AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Joe

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published June 18, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT

Name
Joe Jovanovich
Program Served In
City Year
Years Served
2004-2006
Location Served
Chicago

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

I had just finished college and wasn't sure what to do with myself. I had become more and more socially conscious through high school and college, but never really "put my money where my mouth was." I felt like I knew a lot about all the things that could be better in the world, but hadn't really done much to make change. I saw AmeriCorps as an opportunity to do my part. Also, while I was in school, I felt most of the work I did was very individualistic. I saw AmeriCorps as a chance to learn about how to be a part of a team and force myself out of my comfort zone when working with strangers.

What your experience serving like?
It was life-changing. Overall, a very positive experience I'd recommend to practically anyone. I definitely got more than I bargained for. To be honest, I sort of had a chip on my shoulder coming out of college. My AmeriCorps experience put me in my place, and helped me realize I had a lot more to learn about the way the world works. I quickly realized how much people from all backgrounds have to contribute to a team effort.

You might say AmeriCorps is where my understanding of "diversity" took shape -- it wasn't just a buzzword or an idealistic concept. If you couldn't work with a person who was your exact opposite, then the project probably wouldn't succeed. Of course, no one started the program able to manage all those complex relationships. AmeriCorps provided a safe space where you could really explore how you fit into a diverse workplace. You could afford to make mistakes and learn.

AmeriCorps service is hard (but rewarding). At City Year, we prided ourselves on being punctual and precise in all things. We started our days at 8:15am and on a "normal" day we would end by 5:30pm. Of course, there is hardly a "normal" day in most underserved communities. Working late into the evening and on the weekends became a fact of life. At first, it is very intimidating to see your personal life take a backseat. Then, after a month or two, you start to realize that the harder you work, the more you love the job. Some of us competed to see who could amass the most service hours during our term of service ...volunteering for projects unrelated to your assignments, taking on work no one asked you to do. It became infectious. There is no doubt in my mind that learning this kind of work ethic through AmeriCorps will help build the leaders who will take on the world's tremendous challenges in the 21st Century. Changing the world is not a 9 to 5 job.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

When I first joined AmeriCorps, I thought I would do one year then go back to graduate school to continue my interest in creative writing. I'm so glad I took that year to do AmeriCorps, because I quickly realized that I had a much different calling in store for me. Despite the fact that I had always told myself "I wasn't good with kids," after a few months into my first AmeriCorps year I found out that I enjoy working with kids -- and better yet, they enjoy working with me. I uncovered a passion for improving struggling urban public schools. Through AmeriCorps, I learned of all the important roles beyond the classroom teacher that tie into the education system. I learned of the importance of para-professionals to help run tutoring programs. I learned of the importance of after-school program coordinators. I learned how important social workers were to connecting parents and the community to the school building.

I now see my career being within the education system. I returned for a second year of AmeriCorps to continue my commitment to schools, and then had the honor of serving as a staff member for two years, helping to coordinate the AmeriCorps members in the schools. These experiences gave me the skills I needed (and an impressive resume) to attend the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis to get my Master's in Social Work. I have no doubt my AmeriCorps experience helped me get into this competitive program, and gain a scholarship. I've worked with the faculty to create my own individualized curriculum centered on urban education. Next year, I'll be helping to teach a class to undergraduates on issues in urban education, and I will be coordinating character education programming at a local KIPP school. My time in AmeriCorps pointed me toward these kind of opportunities and helped give me the skills to succeed. I'm very confident I'll find a job in this field once I graduate next year.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

Give it time. It may take a few months for you to really appreciate your program. Keep an open mind during this transition period. I saw a lot of well intentioned people have a rough first month, and they let that poison their whole experience. You should feel empowered to raise concerns to your supervisors if the program isn't running the way it should. But, pick and chose your battles. For people who want a career in non-profits or social services, know that the unpredictability of your AmeriCorps year will likely be similar to the hectic nature of a "real" job. We need to take care of ourselves and stay healthy while we serve, but we should also appreciate we have this one opportunity to devote ourselves to service. I think in order to do that, comfort and convenience need to take a backseat.

