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EDCOE Team Member Spotlight - KC Kaku

08:30 AM - April 17, 2020

 EDCOE Team Member Spotlight: Image of KC Kaku, Systems Technician III, Information Technology

Interview with KC Kaku:

Briefly describe your background (where you grew up, family, why you came to work for EDCOE).

I went to Gold Oak Elementary and Pleasant Valley Middle School, and I graduated from Union Mine High School in 2012. I was the first in my family to go to college, and I graduated from Sacramento State in 2017. I knew by 2nd Grade that I wanted to work on computers for my career, and I worked to get to know Gold Oak’s District IT Technician just so he could teach me a few tricks. Considering how much I LOVED my school experience growing up, I knew working for EDCOE would be a great way to give back to my community.

What is your department, title, and how long have you worked for EDCOE?

I’m a Systems Technician in the Information Technology Department. I was hired in January of 2018.

Describe how your role helps support programs/schools/students directly or indirectly.

In addition to the IT Helpdesk duties that we all share on the IT Support Team, I am the primary School District Technician, meaning I am the primary technician who will go to whichever school district(s) need further technical assistance. Within my two years of working at EDCOE, I have been contracted by the Camino, Pioneer, Latrobe, and El Dorado Union High School Districts at different points in time. My most frequent support calls range from configuring and deploying Chromebooks, troubleshooting software and hardware, supporting our network infrastructure, and my least favorite….printer issues.

What are you and your team doing to support education in El Dorado County during the COVID-19 facility closures?

Our team has been working with all of our school districts to assist with distance learning, and we are still managing the helpdesk remotely to assist any of our EDCOE users with this difficult transition of in-office to at-home work. Personally, I have been working non-stop to create numerous guides and instructional documents that are being distributed for software such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Adobe Acrobat, Google Classroom, etc.

What do you most appreciate about your department/team?

You always see on TV shows that IT people are depicted as being the lazy, anti-social guys who hate helping people, but our department is the exact opposite of that stereotype! Everyone in our department will jump at the opportunity to assist an end-user in need of technology assistance, and this team is a breath of fresh air compared to some of the other places where I have worked in IT.

What is your proudest moment at EDCOE? Why?

Shortly after I picked up the contract to assist the Latrobe School District, I identified a teacher at the elementary school who seemed to consistently have IT problems. I decided to begin checking in with her at least once every day that I would be on-site, just to see if she needed anything. Fast-forward to Christmas 2019, I received a Christmas card from her thanking me for taking the time to actually listen to her and help her with technology, rather than get annoyed at having to help her so frequently. To top it all off, all of her students signed it with personalized messages. Anytime I begin to feel overwhelmed with a complex IT project or problem, I am thankful for those small gestures that reassure me what I do really helps people.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I am a proud nerd! My wife and I play Dungeons & Dragons weekly with our group of friends who are scattered across the country (and we all communicate over Zoom!); and, if I am not working or taking care of my kids, you can almost definitely find me in front of my gaming computer.

What is something many people may not know about you?

I became a Foster Parent last August to two wonderful kids, ages 5 and 7. They have completely changed my life, and we have been excited to experience so many of their “firsts” with them, like their first time going to Disneyland, and the first time going to the ocean or the snow!

If you could meet anyone in the world, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

Albert Einstein - as long as I also have someone who speaks German along with me! Aside from being brilliant, from what I have read, he seemed incredibly humble and goofy! I would love to get to know one of the brightest men in our world’s history.

From supervisor, David Seabury, Director of Information Technology:

Since KC started working in our IT department, a little over 2 years ago, he has continued to bring a positive energy to our team that makes him such an enjoyable person to work with. KC takes pride in solving technical problems as efficiently as possible and has inspired our team to find innovative ways we can be more efficient.  His passion for technology and dedicated work ethic has given him a reputation of being knowledgeable, dependable, and a technician that we can rely on to deliver exceptional results. He is a true team player and is always willing to step up and assist others in solving complex issues. We are so grateful that KC is a part of our EDCOE family.

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