Jayeesh Chennupati is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at United Way of the Virginia Peninsula (UWVP) through a capacity-building project managed by Serve Virginia.
In college, Jayeesh already knew about national service as a way to make an impact thanks to his interest in Peace Corps service. After graduation, however, he sought out AmeriCorps as a way to cultivate new skills and gain a better understanding of the world. He recalls, “I decided to take a year to develop some skills [and] really learn about poverty in a dimension that I haven’t explored before.”
In considering the biggest challenge he faced as he began his service term, Jayeesh says, “I think being able to have a sense of direction was difficult. In school with projects, there is a deliverable that the professor outlines and you know what is A+ work. But, within work, it’s hard to sometimes figure out what you’re supposed to do and what is excellent work. However, that has led me to learn more about how to create value for the organizations that I’m in.”
In his service at UWVP, there is no such thing as routine. Some days might involve site visits, while others include trainings and other work. “Most of the time, it’s trying to create deliverables that will deliver impact for my organization,” says Jayeesh. “I’ve had to challenge myself to think more about what are the next steps, who do I reach out to, how to synthesize information that I have, how does this translate to future work? I’m sure this mindset that I’ve been able to develop will help strengthen the ways I can create impact in the future by being more of a self-starter and independent. Thus, I’ve gotten more comfortable being in positions which I don’t need guidance in, which will benefit future endeavors where I try to pursue my own projects.”
For others considering AmeriCorps, Jayeesh offers this advice: “Make sure to choose an organization where you have scope to be able to pursue impactful work and they’ll give you the freedom to do so. Also, it’s not easy, there’s a lot of growth.”