Have fun. Take time to get to know your fellow members. When you're tired after a long week and you get a call to hang out, I suggest you go hang out! The friends you make are what will sustain you through the toughest times during your service. And some of the friends you make will be life long contacts that you count on down the road -- when you need a place to crash, a piece of advice, a job, etc. In my four years with AmeriCorps, I can say from my own experience that the most fun times will happen when you least expect it. And the only way to make sure you get in all the fun is to be there.

AmeriCorps Alums Feature: Meet Mike

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published June 25, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT

Name: Mike Masto

Program(s) Served In: 1 year of AmeriCorps*NCCC, 1 year of AmeriCorps National Direct with Habitat for Humanity

Location Served: Headquartered in Sacramento, CA and had projects in Sedona, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, Sandy, OR, Sacramento, CA and Lake Tahoe, CA.

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

I knew that I wanted to be involved in service work after college but I didn’t know what kind of service that I wanted to go into.  AmeriCorps*NCCC offered me a chance to try out many different ways of serving people.  I also liked the idea of living and working with a team of the same 12 people for ten months.  Finally, the adventure of moving to a new place and getting to travel all over the west coast, working in different places and doing different things, and helping to make the country a better, stronger and more just place to live, all were appealing to me.

What was your experience serving like?

My two years in AmeriCorps were two of the best years of my life.  The work is very rewarding because you are serving others and you are a part of a national movement that is making a large impact on the country.  But the most powerful aspect of AmeriCorps for me was the people that I served alongside.  I have met amazing people through AmeriCorps (including my wife!) and made lasting relationships that have helped to make me who I am today.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

AmeriCorps*NCCC was a chance for me to experiment with many different types of service.  I learned that I enjoy physical work that helps to positively impact the lives of others.  This helped me to realize that Habitat for Humanity might be a good fit for both my interests and my skills.  So I used another year of AmeriCorps directly with Habitat for Humanity to see if it was a good fit for me and to help me develop the skills for a future in Habitat.  A year after completing my second year of AmeriCorps, I got a full-time job as a site-supervisor with Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte, NC, and I am still there today.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others, to positively impact the well-being of our country and to challenge yourself to grow as a person.  I would encourage anyone who is considering AmeriCorps to go for it.  And as you begin your year, keep your mind open to any new experiences and perspectives that you may come across.  A year in AmeriCorps is the perfect time in your life to challenge some of your assumptions about people and society, so dive into everything.  Get to know the people that you are serving and the people you are serving with.  If you go into AmeriCorps with an open mind and a willingness to try to understand others you will leave it with new friendships and a broader perspective on life.

Picture: Mike, with his wife Carrie, who he met in AmeriCorps

AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Heather

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published July 02, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT

Name: Heather Cronk
Program Served In: AmeriCorps*VISTA
Years Served: August 2003-August 2004
Location Served: Middlebury College, Vermont

What made you want to join AmeriCorps? I had just finished up with a Master of Divinity degree program and had no idea what to do with my life.  Most of my friends/classmates were going into ministry, chaplaincy, or doctoral programs -- none of which were my cup of tea.  After blindly applying to countless jobs and having no personal connections anywhere, I stumbled on AmeriCorps.  Thinking that I was already too late in the application process to be able to find open positions, I half-heartedly applied -- expecting very little to turn up.  I was surprised to find some awesome campus positions through the Campus Compact VISTA program -- and immediately got three interviews (and job offers).  I ended up at Middlebury, which really started my organizing career.

