Each year, people from all walks of life choose to serve with AmeriCorps and commit themselves to making a difference in the world. Whether their efforts benefit their local community or a community in another state affected by disaster, AmeriCorps members and volunteers embody a commitment to create positive change.
Working side by side with other members who share that same passion and commitment can create friendships that last a lifetime. Sometimes, those friendships can become something more, which was exactly the case for these AmeriCorps alumni.
From Service to Marriage
Kirsten and Jesus Ortiz joined AmeriCorps NCCC in 2013 after college graduation. Kirsten, originally from Pennsylvania, and Jesus, from California, had already discovered their passion for national service and wanted to use their service year to gain skills for their future careers.
“AmeriCorps presented a great opportunity to help others while getting to travel around the country,” Kirsten said. “It was a chance to meet new people and get work experience. My husband was looking for the same experience.”
The pair met when they joined their NCCC team at the Southern Region campus in Vicksburg, Mississippi. For the next year, they traveled across the U.S. performing work in Denver, New York City, and Washington, D.C., providing disaster recovery in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and supporting other humanitarian efforts.
Amid the hard work and dedication, the two grew closer as friends and when their service year ended, they decided to give a long-distance relationship a chance.
“We really weren’t sure what the future had in store for each of us, but we decided to give it a shot,” Kirsten said.
In 2016, after 18 months apart the two moved in together and in 2022, they exchanged vows at a Las Vegas ceremony surrounded by family and AmeriCorps alumni. Kirsten said she believes serving together with AmeriCorps made their relationship stronger from the beginning.
“By serving together, we learned early on a lot about each other, and we learned how to live together before entering our relationship,” she said. “But on a deeper level, it helped us understand each other’s values. While serving with AmeriCorps, we experienced situations that required us to be adaptable and I think that’s been a big asset to our relationship.”
A Lifetime Connection Sparked Abroad
Significant others Anna and Ryan, who serve with AmeriCorps State and National and AmeriCorps VISTA, respectively, agree with that sentiment.
“From the start of our relationship, service has been one of our core values,” Anna said. “And AmeriCorps has paved the way for the next chapter of our lives.”
They met while studying abroad in Madrid, Spain. Anna, who grew up in California’s Bay Area, was driven to address homelessness in her area and had already been the driving force behind several donation projects since she was young. Meanwhile, Chicago-native Ryan regularly served with his family to help nonprofit organizations and volunteer groups in his local community. When the two met, Anna said there was an instant connection.
“Almost immediately, we bonded over a shared sense of adventure, drive for personal growth, and desire to leave the world better than we found it,” Ryan said. “Values that drew us to AmeriCorps.”
After moving back to the U.S., the pair united their efforts and tackled service projects together. They designed and sold shirts featuring positive affirmations and donated the funds to nonprofits that supported youth and young adults’ mental health programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. All the while, their bond grew stronger.
After college graduation, the two explored careers in the corporate world, but never lost their passion for national service. While still navigating their future paths, the two traveled to Mexico to join home-building volunteer projects and other programs that led them to AmeriCorps. They made the decision to move together to Austin, Texas, where Anna began serving with College Possible Texas to coach college students and help them achieve academic success and Ryan serves at Imagine Art to help individuals with intellectual disabilities participate in art programs.
While their day-to-day service does not directly intersect, Anna said she and Ryan still connect through attending AmeriCorps events such as the Swearing In Ceremony, the Life After AmeriCorps Conference, or contributing to similar causes during Days of Service.
“Throughout this service year, we have grown stronger as individuals and as a couple,” Anna said. “This experience has marked many firsts for us, and we are excited to be working toward AmeriCorps’ collective mission of ‘getting things done’. As we continue with our year of service, and begin to consider what’s next, we’re both confident that it will be filled with adventure, growth, and a desire to make an impact as a team.”
Find Your Spark
Anyone can connect with like-minded individuals. Whether it’s your passion to teach the next generation to learn to love reading or a dream to join a crew that helps communities recover after disasters, you can make a difference and find lifelong friendships through service.
