Our bios....
Christina Koskinen (christina): I’m very excited to be a part of the Bandwagon Team. I love dancing, singing, playing cards, and shopping. I’ve been married for four and a half years. We have one son named Xavier and three in heaven. I work part time as a server and dance teacher, and I’m a full time mom. Before motherhood, I was a youth pastor. I am also a dance teacher and choreographer. If you’ve ever watched any of the NFL Super bowl half time and pre-game shows, then you’ve seen my work. I have worked with many celebrities, such as Debbie Gibson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Arnold Schwarznegger, Kirstie Alley, Janet Jackson, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, and many more. I really look forward to helping Brooke raise money for Malaria No More.
Tom Koskinen (tkoski888): I have been married to my beautiful wife for four and a half years. Fatherhood is the greatest and most joyous responsibility in my life. I have a degree in E-Commerce. I enjoy all kinds of sports. I am compassionate about life. I look forward to helping promote Brooke throughout all of her career.
Mandie Young (Mandie): I'm Mandie (with an ie
), and I am now part of the Brooke's Bandwagon team. I am so excited to be able to help promote Brooke and her career. I am 29 and I live in Dayton, Ohio. I love music with a passion. I love going to concerts and I have been so lucky to have met so many wonderful friends by traveling to many shows. I love spending time with my family and friends. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by so many good and loving people. I cherish them all. I have also met some amazing friends by being a fan of Brooke’s: Christina, Angie and Jeremy. We have become so close and we all work so well together … I know we all are going to do an amazing job promoting Brooke. I think that I will do a wonderful job promoting Brooke and working on her site. I love people, and I am a very compassionate person. I am good at promoting people and I have a passion for helping others. I think that the four of us, Christina, Angie, Jeremy and I, all have something different and wonderful to offer for Brooke’s fan site. We all work amazingly well together and we all care so much about Brooke and her fans. I feel very honored to be part of the Brooke's Bandwagon team!! I look forward to helping promote Brooke and I cannot wait to see what is next for her!
Jeremy Bridges (GeeWindu): My name is Jeremy. Songwriting (mostly lyrics) is my passion. I also like to make charcoal drawings. You may remember the drawings I gave to Brooke and the other idols at the second Utah concert.
As of January of this year, I have been hooked up to a fast internet connection and by March (the day before Brooke sang “Let It Be,” to be precise), Angie, along with yours truly, had created and set up BrookeWhiteFans.Net (an unofficial fansite at the time). As you know we recently combined with Christina's Brooke's Bandwagon myspace page to bring Brooke a better site that became official.
I have been around to loads of fansites (some official, some not) for a couple years and know which sites are the ones that draw me back to them, which ones have a comfortable environment, and which do not. A lot of that has to do with the people who run it and the fans that post there. I can say without a doubt that Angie, Christina, and Mandie are some of, if not the best, people to make that happen. I believe that with all of us working together we will bring Brooke the best site she could possibly have and represent her in both a professional and positive way.
I will be helping out with Forum/IT stuff. I absolutely love doing that sort of thing and what I don’t know, I will find as much information as I can and teach myself. Between Jeremy, Tom and I we hope to bring you the best site we possibly can!
Shari Cylinder (newsgirl): Hey everyone! I suppose the best way to describe myself would be through the fact that I live my life by the quote "Dream Big; Work Hard." I'm a huge believer in the fact that if you dream big and work hard, you can indeed turn your dreams into reality … and that’s what I’ve been working to achieve for as long as I can remember. I graduated with a double degree in Print and Video Communications and Elementary Education, and minored in my college’s honors program. I interned in the Creative Services department at the ABC affiliate tv station in Philadelphia, and also had the opportunity to work at the station, both on the ABC network-wide news archive project and in the station’s Health Check department. I’m currently a freelance writer, and in addition to writing for Brooke’s Bandwagon, also write for the website for Melinda’s Backups, an association that supports
American Idol finalist Melinda Doolittle. In addition to journalism, creative writing is another passion of mine. Watching Brooke’s journey on
American Idol, seeing how she has achieved her dreams, has inspired me to pursue another dream of mine, writing a novel, an experience which has been both incredibly exciting and very special. It truly has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I’m excited to now try to get the novel published!
What else? I’m from Pennsylvania, and although I love it here, the Jersey shore is my absolute favorite place in the world – it’s where my heart is. Along with
American Idol, I’m hopelessly addicted to
General Hospital – I can’t miss a day of it! I absolutely love to read, and I’m a complete quote fanatic.
Writing is my passion, and I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to write about Brooke and the Bandwagon. I look forward to working with the Bandwagon members and to writing about all the wonderful things I know Brooke will continue to accomplish. She truly inspires us all to remember that “a single dream can launch the journey of a lifetime.”
Kelly (kelly): I know what makes Brooke White tick after talking with her earlier this summer – she is absolutely passionate about Malaria No More and I equally share her passion. This summer, I rode 1,000 miles on my bicycle with a goal of raising a like dollar amount in pledges for MNM. I exceeded my goal and raised $1,200! I’m now eager and excited to start more projects for MNM, and would love to travel to Africa to help on the front lines. There's so much we can do, so much we need to do. We have it so good in this country. I well know the deadly danger of malaria – I spent two years studying the malaria-causing anopheles mosquito and plasomodium falciparum in college. I now spends my time working with adults with developmental disabilities and have also been a professional writer for many years, and am currently trying a longer form of writing, working on a young adult novel tentatively titled “Piano Skates,” a book that combines two of my loves, music and hockey. My favorite Brooke song is “all of them” and I love all kinds of good music from every decade. I reside in Wisconsin with my wife Sarah, a couple of cats, and a retired racing greyhound.