What your experience serving like? Honestly, it was a mixed experience.  Any time you're working in a federally-funded program, there are hoops to jump through, paperwork to fill out, and bureaucracy to deal with -- which is tiring.  However, the trade-off of working with students who were burgeoning activists and trying to figure out their lives was really rewarding.  I certainly felt like I was making a difference, and the opportunity to do so through indirect service was a great fit.  I'm a good systems thinker -- and it was great to take a year to really solidify some systems on campus that made it easier for students to make an impact locally, nationally, and globally.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path? I'm working at a progressive organization now that supports and trains other nonprofits on online organizing and new media (the New Organizing Institute).  The work that I'm doing -- training, relationship-building, visioning -- comes directly out of my AmeriCorps experience.  The foundation I gained through AmeriCorps*VISTA certainly gave me an automatic "in" with a completely new and really exciting network.  It taught me the importance of developing relationships in a community and the power of community-identified assets and problems.  And it gave me mentors for life!

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps? A lot of people, I think, see AmeriCorps as a year of direct service or a "placeholder" until they find what they *really* want to do.  I'd encourage folks to think of AmeriCorps -- any program of AmeriCorps -- as an opportunity for professional development and personal growth that is just as rigorous and rewarding as a graduate program.

AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Stephen

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published July 09, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT

Name: Stephen Anfield
Program: City Year Washington, D.C.
Years Served: 2004-2005
Position: Senior Corps Member for the DECYDE (Dramatic Empowerment: City Year Drug Education) Team

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

I heart service. I come from a family whose careers are related to service in some way, and at an early age, I was taught the importance of serving others. Before my year of service, I was involved with a number of activities at the University of Tennessee that allowed me to serve. I was a resident assistant and an orientation leader, and I wanted to continue my track record of serving others by doing something more large scale. I had also worked part-time at The Little Gym teaching gymnastics to children aged 19 months to 12 years of age. I wanted an opportunity where I could not only continue my work with children but also an opportunity that would allow me to grow as a person -- AmeriCorps gave me that.

What your experience serving like?

Not gonna lie... it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. My friends never quite understand where I'm coming from or why I love it so much, but it was a time in my life when I was tested the most. Until you put yourself in a situation where you're tested everyday and pushed to your limit, you never really know what you're capable of achieving. I remember back in college when I was an orientation leader -- we worked hard all summer... going to bed at 12:30am and getting up for our daily staff meetings at 5:45am.  I thought it was the hardest thing to do. There were some mornings that I was so out of it, that I'd put my shirt on backwards and not even realize it!

My team was one of two theater-based teams in the City Year network, and my friends know me as a HUGE goofball. I like to make people laugh, and my experience allowed me to not only teach in a classroom but also perform on stage! I'm a big ham and to see children laughing, literally falling out of their seats from my antics was just amazing. There are times when I wish I could go back to that time during my life and relive it all over again. It was not uncommon for my team to travel to all four quadrants of DC, and it was also not uncommon to experience every emotion possible every. single. day. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but it's so true. There were days I'd be laughing one minute, crying the next, laughing again... it was pretty intense. I remember thinking that there was no way I could make it through my year of service, but I persevered and made it out alive. I never realized how much I was learning, but now I realize that the lessons learned during that time, the friends I made, the children I served -- could not match ANYTHING in this world. As I'm typing this, I'm tearing up a bit because, yeah... it's that powerful.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

I currently work for the Melanoma Research Alliance, and it's a non-profit. I'm pretty sure that staying in the non-profit sector is what I am meant to do for the rest of my life. AmeriCorps gave me the opportunity to realize this and made me further realize what service can do for our communities.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

If you're thinking about it, do it. Go into your service year with an open mind and realize what you once knew may be completely turned upside down. The experiences you'll have will be some of the greatest things to ever happen to you. You will remember your year (or years) and realize that you made a difference, and that's one of the coolest feelings anyone can ever experience!

