Coming out of college, in the depth of the great recession, I knew I wanted to do something like Peace Corps. When I found out about AmeriCorps, I was excited to learn that I could do similar work as Peace Corps, but in an underserved or disadvantaged community in the US. Albuquerque, New Mexico is most certainly an underserved community, so I returned home. In my two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA, I worked on projects related to substance abuse, recidivism, housing for low-income individuals with disabilities, and much more. This experience introduced me to a wide array of nonprofits and the vital roles they play. Moreover, these two years set my path forward. In all, I'm approaching 10 years in the nonprofit sector. I'm now Executive Director of a statewide nonprofit. My career would have gone in a different and probably less fulfilling direction without my time in AmeriCorps VISTA. I am definitely #MadeInAmeriCorps.