Mare (Mare517): Hi, my name is Marianne, but everyone calls me Mare. I have three little sisters. I live in New York, upstate. I met Brooke in Atlantic City and went to the after-party in Bridgeport. I love to play softball, do gymnastics, and dance. Brooke has a big influence on my life because she shows me how to be respectful to everyone and what the difference between a good and bad person means.
Darren (TeamBrooke): Hello
I am Darren, I am 38 year old, and currently reside in Enfield, CT. I have an 11 year old daughter –her name is Kara, and she just started 7th grade. We also have a Shih-Tzu named Miley.
I currently work as a Disc Jockey/MC for Marx Entertainment, one of the premier DJ & Entertainment services in New England. I have been with Marx Entertainment for twelve years. I have been the Promotions Director for the past seven years, after spending three years as the Operations manager. I have been the DJ/MC at more than 500 events. I also work as a DJ part time in a couple night clubs in the Hartford area.
I am currently pursuing my bachelors degree in aviation management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona, FL & Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. I am majoring in airline management and minoring in air crash investigation / flight safety.
I spent thirteen years as a professional paramedic in Hartford, before retiring in 2002. As a paramedic, I was certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) & Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). I also spent twelve years as a volunteer paramedic / firefighter in my town.
In my leisure time, I enjoy playing sports, most notably softball, basketball & golf.
Mary Ellen (njnauticalnut): My name is Mary Ellen. I was born and raised in NJ and currently live on the coast, in Ocean County. I am happily married, fortunately to my best friend and my soulmate. We do not have any children, but do have a 10-year old Italian Greyhound, Simon (nope, not named after Cowell as he was born before Idol started!) and three kitties—Menemsha (a town on Martha’s Vineyard and a Carly Simon song), Rudy & Reilly.
I am a public accountant and am currently in the process of starting my own small firm. Previously, for over a decade, I worked in the information technology sector as a manager/systems engineer at AT&T. Prior to that I had my own business; I published a magazine called network which started as a local publication, but eventually was distributed in 42 states, as well as Japan, the United Kingdom, and Holland. During this time I moonlighted as a mobile DJ—djing weddings, parties, dances, and other events.
I have a Bachelor of Science in Education from Seton Hall University and a Master of Business Administration from Monmouth University. I am currently a student of life…
On a personal note, I love anything to do with the water--boating, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling; I enjoy reading and playing golf, and music is my passion.
Erika (ebajane): Hello, Bandwagoners! I’m Erika. I’m from Indiana, and I’m 28 years old. I’m married to Jeff, and we have two super-duper kiddos (age 1 and 2) who are crazy about Brooke too. I used to be an elementary school teacher, but now I stay home with my kids and take care of a few other little ones, as well. I’m a music nut and enjoy a wide variety of styles, although lately Brooke seems to have taken over my music collection. When I was growing up, I sang in some choirs and traveled a lot with them. More recently, I have been singing with my church band. I also like to take pictures and hang out online with my fellow Bandwagoners. I love Brooke dearly and am so happy to support her in her music and in all the wonderful things she is doing for people all over the world!
Diane (Keyeser): Hello everyone - I'm Diane from Florida. I am married (26 very happy years) and have three children - two in college, one in high school. Fabulous kids, loving husband! Aside from being a mom and wife, I have been in education for fifteen years. I am currently a children's librarian. I love my job. I get to read/play/pretend/laugh with 3-8 years olds and their parents all week long.
But, if I'm not at home or at work, I am a volunteer junkie. I mentor a high school student, I teach Sunday school, I give puppet shows in the homeless shelter - well, you get the idea. But occasionally I like to do something for myself and that would include
American Idol. For the past several years I have enjoyed spending my Tuesday/Wednesday nights with my family gathered around the TV supporting and playing judge to those adorable/curious contestants. I have voted in the past but never before has a group of contestants appealed to me as much as this year's AI group. Well, more specifically, Brooke and Jason caught my ear. I love their voices and their passion for genuine music. No screaming, just passion. Brooke's gentle spirit and joy for life impressed me. I started looking for more information and found Brooke's Bandwagon.
I'm very excited to a part of this new team, and this new career for Brooke. Being a librarian, I love to help people and I think my organization skills can be an asset. Also, I'm creative and can be outgoing and personable. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, making new friends, helping out, and contributing to this exciting new journey! I think it's going to be a great experience!!!
Emily (emily1234): Hello Bandwagoners!! I'm Emily. I am twenty years old and live in New York with my parents and my sister. I am currently a college sophomore in Purchase, NY. I have yet to declare a permanent major –it's definitely a toss up between Elementary Education and pediatric Occupational or Speech Therapy – definitely something to do with helping kids –gotta love 'em! Music and the arts are my life! I love anything "artsy-fartsy" and have recently discovered a knack for drawing and painting. I have been a dancer since I was seven years old, I played the violin for six years, and I sang in school choirs through my senior year –I am always singing! I love hanging out with my family –going on vacations and capturing the moments with photography and laughter –I live to laugh! I love Brooke to bisquits and I am so honored to be able to support her and love her through everything that she does musically and personally to help change the world –I know she has changed mine.
Kamille (cannonfloat): I am a 21 year old software developer from the Philippines. I enjoy watching movies and listening to music. I consider Brooke to be my favorite artist of all time but also enjoy other singers and bands such as Jason Mraz, Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5. My ultimate dream in life is to be able to see Brooke White perform live in person.
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