Picture: Stephen with now Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

AmeriCorps Alum Profile: Meet Bernadette

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published July 23, 2009 @ 05:00AM PT

Name: Bernadette Smith
Program Served In:  EcoWatch AmeriCorps through the Atlanta Outward Bound Center
Years Served: 1998-1999
Location Served: Atlanta, GA

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

I have a serious idealistic streak and as a college student, found that some of my greatest lessons came through service to others.  I had no idea what to do with my undergraduate film degree and AmeriCorps seemed like a great extension of the service I'd been active with as a student.

What your experience serving like?

I learned a lot.  My program had a youth development component and we served in teams.  Prior to AmeriCorps, I'd served in many high-functioning teams, and my experience with EcoWatch taught me great skills related to problem solving, conflict resolution, patience and discipline.  Some of my former team members are coming to my wedding in three weeks, fantastic lifelong friends.  Additionally, my AmeriCorps program brought us on a few Outward Bound expeditions, so I learned about leadership in the wilderness and how to live outside my comfort zone.  It was phenemonal exploring the Southeastern US through backpacking trips and learning through experiential education.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

My former Program Director took a position with a burgeoning nonprofit, and hired me after I graduated from EcoWatch.  My position there had lots of projects but one of the biggest things I did was plan a large annual conference.  I learned about event planning, learned I was very good at it, and excellent at remaining calm.  In 2004, I started my own wedding and event planning firm at the age of 27.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

Take it seriously but have fun.  Don't look at it as way to delay the real world, because when AmeriCorps is over, the real world will still be waiting.  If you are looking at a program with teams, keep your head clear, stay out of drama and stay true to yourself!

AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Julie

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published July 31, 2009 @ 07:37AM PT

Name: Julie Balasalle
Program Served In: Massachusetts Promise Fellowship
Years Served: 2005-2006
Location Served: Dorchester, MA (Boston)

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

When I was in high school I joined an after school program that was supported by Mass. Promise Fellows. This opportunity literally changed my life because before this point I was not academically engaged and did not really see college as an option for me. The fellows really helped me see that it was an option for me and helped me through the entire process of applying and making the decision, which was not a part of our program. They believed in me and saw that I had potential, and went out of their way to help me see that in myself. They pushed me to look outside the box and look at schools outside of Boston, which most kids in BPS don't do. I went to a great school in North Carolina, Guilford College, that was exactly what I needed. Without the support, mentorship, and commitment, of the Mass. Promise Fellows (who I still keep in touch with)I really don't know where I would be today.
When I was graduating in 2005, I knew I wanted to give back to the program that had opened the door to my amazing college experience. Serving as a fellow was the best way for me to pass on what other's had given to me.

What your experience serving like?

My service year was challenging and rewarding. I worked with a group of youth in Dorchester where I grew up, and its pretty safe to say that I learned more than the youth did! At first I was nervous and focused on building rapport with the group, but eventually I learned how to relax and really support them in their goals. The model was about youth leadership, and learning how to foster that while doing it was challenging but so rewarding.
I was lucky to have phenomenal support from the staff at the Mass. Promise Fellowship who trained on everything you could ever think of in supporting youth development. That high level of support and the camaraderie of the other Promise Fellows was priceless during my year.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

Being on the other side of program planning and implementation was an eye opening experience for me, and one that has definitely changed the way I think about my career. My service year helped me recognize my passion for youth development and supporting youth to recognize and build on their potential. I worked in youth supporting non profits following my year, but then saw that I needed more clinical skills to be able to really understand what services are best and most effective for positive youth support, particularly for at risk youth. That led me to where I am now, which is pursuing a MSW degree at Tulane University in New Orleans. Eventually I would like to use all my experience to effective change on a macro policy level, but only after experiencing what is happening and effective and not effective on the ground.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps will change your life. Its a challenging and demanding experience, but one that will help you grow in ways you wouldn't have expected. I would recommend thinking strategically about your AmeriCorps service not as just a resume builder, but one that has the potential to expose you to great personal and professional opportunities. Using your AmeriCorps experience as a holistic way of thinking of personal and career development is strategic, smart, and useful. Even if a field is not what you eventually may want to go into, what skills will this service year give you? If you are working with youth, how will that experience help you in management skills? Organization? Think about your strengths and weaknesses, and what service position will give you an opportunity to strengthen what you excel at and work on the things you feel you need to. Although the monetary issue is not ideal, the investment in your growth is worth it.

