In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

Since completing my first full VISTA term earlier this year I ‘ve gained a new understanding of what it means to serve in AmeriCorps. Initially, I had joined the VISTA program to broaden my work experience and to explore the various career paths in the non-profit world. Instead, I learned the true value of service in your own community. I am forever changed because of the wonderful experiences I had while serving as a VISTA.

I experienced firsthand the passion, empathy, and determination it takes to serve in non-profits. While in service you see right away the reason each organization exists, the problem they are trying to solve, and the needs of the communities they serve. In service, I found my true strengths and how every effort made to improve the community counts. I started out as an alumni coordinator, but I ended up a mentor, an advocate, and a fighter. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities AmeriCorps VISTA program gave me and I will encourage others to join so they too can make a difference in themselves and their community.

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

I have always valued kindness and compassion. My love of literature and storytelling has continuously reinforced this belief. Reading about others’ experiences can foster a greater sense of understanding in an individual, or community, and bridge gaps of understanding. I believe that everything and everyone is interconnected and deserves to be treated with respect. However, while I was working in customer service and retail, these values were not always reflected in my everyday work. When faced with a career transition due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I resolved that the next career I pursued would be in line with what I value most in life: compassionate and kind service to others. This resolution led me to the AmeriCorps VISTA program where I discovered I could give back to my community through volunteer service in a big way.

The VISTA program would allow me to use my skills that I obtained through my undergraduate studies, as well as my previous job experience, in a way that would benefit others and not just myself. I am so grateful I was able to find an opportunity through AmeriCorps VISTA to complete my initial service term at Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation, an organization that works to improve the lives of others through the power of literacy. Not only did I get to work within my field of study and passion, but I also got to help fundamentally improve the lives of individuals and communities through my service. After completing a successful term as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, I was fortunate to transition into a role as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader with OneStar Foundation. I currently serve as the Training & Resource Generation VISTA Leader where I have the opportunity to mentor VISTA members while expanding OneStar Foundation’s wealth of VISTA resources and professional development training. I have served in this position for two years and have witnessed so many VISTA members make positive changes in their communities while growing personally and professionally as well.

It means so much to me that I can provide a kind and compassionate assistance and support to people who in turn serve their communities. With more than 4,000 national service hours completed so far, I am proud of my AmeriCorps VISTA service and excited to begin my 4th consecutive term of service this Fall. Thank you so much to the VISTA members who give me the opportunity support them, to OneStar Foundation for supporting me in my service, and AmeriCorps VISTA for providing me the opportunity to serve my community and America.

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

As I prepared to graduate from Louisiana State University with a BA in Political Science and African and African American Studies, I didn’t truly know what I wanted to do with my gap year. I investigated various programs but all I knew was I wanted to give back to my community. That’s when I came across AmeriCorps VISTA.

My uncle told me all about the wonderful work they do, and the educational benefits members receive. As a recent graduate looking to attend graduate school soon, this piqued my interest. The Assistant Director of Campus Life/LSU Food Pantry reached out to me about their own AmeriCorps program right here at LSU. Since I had worked with him for 2 years, he thought I would be a great fit. He gave me the whole run down and even let me speak with the current AmeriCorps member. While this opportunity seemed perfect, I knew I wanted to come back home to serve.

After graduating, I went back home and applied to a few AmeriCorps VISTA programs including Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation in Houston, TX. FWCRC seemed like the best choice after researching all the work they do such as increasing affordable housing, providing financial coaching, and continuing the arts and cultural legacy of Fifth Ward. My VISTA Leader, Madison, served as a guiding light for my transition into VISTA life answering every question under the sun.

FWCRC has been a welcoming place for me to grow as a young professional and prepare for graduate school. As I’ve served, I’ve seen how my previous work at the Houston Mayor’s Office prepared me to come into the economic development sector. I’ve seen many familiar faces throughout my service which relieves me and helps me continue those relationships.

It took some time for me to get used to the 9 to 5 after years in school, but my colleagues have helped me see that there is so much I can do outside of the job. Even though not every day is super exciting, and I could be stuck behind a screen, I live for the days that I get to see happy community members at events and community meetings! This experience has been a great transition into the “real world” after graduating and has allowed me to go into graduate school with perspective.

Halfway done with my year, I am saddened to be leaving my site in the summer, but I am proud and relieved to know that I will always have connections back at FWCRC.

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

During college, I spent my senior year interning at my local National Public Radio station and loved every minute of telling the stories the lives of my neighbors throughout Northern New York. It was during my spring semester that the COVID-19 pandemic began and abruptly ended my college career. As someone who had always planned on attending law school, all my plans went out the door as I began to wonder what my post-grad life would look like.

I have always had a passion for working on behalf of my community, so this influenced me to eventually decide to take a gap year as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I knew that I wanted to spend my time in a location that was totally different from Northern New York along the Canadian border where I had grown up and attended St. Lawrence University, so I began looking at opportunities around the nation. I eventually found an opening with the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy (CNP) with the The Bush School of Government and Public Service located at Texas A&M University and loved the idea of working to bring together nonprofits throughout the community.

