AmeriCorps

Education Mentor

May - August 2019 • West Monroe, LA

What I liked

The AmeriCorps summer program helped me grow a lot as a person. I have developed a lot of new skills that will benefit me in my future career.

What I wish was different

Nothing, I genuinely enjoyed my summer term with AmeriCorps.

Advice

Do not sign up for a term with AmeriCorps just because of the benefits. It is a very demanding service position, and it should be taken seriously.

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Elementary Teacher's Aid

August 2018 • Murtaugh, ID

What I liked

The kids and my coworkers were amazing! Also, getting an Education award (along with a living allowance each month) is a huge perk to working with AmeriCorps.

What I wish was different

The people running my branch of AmeriCorps could have been better. They got the branch shut down because they couldn't secure funding for the promised 2nd year of the program.

Advice

Working with kids is a reward in and of itself. AmeriCorps, despite the difficulties the branch faced, is an exciting organization to work with. 10/10 would recommend to anyone.

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Community Health Worker

April 2019 • Provo, UT

What I liked

Learning about Healthcare in our society, and some cultural aspects that determine one's access to healthcare

What I wish was different

Started Earlier

Advice

If you have the opportunity to be an Americorps member take it.

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Student Services Counselor

August 2017 - July 2019 • Miami, FL

What I liked

Eveything

What I wish was different

I wish I could have started a year earlier.

Advice

It is a committment that is very rewarding as you see your hard work pay off, but it is a committment nonetheless.

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Community Association Manager

June - August 2019 • Parkersburg, WV

What I liked

I enjoyed the experience to be able to bring the community together to aim at improving the reading and writing skills of children.

What I wish was different

I wish the rules did not change a billion times throughout our 6 weeks of work.

Advice

Be patient and be open to all the kids and volunteers.

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Community Outreach Associate

May - July 2019 • Lewisville, TX

What I liked

Getting to be a part of AmeriCorp's "Improving Access to Care through Texas Charitable Clinics" initiative was a truly formative experience. While working onsite with the leadership team at PediPlace, I had the opportunity to learn first hand about the day to day of different roles within the non-profit healthcare sector and left feeling like I had really contributed to something important. I enjoyed my work because of the people around me, the freedoms I had, and the motivation I felt every day seeing the community I was serving.

What I wish was different

Advice

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AmeriCorps memeber

August 2018 • Washington, DC

What I liked

Doing fun and interesting activities with the kids. During this activities you get to see the different personalities that each one has and you can learn from them too.

What I wish was different

That I could have connected better with some of the students that were more difficult to handle.

Advice

Be open minded to the unique personality of each student, show that you also want to have fun with them in responsable way and most importantly have LOTS of patience.

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Jump Start Program Member

June - August 2019 • Buffalo, NY

What I liked

I loved living and working in inner-city Buffalo. The students made every challenge worth it. The highlight was the final week of "camp" on Beaver Island, when we got to build better relationships with the children without forcing them to copy sentences or add equations.

What I wish was different

Among my Americorps group, there were a few strong personalities that blew up half way through the summer, and caused permanent tensions in the group. I do not know how this could have been stopped or helped, but it was not the most pleasant situation.

Advice

Take an appropriate amount (depending on the teacher you are working with) of initiative in the classroom. The students are at vastly different levels of English learning, so small groups are ideal.

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Americorps Member

June - August 2019 • Grinnell, IA

What I liked

Working within the community, the work we did with kids, the diversity of my everyday work

What I wish was different

I wish I had more connection with other Americorps members who weren't at my site, and worked with a bigger variety of students

Advice

You get out what you put in!

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Summer Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Duncanville, TX

What I liked

Interaction with children, keeping them in a safe and fun environment and being able to play with them.

What I wish was different

Known how much the pay rate was.

Advice

Be open and kind to all types of children because you never know what they have to experience when they go home

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Camp Counselor

June - August 2019 • Woonsocket, RI

What I liked

I loved working with the kids and giving back to my community.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more activities to share with the kids. Also, the program seemed to be underfunded and it would have been better for the kids if we had better programs and field trips.

Advice

That anyone wanted to participate in volunteer work and help others should work for the Americorps.

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Volunteer

May - November 2019 • Joliet, IL

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Be open minded.

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Mentor

September 2017 - August 2019 • Hattiesburg, MS

What I liked

I love how i was involved in the community and able to help the youth out.

What I wish was different

More volunteers at this location to aid in more one on one help.

Advice

Try to put yourself in the children's shoes because you don't know what their home life maybe like.

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Americorps Summer Associate

June - August 2019 • Omaha, NE

What I liked

I loved the feeling of helping people in need and I loved the energetic people I worked with

What I wish was different

I wish I could have started this position as soon as summer started, instead of almost a month into summer

Advice

Don’t take your wealth for granted and count your blessings

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Conservationist Intern

May - August 2018 • Flagstaff, AZ

What I liked

I liked working in a team setting

What I wish was different

I wish the hours were more flexible

Advice

Be prepared to camp at the work area.

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Summer Associate

May - August 2019 • Winnebago, NE

What I liked

I enjoyed reading and teaching from Native American books to children of my culture.

What I wish was different

I wish there more kids to teach and read to.

Advice

If you're looking to become a teacher, better a community, work on and Indian Reservation, try spending time with reservation children.

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Worker

June - August 2019 • Dallas, TX

What I liked

How I was able to make a difference in the community.

What I wish was different

The team effort.

Advice

Do it for others not yourself.

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AmeriCorps VISTA Associate

June - August 2019 • Raleigh, NC

What I liked

What I wish was different

Advice

Working for AmeriCorps is some of the most fulfilling work that a person can ever do, I believe. It is incredibly enriching to yourself as a person to work a job entirely dedicated to service. However, know that if you're doing it for the money, it won't be worth it. You work with so many different people from so many different backgrounds, and it's not uncommon for you to be one of the few (if not the only person) that they can open up to about their struggles in life. It can be emotionally taxing, and the hours are demanding. In my position, I was paid a day wage of $33/day, which is considered the poverty line. However, if your goal is to help people, and you're willing to work a community service position for a small paycheck, then AmeriCorps is something that I would absolutely recommend to anyone who is considering it.

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JusticeCorps Intern

June - August 2019 • Pasadena, CA

What I liked

I liked learning more about how the Judicial System functions, meeting judges that affect people's daily lives and being able to help people with little legal knowledge navigate through a complicated system.

What I wish was different

I wish it hadn't been 35 hours a week for no pay. Inaccessible for people that need to work to pay bills.

Advice

Learn to not let your emotions get the best of you. Sometimes it's heartbreaking hearing some people's stories and what difficult cards they've been dealt, but remember there are two sides to every story.

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