I would also recommend people evaluate the specific AmeriCorps program they are thinking of doing. They are definitely all not the same, and offer different perks and benefits. One key thing is to see how much support the staff of the actual AmeriCorps program gives to its members. Do they have monthly trainings? I would also recommend asking to speak to alums of the program to get a different perspective as well. Its a year of your life, so you want to make sure you get what you need and know what to expect (as much as possible) going in.

Picture provide by Julie.

AmeriCorps Alum Feature: Meet Joe

by Meghan Oakley

category: Featured Alum

Published August 07, 2009 @ 06:29AM PT

Name: Joe Bowmaster
Program Served In: Fulton AmeriCorps
Years Served: 2005-2006
Location Served: Fulton High School, STARS After School Program & 2 months in Pass Christian, MS

What made you want to join AmeriCorps?

Wanting to join AmeriCorps was never something I had ever thought about. In my first year of college I had joined a fraternity and had volunteered daily alongside of my brothers at an after school program for 2nd-5th grade students. By the end of the semester every student there had named me “Mr. Joe” and I was their favorite jungle-jim to play on. The children would hang off my arms, curl up against me in reading sessions, take the time to pay attention to me when I helped them with their homework, etc. Thus, at the end of the year, the AmeriCorps Director for the site approached me and offered me a position with her Corps. My parents had a strict rule about not working during the school year, so it was a natural fit for me to volunteer my time fully with the children and get a living stipend out of it. It was a win-win situation.

What your experience serving like?

I had always wanted to join the military, it was a dream I had had from a young age. However, when I came out to my family as a Kertbenian male within my first few months of college, I knew that I would never be able to serve honorably without hiding a part of who I am. So when I became an AmeriCorps member it opened this new door to me filled with opportunities to serve my nation.

I wanted to expand the possibilities for me and my fellow Corps members to serve in. Though our program was centered on education for at risk youth between the ages of ten and eighteen; I saw so many areas in the community and nation that we could expand our service upon. That is why, when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, I gave up my entire winter break from college to travel to Pass Christian, MS to serve with the St. Louis AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team. I really took a portion of our swearing in as a life statement, ‘I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond’. When I graduated from my one year contract I took on AmeriCorps Alums as my new passion. In my eyes a full time AmeriCorps member was equivalent to a soldier in the army, and AmeriCorps Alums were equivalent to a soldier in the National Guard, someone who could be called to action if needed.

Over the next three years I rose through the ranks of the AmeriCorps Alums position, at one point even being offered a Commissioners position with the Missouri Community Service Commission. Service enveloped my way of life and I was averaging around 3,000 hours of community service a year directly impacting my community. I took on my local AmeriCorps Alumni chapter and turned it from a list of names on a sheet of paper into an AmeriCorps Alums emergency response team. We responded to tornados, flooding and ice storms that devastated different portions of our state. The most notable of these events was when in late 2007, our AmeriCorps Alums chapter took on the entire volunteer cleanup efforts for central Missouri for a course of four months from a crippling ice storm.

In mid 2008, I was appointed as the Executive Director of the Missouri AmeriCorps Alums state chapter and tasked with developing the statewide program into a cohesive organization. Though funding has been limited, I am excited to continue to fight for a unified organization throughout the state. Recently I worked with AmeriCorps Alums National to pass the Serve America Act through congress and have also been tasked with judging a portion of this year’s Eli Segal Award applicants.

How did your experience in AmeriCorps relate to your career path?

