As part of AmeriCorps Week 2012, each day we’ll be spotlighting a service member or alum across the state! Today’s spotlight is on Jessica Callahan.
Jessica worked at Northwestern CT Area Health Education Center and helped to coordinate after school programs for disadvantaged youth in the Waterbury, CT. She utilized service learning to engage High School students through trainings and volunteer placements with local health care resources in the community. She decided to join AmeriCorps to help solidify her goals for the future, contribute positively to her community, and engage with her peers.
“One of my biggest accomplishments while serving was learning how to focus on myself and my dreams while helping others.” She says, using these skills after service on her way to obtaining a Bachelor's Degree in Urban and Community Studies at UConn. “I wouldn't have been as driven as I am now if it weren't for the constant motivation of my peers, and for the incredible feeling I had after completing our team service project, which was a community resource fair in Hartford, CT. Seeing the fruits of our labor was an incredible adrenaline rush, and made me want more!”
She continues to get things done through her job at a girls residential program near her hometown, by focusing on studies in order to graduate from college, and working on a model for a non-profit/community resource that she hopes to launch after graduation. “I am always talking to others about outreach, advocacy, and service learning and the impact it can have on their own community.”
Thanks for all you do Jessica, and have a great AmeriCorps week!
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