Chanel Davis is an AmeriCorps member serving as an Animal Science Team Lead with 4-H CAPITAL.
My Five-Year Plan
I would like to preface this story by saying that I am planner—a five-ish year planner to be exact. When I was a sophomore in high school in Los Angeles I called a meeting with my parents to talk about my five-year plan. It included finishing up high school, going to a college far away from home, and committing to service after graduating college. I chose to attend Canisius College in Buffalo, NY where I graduated with a dual bachelor’s degree in Animals Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and Environmental Studies and a master’s in General Education.
Growing up I went to Catholic school and attended a Jesuit college where it was always encouraged to do community service in whatever capacity you can. Through retreats, service projects, and service trips I learned what it meant to be in solidarity with others as an act of social justice. One of the main takeaways from my Jesuit and Liberal Arts education was to take my gifts and talents, and to be a person who stands with and for others. I chose to serve with AmeriCorps at 4-H CAPITAL because it is an organization that teaches valuable lessons about animals, nature, and science while helping students make meaningful connections between science and their everyday lives. A program that lets you hang out with goats and empowers youth to choose science career? What could be better than that!
Life in Austin, TX
Pre-service orientation was long and oftentimes information overload, but it provided me with all the tools and support I would need to be successful in the classroom, and my personal life during my year of service. The best advice that was inadvertently revealed during orientation was the phrase, “It depends.” This phrase is said so many times at 4-H CAPITAL that it has turned into a game of who can still answer the question, but avoids the word completely (“It varies” became a serious contender). Working in informal education in an after-school setting requires a lot of flexibility. I’ve learned that in order to succeed, you have to be able to adapt to big and small changes and just go with the flow. As long students are safe, and having fun, the science they learn comes more naturally.
I’ve learned that in order to succeed, you have to be able to adapt to big and small changes and just go with the flow. As long students are safe, and having fun, the science they learn comes more naturally.
Life After AmeriCorps
I am half way through my service year now and have the ability to look back at where I was in August and appreciate how far I’ve come, but also look forward to the future. I have met so many wonderful AmeriCorps members at 4-H and those who serve in other programs in Texas.
I don’t have all the steps of my next five years mapped out in its entirety like I did before. Fifteen-year-old me had a plan and followed through up to this point. Twenty-four-year old me now has benefited from a lot of hard work, skill building, and professional development over the last few years, and especially during this service year. I can’t say that I know for-sure what I will do next, but I am certain that I have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take myself wherever I choose to go in my career.