I never intended for AmeriCorps to become my career path, nor am I sure it will continue to by a direct career path that I will follow; however, AmeriCorps so greatly influenced my life that I doubt I could have ever imagined the accomplishments I’ve made had you asked me about my future before I joined. Rather than discuss the ways in which AmeriCorps related to my current career path, I think it would be more prudent to explain the resulting factors that have occurred through my experiences with AmeriCorps an AmeriCorps Alumnus.

There are five directly impacted aspects of my current career that I can trace back to my AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Alums experience. The first is Mentoro Inc. I developed Mentoro Inc into an organization that paired college Kertbenian (LGBTQ) men and women with high school and middle school Kertbenian youth; thus forming a Kertbenian big brother/sister program for the rural areas of Missouri that I was residing in. Through Mentoro Inc I also created, through fundraising and donations, two $250 scholarships for graduating high school Kertbenian seniors who had mentored younger Kertbenian youth. As Mentoro developed, we began to create Kertbenian alliance groups for rural counties in Missouri. One of the promotional videos for Mentoro Inc for the “Hatchlings Programs” can be featured here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMh6fFxlZDQ . Mentoro Inc has definitely created a lasting impact on numerous youth in the area.

The second career impact came in the form of becoming a lifelong PeaceJam mentor. PeaceJam [http://www.peacejam.org] is an organization that pairs Nobel Peace Prize Laureates with youth to create a global awareness of global peace and service projects. In my year of AmeriCorps I was one of the first mentors for the newly created Heartland Region of PeaceJam, encompassing the states of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. To this day I volunteer yearly with PeaceJam and value all the amazing stories and friends I have made with the organization.

The third career impact came in the form of Be the Change, Inc (BTC) and the ServiceNation Campaign [http://www.ServiceNation.org]. Just before my graduation from Westminster College in the spring of 2008 I was selected out of over 500 applicants to become one of 30 Change Agents tasked with leading the grassroots’ campaign of ServiceNation. As the directing Change Agent for the state of Missouri I oversaw forty different service events and numerous local campaigns to bring awareness to national service programs and creating awareness and support for the Serve America Act. I networked with numerous nonprofit organizations and attended the first Change Agent Academy focused on expanding the education of national service programs across the United States. On September 11, 2008 I attended and worked the national forum of community service with key note speakers John McCain and Barrack Obama. To view some of the amazing work that was conducted between ServiceNation, myself and some of the NPOs please watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=281VyReIxv0

The fourth direct career impact, and the impact I am most excited about, is the Foundation for the American Constitution in Education (FACE) [http://www.ConstitutionInEducation.org]. I co-founded FACE with the BTC state director for Alaska, Karl Wing. Together we recruited other AmeriCorps Alums and created an organization that’s mission centers around an increased education in American civics in the public school system. One of the main components of FACE is to create a mandatory examination over the US and individual state constitution(s) before a student is able to graduate from high school and to also implement AmeriCorps members into more public schools to help facilitate this education. Currently as the Chairman of the Board for FACE I am overseeing the 501(c)(3) application to make our organization into a nonprofit organization. The origins of FACE can be tracked directly back to my AmeriCorps year in Fulton High School where I was the civics tutor for the high school and saw a lack of understanding and meaning coming from the education provided to the young students there.

Finally, the fifth direct career impact is that of City Year. I am just beginning my last of two years of active service with AmeriCorps as a City Year Corps member. I am extremely excited about all the opportunities and ways in which I can serve my nation with such an amazing organization such as this. To find out more information about City Year please visit: http://www.CityYear.org.

What advice would you give to people considering or going into AmeriCorps?

Advice for any persons entering into AmeriCorps is short and straightforward. When you dawn your “grey’s” you step out of the role of a volunteer and into the role of a civic servant to your nation. Do not ever forget all the hard work that has come before you, and know that your work that you do as an AmeriCorps member is part of a long lasting service of American Patriotism and Honor. You ARE an AmeriCorps member and you WILL GET THINGS DONE FOR AMERICA.