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the
people
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Jessica G. Petrencsik
editor-in-chief
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Literature and journalism were
Jessica's passions in college.
After graduating, she decided she'd had enough of the American way
of life and trotted off to join the U.S. Peace Corps. She taught in
Zimbabwe for three years, and has since traversed five African countries
and lived in such exotic locations as Addis Ababa and Milwaukee.
Though now grateful to be American, Jessica is aware of
the inequities of the nation's system and hopes to be part of permanent
change for the better. She freelances and works as youth director at her
church in North County. Her other interests include gardening, cooking,
swimming, running, and taking part in animated conversation. |
Michele Corbett
business adviser
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Michele is one of those people who
was born to advise. Her pragmatic sensibility helps the rest of the
staff stay focused. With a background in speech and
communications, Michele has coached military recruiters and college
students in public speaking. She works in administration at San
Diego State University and runs her own consulting firm, Life Purpose
Network. Coffee, travel, and her little Chihuahua, Ginger, add spice to
her life. |
Melissa Tucker
assistant editor
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About halfway through
undergraduate studies at Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) in San
Diego, Melissa became aware of social inequalities and negative human
impact on the earth. The ideal of social holiness both on global and
local levels is still the main motivator for her involvements and
interests today. Though Melissa spent several years teaching elementary
school, she now assists campus ministry and international
missions programs through PLNU's Spiritual Development office. She is
enjoying the newfound energy resulting from her job, as it enables her to
experimentally cook, host costume parties, and drink tea with her Somali friends. |
Shirley Gerardy
staff photographer
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Shirley
is a photographer with 30 years of experience in the industry.
Married to a fine man, she is also mother to five fabulous adult children.
At her church in Escondido, she directs the children’s ministry. Though she values human worth by choice, she is compelled by her
belief in the Creator who loves everyone. Her involvement with
Concrete stems from her desire to express her convictions by
living them, not simply voicing them. She appreciates the arts as a
reflection of the beauty in the world and believes in the commission to
tend her community with care. |
Nigel Brookes
creative director
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A San Diego native,
Nigel has made and studied art his whole life. Nigel’s parents and a
passionate teacher of high school civics and government classes opened his
mind to ideas of social justice. In the 1980s, the anti-apartheid and
Nuclear Freeze movements introduced him to political activism. His writing
and thinking primarily concerns how people use various art-making
practices to “create” liberating psychologies, communities, and
symbolic contexts. In order to support his art-making habit, Nigel has
held a series of “day jobs,” as a taxi driver, organic farmer,
vegetarian chef, college instructor, nonprofit administrator, and,
currently, as a grants analyst with the City of San Diego. |
Rachael Eggebeen
web master
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Cheering the Packers on to victory has inscribed a sense of optimism into
Rachael's political philosophy. Her experiences in Europe, Washington, D.C.,
and the Middle East have taught Rachael about different perspectives and
cultures, giving her a more international frame for what justice should look
like in society. When not debating politics, Rachael enjoys reading,
teaching science to children, and going to school. Future goals include fulfilling her
familial duty to bear children and graduate work in contemporary Middle
Eastern history. |
Greg Van Buskirk
intern
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Whether
in speaking or writing, Greg has always had a certain passion for words:
how they sound, what they mean, and most importantly what they can do. For
him, language is a medium to something greater and larger than itself. As
a senior Philosophy/Theology and Journalism/Creative Writing major at
Point Loma Nazarene University, Greg seeks to blend his passion for
writing with a larger purpose. Writing for Concrete Magazine gives him the
opportunity to write with a distinctive purpose that empowers the reader
to respond to injustices in a localized context. |
Pilar Piana
intern
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Originally
from
Ecuador, Pilar has always had a passion for nature, adventure sports,
music, and addressing the issues affecting humanity.
She holds a degree in Journalism and Creative Writing.
She spent much of her youth playing tennis competitively as a
junior and as a professional athlete. This experience gave her the
opportunity to travel and visit countries in Europe and South, Central,
and
North America. She believes that writing has the power to influence not
only an individual, but also a culture, a country and, in turn, the whole
world. Pilar says that if we want to make a big difference in humankind,
it needs to start small, from within each of us. |
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