puerto Rico Chapter, CARIBBEAN

Please briefly introduce yourself:

My name is José R. de la Cruz and I am a Computer Engineer. I currently work as a part-time professor at two universities in Puerto Rico.

Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?

Since one of the courses I regularly teach is Computer Networks, the main reason for attending an ARIN meeting is to keep up to date on the policies that affect the Internet, such as IP number assignments.

What interests you about Montreal?

A visit to St. Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal and the Notre-Dame Basilica.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

A breakfast feast would include freshly made waffles with lots of butter and maple syrup, topped with chunks of strawberries and melon.

Jason Hynds

P.A.R.T.S. Inc., CARIBBEAN

Please briefly introduce yourself:

I’m an island guy who wastes the beauty of the weather and environment by spending too much time on the computer and walking around with one, or more. I’m active in systems and network administration and accidentally an ICT (Information & Communications Technology) community organiser.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

ARIN is a constant collaborator in the meetings of Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG) to which I’m affiliated.  This is how I found out about ARIN. My desire to attend the meeting - as well as NANOG, is to increase my knowledge and functioning in the Internet Governance (IG) space. I hope to inform and bring more Barbadian and Caribbean voices into the policy deliberations and take home lessons for our IG and NOG events.

What interests you about Montreal?

I’ll do a walking tour, not sure if guided or if I’ll risk my poor sense of direction and map reading. Any other outside of meeting adventures may depend appropriate sounding suggestions from others or more pre-trip reading. I’m willing to hold a multi-stakeholder consultation on this one.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Tough choosing 1 dish with a rationale. I’m excited by bacon and eggs (omelette or scrambled), couple slices of toast, even better if there is some fried plantain next to it. WHY: It was a favourite since childhood. Both bacon and plantain have a great tastes and aromas to me! Eggs can be great depending on how you flavour them, thus allowing exciting experimentation if I’m cooking or even selecting the add-ins or applying condiments.

Roosevelt L. Lewars

University College of the Caribbean (UCC), CARIBBEAN

Please briefly introduce yourself:

I am Roosevelt L. Lewars, programme coordinator and instructor at the University College of the Caribbean. I am an ardent, intrinsically motivated and passionate critical thinker who believes in self-empowerment and engaging in life-long learning.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

The internet is a magnificent phenomenon. And I think that it is a great opportunity for anyone to be able to interact with leaders and those integral in the redesign, development and re-engineering of internet protocols.

What interests you about Montreal?

The number one fun thing I hope to do while in Montreal is to engage fellow colleagues of several different cultures while exploring Canada and its beauty.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

My favorite breakfast food has to be saltfish and ackee with bacon with fried dumpling; the taste is mouth-watering.

Daryl E Wade

viNGN, CARRIBEAN

Please briefly introduce yourself:

Good day.  My name is Daryl Wade, and I am the SVP of IT & Network Operations of the Virgin Islands Next Generation Network (The first FTTx network in the US Virgin Islands).

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

I want to come to an ARIN meeting in order to gain a more in-depth perspective of the organization, and ultimately help to grow and improve the world’s networks operations.

What interests you about Montreal?

I hope to be inspired by the people I meet and places I visit while in Montreal.  This may include meeting like-minded individuals attending the event and expanding my knowledge about the history of the city.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

My favorite breakfast food is probably a breakfast burrito because it has all of the great elements of a good morning meal (eggs, cheese, green peppers, etc.), in a convenient wrap.  It’s pretty hard to mess that up!

**Glenn McKnight  **

Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities, CANADA

Please briefly introduce yourself:

Glenn McKnight is a Director with the Internet Society Canada Chapter, incoming Chair of NARALO, (North America At Large Organization) a multistakeholder group with ICANN.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

To learn more about the  ARIN processes and procedures as a RIR and how it manages it’s process for public consultation.

What interests you about Montreal?

To have Smoked Meat at a local Jewish Deli - Swartz’s.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Ackee and Saltcod. My Jamaican wife’s national food dish.

Gary Molenkamp

Sharcnet – University of Western Ontario, CANADA

Please briefly introduce yourself:

I am a Systems and Network administrator specializing in high performance research computing.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

I am interested in how the community works together to consolidate varying interests into the set of ARIN policies and how those policies evolve over time.   I am also interested in how ARIN is working to encourage IPv6 adoption and ARIN’s role in post-exhaustion, IPv4 markets.

What interests you about Montreal?

Whenever I am in Montreal I try to visit Reuben’s on Saint Catherine Street, for a smoked meat sandwich.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Smoked salmon on a bagel.  It always reminds me of cruising in the Caribbean.

Marvin Arnold

Unplugged, USA

Please briefly introduce yourself:

Marcus Aurelius almost had it right, what we code in life echoes in eternity. I’m passionate about finding ways to make our efforts as technologists most impactful for future generations.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

Decentralization will be a critical component in the next wave of technologies and I’m interested in exploring how the role of institutions like ARIN will evolve to meet that future.

What interests you about Montreal?

A chance to practice my French — surtout avec les femmes canadiennes.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Breakfast burritos are the best of all worlds.

Mike Hammett

Midwest – IX, USA

Please briefly introduce yourself:

I started an ISP 11 years ago that I still run and about a year ago a couple friends and I decided to start an IX.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

Due to starting the IX, I decided to increase my people networking so I can help others increase their data networking.

What interests you about Montreal?

Other than networking with colleagues, we’ll see what the city brings!

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Kind of cliché, but bacon. Then again, mine comes from the family farm and can get cut exactly how I want it.

Leah Symekher

Internet Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, USA

Please briefly introduce yourself:

My animal sign is a Sheep, Blood Type O and a Pisces zodiac sign, not sure what all that means but I do know that I am fun loving with a healthy balance of seriousness.

**Why do you want to come to an ARIN Meeting?  **

About 10 years of my professional experience has been working in the Internet Network infrastructure and DNS space which provided me with the opportunity to understand the vital role that ARIN and other RIRs play to keep the Internet operational.  This meeting will introduce me to the inner workings of ARIN and provide a framework for a closer relationship with the San Francisco Bay Area Internet Society Chapter members and community.

What interests you about Montreal?

This will be my first visit to Montreal so I will be a typical tourist… ‘sight seeing’ to the must see historical places, some good eating and meeting the locals.

What is your favorite breakfast food and why?

Bacon, scrambled eggs, wheat toast, a slice of fruit and espresso coffee…why…because at that moment the world seems a happy place and I can carry this positive feeling throughout the day :-)!!

Congratulations to our ARIN 36 fellows! If you’ll be at the meeting, make sure to introduce yourself to Jose, Jason, Roosevelt, Daryl, Glenn, Gary, Marvin, Mike, and Leah; and make them feel welcome. Since the ARIN Fellowship Program began, more than 50 people have had the opportunity to participate in a Public Policy and Members Meeting, and believe it or not, we’re already accepting applications for ARIN 37 in Jamaica.