Who is Abby Darin-Evans?
Abby Darin-Evans (they/she) is a Staff Development Specialist at Oriana House, Inc. They train their fellow staff on a variety of topics, including new staff onboarding, emotional intelligence, CPR/First Aid, & Microsoft programs. Abby is also responsible for maintaining the agency's online LMS (Learning Management System).
When they're not at work, you can usually find them deep in a book, watching movies with their cats & spouse Ken, frolicking through the Metroparks or camping with their friends. They also have a big knack for volunteering. Abby is on the Education Committee with Trans Joy Akron, the Volunteer Committee with Akron Pride Festival, the Akron Zoo PAW (Professionals Advocating for Wildlife) Committee, & is serving their first year on the Torchbearers Board of Directors.
Abby is a New Hampshire native who moved to Ohio in the summer of 2015. They've been here ever since!
*Abby’s TEDxAkron Talk will be shared here and online once ready for the public…
TEDxAkron Q&A with Abby:
Q: What do you love most about working/living in Akron?
The people! I've come across so many different artists, activists, leaders, & just all-around wonderful human beings. From being invited to dinner parties or game nights, to folks literally giving me the clothes off their back, I've found a community of diversely unified people. This community has held me so much throughout my time working & playing in Akron alike.
Q: What do you think you’re most known for, and what might surprise people the most about you?
Probably being weird, and comfortable in it. I would say most folks who don't directly know me would be surprised to find out that I do identify as an introvert, & I am not a socially secure person. Like, at all. While I LOVE being with people, my ultimate recharge time usually occurs on my couch with my cats & a book or a movie. I've been diagnosed & working with panic & anxiety disorders (including social anxiety) since my early 20's. I think based on social interactions I have with others who aren't in my closest circles, this may seem surprising. I tend to have a pretty calm exterior, but my brain does not match that.
Q: Where are places in your life (especially in Akron) where you feel like you're always "shaking the rules" a little bit?
With Torchbearers! I am a class of 2022 member, & am currently serving my first year on the Board of Directors. The past 3 years I've been involved in spaces to experiment & change up the ways things have been done in Torchbearers in the past. Some things have stuck, some didn't work out as well. One of my favorite parts of Torchbearers is that it truly is a safe place to fail, & learn through that failure. I love considering changes happening in & around Akron, & bringing them back to how to conduct TB to better serve the greater Akron community, as well as our membership.
Q: What's your favorite quote or mantra and why?
The one I say to myself all the time is a true deep-dive into mid 2000's internet: "not my chair, not my problem" (if you know, you know). It's basically a more niche version of "not my circus, not my monkeys". I say this to myself on the regular because I need to pretty consistently remember the things I can & cannot control. Energy is a finite resource we have. I want to make sure I'm using mine wisely!
Q: What is the one thing you’re looking forward to the most as a future TEDx speaker?
I am looking forward to all the learning experiences I will gain! Sharing this news with my people has been difficult because I IMMEDIATELY want to plaster self-deprecating jokes anywhere & everywhere. So far I've been learning on how to celebrate myself & the things I do not at my own expense. I'm excited to learn more about how the process of creating, altering, & perfecting a TEDx will go, & what it will look like for me as my own type of speaker.