The past few years were difficult.  

The global pandemic and events of 2020 and 2021 emphasized the inequity in our world. Communities from San Jose to Chicago, Charleston, Pittsburgh, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, and beyond are still healing from hateful attacks. Americans are looking to rebuild and break down barriers that lead to such tragedy.   

Kevin Bautista served as an AmeriCorps member with College Possible Chicago coaching students and providing the same support he once needed as a first-generation college student. 

As a young professional, for most of my career I was either an AmeriCorps member, a volunteer, or a leader of volunteers. My career in service began in 2017 when I accepted a role as an AmeriCorps volunteer coordinator for Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. After recruiting and leading volunteers in their mission to build affordable housing for a summer, I was hooked. I signed on for an additional year as an AmeriCorps member with a desire to “get things done,” as we say.

When I tell people I’m an AmeriCorps alumna who’s working to open doors to higher education for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated youth, headed to Harvard graduate school in the fall, they make certain assumptions about my life up to this point.  

Jaiden Liggett, an AmeriCorps member serving with PowerCorpsPHL, was finishing high school when he first heard about PowerCorpsPHL and its national service program. Julia Hillengas, co-founder and executive director of PowerCorpsPHL, spoke with Jaiden about why he chose to come to PowerCorpsPHL and what he found most valuable about his experience. He kept coming back to this idea of the power, the beauty, and the peace that comes from “completing the cycle”. In Jaiden’s words: 

Emily M. Dickens is a licensed attorney and human resources management professional. She works for a cause, or several causes, in higher education, public policy, local government, business and community affairs.

At the beginning her career, like many service alumni, Emily was seeking an opportunity to make a difference. Below she tells her story about finding service accidently, and the meaningful ways it prepared her for a career in helping others find their passion. 

Using her experience as a service alumna and expertise in public health to answer Governor Jared Polis (Colo.) call for service-based contact tracing program, Heather Baily was instrumental in leading the public health needs for the Colorado COVID Containment Corps. To date, her efforts have reached 900 members and volunteers from all four AmeriCorps signature programs (State and National, VISTA, NCCC, and AmeriCorps Seniors) and served more than 50,000 Coloradans.

New appointees Mary Tobin, Senior Advisor for Wounded Warrior, Veteran, and Military Family Initiatives and Atalaya Sergi, Director for AmeriCorps Seniors, discovered their passions for national service taking different paths to their new leadership roles. Tobin and Sergi join 11 total new appointees selected in January by the Biden administration. 

Mandy’s Farm – VAMOS Program – 2019 Excellence in AmeriCorps Award for Engaging More People with Disabilities