During my time with CNP, I have worked with community members and alumni of the university to share amazing, heartfelt stories about how they are making an impact in their local communities and helping change the lives of those around them for the better. Getting to share these stories allowed me to go back to my roots of storytelling that I fell in love with during college and highlight the inspiring work that is being done in the world all around us. I’ve really taken a lot of time to reflect on the work that I’m doing on behalf of the community in Bryan/College Station through the process of highlighting so many diverse and interesting voices, and I’m so excited to look back and tell stories of my own experience with the same passion and integrity that the folks whose stories we’re working on sharing with the Texas A&M community and beyond.

As the end of my service nears in August, I’m still planning on attending law school. However, my experience as a VISTA has solidified my interest in working in the public sector, and I hope to continue working to help folks in my career every day. I’ve been influenced by all of those in the Brazos Valley community working at local nonprofits to make the lives of people in the community better and would love to someday operate a legal organization to help folks who are survivors of domestic and sexual assault to receive the legal guidance and assistance that they may need but are unable to attain. There is so much that we can do for our community—on both big and small levels—that can make even the slightest difference in the quality of life for someone, thus improving their lives. It really is amazing seeing this work being done, and I’m extremely inspired to continue my service that’s aiding this community. This work has planted seeds of hope within me concerning the service work that I plan to do throughout my life.

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

During my senior year at St. Edward’s University as an English Literature major, I had the opportunity to apply for a paid internship with the Partnership Department of Communities in Schools in Central Texas. I was preparing for what was sure to be the most stressful semester of my academic career and at the same time, the most exciting. I was writing my thesis on the “Dualistic Perceptions of Guinevere in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur” and felt immersed in that literary world which I admired and desired to belong to.

I must say that my “encounter” with Communities in Schools—and therefore, with the nonprofit sector—was not initially due a natural-born desire to serve my community as perhaps many of my fellow VISTA members have experienced. My encounter with Communities in Schools was, in a way, accidental. I remember during my interview with my current supervisor, I was asked how (or if) I thought my work at CIS would connect to my aspirations and work as a writer. At that moment, I responded that much of what I wrote was about the human experience and that I believed it corresponded (in a way) to the role I would be performing as an intern in the Partnership Department.

After more than a year of serving our CIS families in various positions, I am now as a VISTA for the Basic Needs Department. I can wholeheartedly say that my experience as part of this community has helped me develop as a professional in ways I never imagined. When I think of myself as a writer now, I do not think only of my poems; I think of the ways my skills can help underserved communities. For instance, as part of my role, I have had the privilege of providing Spanish translation for several of our documents, and I am a huge advocate for Spanish/bilingual outreach. In the future, I would love to continue serving to increase the engagement of our Spanish-speaking parents and increasing their awareness and education of the different resources available for them!

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

My name is Aubrey Blake, I am the School and Community Partnership VISTA at Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation. I am a Dallas native, though I have made Houston my second home for the last eight years through undergrad and grad school. I will be graduating Summer 2021 with Master’s in Non-Profit Management with a focus on Resource Development.

My goals before I started my VISTA position at Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation was to be a change agent and “Do Good Better.” As I enter the last half of my service, I reflect on all the great strides we made to ensure a little happiness in the young learners of the Houston Community while building literacy. A large part of my first half was learning the ropes and quickly analyzing how we as an organization and investors into our communities can truly “Do Good Better.” It is growing the capacity and sustainability of the amazing programs that we offer to reach as many kids as possible while being credible, efficient, and responsible. I am lucky that I get to build on a solid foundation and am happy to report the project that I am working on will integrate our data management system to a fully functional CRM and Project Management database. This will increase productivity, sustain fast growth, and ease access of real-time data. As a result, programs such as My Home Library can safely expand without negatively affecting human resources and program quality. I will end my service as a Master’s Graduate, fully skilled, and a change agent that can successfully say I implemented a system that helped my organization “Do Good Better.”

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

In the context of this unique time riddled with doubt and uncertainty, I was struggling to find a real sense of meaning and direction before a friend of a friend had mentioned that she was applying to a program called AmeriCorps. Succumbing to curiosity and boredom, I logged onto the website to find a myriad of interesting opportunities all tailored to specific niches. I was thrilled and reinvigorated. A lot had changed during the pandemic, but my basic human need to work for something greater than myself had not changed. I was attracted to the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation for its simple yet powerful mission of literacy for all.

As a Volunteer Engagement and Recruitment VISTA, I have learned to always enter with an open mind and look for the opportunity in the most unlikely places. Working with the Foundation’s two auxiliary groups, the YPG (Young Professionals Group) and Ladies for Literacy Guild, I am witnessing firsthand the power of volunteers banding together in unprecedented times. My time as a VISTA has highlighted the things at the core—the things that really matter when you peel back all the layers of life. And for that, I am grateful.

In our VISTA Spotlight, our OneStar AmeriCorps VISTA members share in their own words about the transformative experience of serving with nonprofits and agencies in Texas working to eliminate poverty.

After living in Houston for five years, I’ve become passionate about this city, especially about building connections between privileged and underserved neighborhoods. That’s why I chose to serve with the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation.

To continue serving the community outside of the foundation, I have been involved with a local organization working to protect low-income neighborhoods of color from an upcoming highway expansion. I’ve been volunteering to help with community awareness events and build out resources, and it’s been amazing to see Houstonians across the city rally for the good of their neighbors. It feels like the perfect complement to my VISTA term, I can build capacity by day, and do direct service by night.