Alex Tran discovered AmeriCorps in 2020 while researching national service programs for a college course.
Alex initially planned to move to Asia after graduating, but as he watched the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic unfold across the nation in lockdown, he felt compelled to act. With a spirit for adventure, he committed to one year of service with AmeriCorps NCCC.
His tour of service took him to Aurora, Colorado, for training, where he met the group of strangers from different parts of the country that would become his team. Together, they traveled across the United States, providing aid to those who needed it; to Louisiana to aid in hurricane recovery; to Kansas, where they helped remove invasive plant species; to New York, where they helped support COVID-19 relief efforts; and finally to New Mexico, where they built homes for families in need with Habitat for Humanity.
“Whenever I tarped a person's roof, chopped down an invasive tree, helped translate the vaccination process, or swung nails into a wall frame, I felt satisfied that I contributed to a solution to a problem,” Alex said. “Not every day of my service was good, but I overcame it; my will was unbreakable.”
When that first term of service ended, Alex felt more driven than ever to continue his national service. He moved back home to Delaware and, with the skills he gained while volunteering, began working for the Sussex County Habitat for Humanity as the AmeriCorps volunteer service coordinator.
“My service in Delaware allowed me to explore a county that I was unfamiliar with; every time I visited a local church, business, or school, it allowed me to connect with the local people on a deeper level,” Alex said. “Because AmeriCorps and Habitat allowed me this opportunity, I became a better advocate for affordable housing, more empathetic, and more resilient.”
Alex continued volunteering and eventually completed a third term with AmeriCorps with a grand total of 4,200 hours of service. A few months later, he received the Lifetime President's Volunteer Service Award.
But these personal accomplishments made Alex feel far from finished in his journey of service. After seeing the destruction from the 2023 Maui fires, Alex felt compelled to serve another AmeriCorps term and joined the American Conservation Experience team.
“I had the opportunity to camp, work hard, and meet others who shared my feelings about the environment and national service,” Alex said. “Bucking logs, swinging an axe, improving the environment, gave me the feeling that I am part of something bigger than myself."
Alex is still continuing his service. In December 2024, he volunteered for his fifth term of service, again as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
“My parents came to America as immigrants, where they forged for themselves a better life,” he said. “I benefited greatly from that success, and my service is simply a way of paying that good fortune back. Service, to me, is a way to achieve the American dream because the American dream is not only about the success of the individual, but the success of our communities. If a community succeeds, we all win, and AmeriCorps provides that opportunity. Thank you to those who served and my parents for giving me the conditions to do so.”
