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Who's Who in What's Next
Meet the AmeriCorps and VISTA members in this tutorial
The resources you'll find here are for you. To give these resources a human face, we have created fictional characters with whom you may have a thing or two in common. The characters come from very different backgrounds, joined for a variety of reasons, and have different ideas about what lies ahead.
What they share in common is that they all went through the transition from AmeriCorps or VISTA member into whatever was next for them. You'll see them appear on the pages of this tutorial, and you can see their process while taking the steps to make a decision that was right for them.
AmeriCorps and VISTA: What's the difference?
Move your cursor over each AmeriCorps or VISTA member to reveal their individual storie/scenario.
Julien-
Julien is 20 years old and grew up in a non-English-speaking household. After high school, he began to work in youth jobs programs, gaining skills and experience in the environmental restoration field. When he learned about AmeriCorps, he signed up and later decided to stay on for a second year. Following his service, he could either find a job or go to college and study-he's interested in environmental restoration and landscape design.
Heather-
Heather began volunteering in high school and carried on volunteering throughout college. After graduation, she decided to serve for a year with VISTA, helping those without medical insurance find resources. She's not sure if she wants to use her Ed Award to pay back student loans, or go to graduate school and study public health. She's also might sign up for the Peace Corps. What she is sure about is that she will always be involved in service.
Carl-
For years, Carl worked in New York as a nightclub pianist. After a family emergency, he started to rethink his life and decided to move back to his hometown. He thought he might want to go back to school and become a teacher, but he has to wait a year to start a college education program. In the meantime, he has heard about AmeriCorps and decided to sign up, figuring it will give him a chance to think everything through.
Mavis-
When Mavis retired, she wanted to devote herself to her garden. After a while, she began wanting to spend time around other people. When she signed up for VISTA, she wanted to connect with a team of dedicated people to fight poverty in her community. She hasn't given much thought to what she will do after her service term ends.
Manny-
Manny plays in a band, is up on foreign affairs, and leads an uncluttered lifestyle. After two years in Siberia with the Peace Corps, he's serving as a VISTA Leader, coordinating the efforts of eight VISTAs in service with seniors in rural communities. He knows that this is a year of transition. He s not looking to make it rich, preferring to pursue his passion. What he values is making the greatest possible difference in the world with the least distractions.
Stacy-
After moving a lot while growing up, Stacy came to appreciate a nomadic lifestyle. For her, one of the greatest personal benefits of AmeriCorps*NCCC was the travel. Her team rides up and down the West Coast, stopping for two weeks to complete environmental service projects before moving on. She likes the experience so much that she's back for another year as a team leader. Her post-service goal is to bike up western Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Straight of Gibraltar.
