C'erra Rhodes is a first-year Virginia Collage Advising Corps adviser at Madison County High School, having graduated from Radford University in 2023. She attended Charlottesville High School, where a VCAC college adviser supported her with her own college application process. “I was served by VCAC advisers throughout my junior and senior high school years," recalls C’erra. “I wanted to serve as a VCAC adviser because I remember the challenges I faced during the college application process as a first-generation student. Without the guidance of my VCAC adviser, I'm not sure if I would have navigated it successfully on my own.”...

Alyssa De Las Salas learned about AmeriCorps NCCC when a friend served during her freshman year of college. She recalls, “I thought, that looks so interesting... getting to travel across the country and meet new people.” Alyssa finished her bachelor’s degree in psychology, but the opportunity remained buried in her own subconscious. A year or so after graduation, however, she had an existential crisis, unsure what to do next. That’s when she remembered AmeriCorps. She had enjoyed traveling abroad and felt like traveling within the U.S. was something that would interest her as well. Alyssa recalls, “I started reading more about it...

As a member of the Virginia Volunteerism Network, Volunteer Alexandria (VolALX) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, providing residents of Alexandria, Virginia, and the DMV area, with a community resource for volunteerism. Since its founding in 1980, VolALX has served as a link between individual and group volunteers and nonprofit organizations and city agencies in need of support. VolALX works in partnership with nonprofits, government and the business community to inspire people to volunteer, and to engage volunteers in activities that in turn strengthen the community. With a mission to inspire and mobilize people to volunteer for a stronger Alexandria community,...

AmeriCorps Shapes Lives You could say Max Gruber's life was greatly impacted by his AmeriCorps service. Max serves as Virginia AmeriCorps Fiscal and Administration Officer, supporting partner organizations through budgeting, compliance and the financial components of AmeriCorps, but his AmeriCorps experience started long ago as a young man fresh out of college. After being persuaded by a few close friends, Max joined AmeriCorps NCCC in Sacramento, California. "My team travelled the Western USA and had projects – called ‘Spikes’ – that included updating enclosures at the Sacramento Zoo, trail building in Bolinas, California, assisting the winter coat drive with the...

AmeriCorps VISTA Member of the Year William Griswold, Community Services Block Grant - CAPUP, Richmond In just a short time serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with CAPUP, Will has shown a strong talent for developing community relationships. As a long-overdue needs assessment was just kicking off, Will worked to develop critical relationships with local educational institutions by recruiting students to assist with the process. He was involved in all aspects of the effort – managing and motivating volunteers and reaching out to key players in the community. Will’s successes were pivotal to the effectiveness of the needs assessment, which will ultimately...

Maria Badillo's AmeriCorp Family Supported Her Throughout Her Job Search Three months prior to the end of my VISTA year, I began a job search that I hoped would last no more than those ninety days. A millennial with a newly-minted master’s degree should be able to find a solid career job, right? Nine months later, I was nearing the end of a second AmeriCorps contract, this one a fast-paced six months helping men with barriers to employment become job-ready. Ironically. I’d been scheduling regular networking appointments and filling out job applications throughout my contract with the blessing of my...