give IT. get IT. Staff Spotlight
Nate Gariepy isn’t in Maine right now. He’s in Arizona, troubleshooting a password reset, walking someone through a first-time computer setup, or getting a replacement laptop out the door before a student falls behind in class. But ask anyone at give IT. get IT. and they’ll tell you: Nate is one of the people who makes this organization work.
His path here wasn’t a straight line. It ran through the U.S. Army, the Arizona National Guard, deployments to Kuwait and Jordan, a derailed career plan, and more than one surgery. Along the way, it became a story about what happens when an organization chooses to invest in a person instead of just filling a role.
A Plan That Had to Change
When Nate transitioned out of military service, he had a plan: move into healthcare, specifically surgical technology. Then the program he’d enrolled in shut down. Then he needed multiple surgeries of his own. The path he’d mapped out simply wasn’t there anymore.
“While recovering, I started asking myself what kind of career could still be challenging and meaningful without the physical demands healthcare required,” Nate said. “Technology kept coming back as the answer.”
It wasn’t a leap into the unknown so much as a return to something familiar. “I’ve been around computers since I was young. My dad was an early adopter of IT and sparked that curiosity in me early on, so going back to those roots felt natural.” Nate enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program in software engineering and never looked back.
After graduating, a VA vocational rehabilitation program through the Togus VA, located just outside Augusta, Maine, connected him with give IT. get IT. “Before I knew it, I was on the phone with Jodi and sitting down for an interview,” he said. “It opened the door for me to finally break into the IT field in a real, meaningful way.”
When the First Role Wasn’t the Right Fit
Nate’s first placement at give IT. get IT. was in receiving and included physically demanding work involving a lot of heavy lifting. Given that his last surgery had been just a month before he started, it quickly became clear that role wasn’t sustainable. He moved into triage, which was a better entry point, but even that eventually asked more of his body than he could give.
“Honestly, it was disappointing,” he said. “I liked the work and wanted it to work out, but my surgery sites weren’t always cooperative.”
What happened next is the part of the story Nate comes back to again and again. Instead of letting him go, leadership looked for another way forward.
“Rather than letting me go or leaving me without options, they worked with me to find a better fit,” Nate said. “Instead of focusing on my limitations, they looked at my strengths and asked whether I could take over the company’s IT support. That kind of response was something I wasn’t used to.”
“It meant the world to me,” he added. “Their support gave me confidence during one of the hardest chapters of my life. It showed me that give IT. get IT. wasn’t just interested in filling a position. They were genuinely invested in helping me succeed as an individual, and that made all the difference.”
Supporting Maine, from Arizona
Today, Nate provides remote IT support to give IT. get IT. participants across Maine, and for him, it isn’t a distant assignment. He lived in Maine, where he first built a relationship with the give IT. get IT. team that would eventually open the door to this role. He grew to love the community there, and that connection is a big part of why this work means so much to him.
“A typical day involves helping participants with technical issues, setting up systems, troubleshooting hardware and software problems, and ensuring people have the tools they need to succeed,” he said. “Even though I’m based in Arizona, technology allows me to stay connected and provide meaningful support from across the country. In most cases, I can resolve issues quickly without needing to be on site.”
The requests range from password resets to first-time setup questions and general troubleshooting – the everyday friction that can make technology feel like a wall instead of a door. “What I enjoy most is taking something that feels frustrating or overwhelming and helping make it manageable,” Nate said. “Technology can be intimidating, and sometimes people just need someone patient in their corner to guide them toward a solution.”
One moment in particular has stayed with him. A student’s laptop stopped working in the middle of the semester. “You could hear the stress in their voice,” Nate recalled. “We got them a replacement quickly, and just like that, the obstacle was gone. It sounds simple, but it probably wasn’t to them. A lot of us take reliable tech for granted. Being the person who could remove that barrier and help them keep moving forward is what this work is really about.”
Building Toward What’s Next
Nate isn’t standing still. He’s currently working toward a Salesforce certification and is on track to graduate with his MBA this September.
“I have always enjoyed solving problems and improving processes, and as I became more involved with Salesforce, I realized how much of an impact it can have on an organization’s ability to serve people efficiently,” he said. “I’m interested in how business operations, technology, and Salesforce can work together to streamline processes, and I look forward to bringing those combined skills back to give IT. get IT. to support their continued success.”
Looking back on his path from the Army to the classroom, to give IT. get IT., Nate sees it as more than a job. “This role has done more than give me a job. It’s helped me rebuild confidence in who I am outside of the military. The values I developed during service and the skills I gained through my degree have found a real home here. I finally feel like I’m doing work that matters, on my own terms.”
What give IT. get IT. Looks Like Up Close
Nate spends every day on the front lines of the mission, and his read on the organization is simple. “give IT. get IT. is a lot more than devices and tech support,” he said. “Sometimes that looks like helping someone troubleshoot a frustrating problem. Other times, it’s making sure someone has what they need to show up for class, an interview, or a new job. What stands out most is that give IT. get IT. meets people where they are with no judgment, no red tape, just genuine support. It’s a nonprofit built by Mainers to help other Mainers, and it grew out of a real need.”
A Word to the People Who Made It Possible
Nate’s job exists because donors, funders, and community partners chose to invest in give IT. get IT., and by extension, in him. He wanted to make sure that wasn’t lost.
“Simply, thank you. And I mean that deeply,” he said. “Your investment didn’t just fund a program. It changed the direction of my life. It gave me the stability to support my family, the space to grow professionally, and the chance to build something I’m genuinely proud of.”
“But the impact stretches well beyond me. Every time a student stays on track, every time someone gets the help they need to take the next step, that’s your investment at work too. You’re not just funding technology. You’re funding futures, and the ripple effect of that reaches further than any of us can fully measure.”
give IT. get IT. is a Maine-based 501(c)3 nonprofit working to close the digital divide across New England. Want to support work like Nate’s? Learn how to give IT or reach out to our team.
Read more about how the give IT. get IT Help Desk can support you as a client!
Related Stories:
