By Samantha Cart
Made up of more than 1 million alumni across the nation, AmeriCorps is a government service program that engages its members in community-driven projects. With more than 20,000 unique U.S. sites, including nonprofits, schools, public agencies and community and faith-based organizations, AmeriCorps members have contributed more than 1.4 billion hours of service since 1994.
The programs are about more than community service, though. AmeriCorps helps its young members earn money for education, find jobs and opportunities after high school or college and enter the workforce with valuable new skills.
Approximately 1,000 AmeriCorps members serve in West Virginia every year, creating a group of educated leaders ready to address the issues of population loss and lack of available workforce. Justine Yglesias is a 26-year-old nature lover from Southeast Michigan. “In that time, I’ve come to fall in love with Earth’s awesome landscapes, ecosystems and fellow inhabitants,” she says.
Born and raised in Michigan’s hustle and bustle, Yglesias knew at a young age that the wild spaces of the forest, mountains, rivers and lakes were where she truly belonged. “I love anything that gets me outside exploring the natural world,” she says. “I particularly enjoy walks in the forest, gardening, traveling, herbal medicine, backpacking, kayaking, the colors purple and green, journaling, photography, poetry and spending time outside with my cat.”
This love for the outdoors led her to West Virginia, where she is currently serving a yearlong enlistment with AmeriCorps. Learn more about Yglesias in this Service Spotlight Q&A.
What inspired you to become an AmeriCorps member?
After graduating from university, the idea of jumping right into a career didn’t feel right. I wanted to travel the country, explore different communities, learn and experience different ways of living and search for alternative ways to live a sustainable, healthy life with the natural world. I knew I wanted to gain more from my after-college experience other than just finding a typical job, so I started looking for volunteer opportunities. During college I volunteered for a local environmental organization raising awareness about sulfide mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The summer after graduation I volunteered with World Wide Opportunities on organic farms and worked on an urban garden and a homestead in Oregon. The following summer I volunteered in Idaho with the Student Conservation Association/AmeriCorps doing conservation work.
After the Idaho experience, I wanted to do a yearlong AmeriCorps service in education. I knew AmeriCorps was an excellent way to learn about my home country while also gaining helpful professional experience through volunteering. When you serve with AmeriCorps, you’re immersed into communities around the country that you otherwise wouldn’t have known existed. You’re able to reach further out of your comfort zone and really open your mind and heart to helping the community in which you live, even if it’s only for a short period of time. This is what I was searching for in AmeriCorps and what inspired me most about becoming a member.
Tell us about the application process.
The application process was easy and straightforward. After you’ve completed your profile, which includes thoughtfully explaining your professional background and a motivational statement, you can start looking for volunteer opportunities. You can choose what type of AmeriCorps experience you are looking for: NCCC, state or vista. You can search by state, program or interests, which will then lead you to long lists of places you can apply to. Find which experiences call to you and apply.
Where are you from originally?
Detroit, MI.
What drew you to West Virginia?
After exploring and spending time in much of the Midwest and Western United States, I was starting to feel a call to spend time in Appalachia. I always knew the Appalachian region was special. The history, people, music and landscapes are some of the most beautiful in the U.S., but it’s also a place that hasn’t had a lot of attention from the rest of the country, particularly with human and environmental health. I wanted to be a part of changing that, even if sharing my time would only make a small impact. When I found Grow Ohio Valley, the organization I am currently serving with, and learned how they work to weave together social justice, food justice and education into their small Appalachian community, I knew that was the place to go.
Are you currently serving a short-term or yearlong position with AmeriCorps?
I am currently serving a yearlong position and will be living in Wheeling, WV, until December.
Have you already earned a college degree, or will you attend college after your service is complete?
I graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2015 with a bachelor’s of science. My major was earth science, and my minor was environmental studies.
Tell me about any nonprofits, schools or public agencies you are working with in West Virginia. What type of work are you doing for them?
I am currently working with Grow Ohio Valley, a nonprofit that promotes social justice, food justice and education through urban farming and school gardens. My job as an AmeriCorps education coordinator is to promote the mission of “A Garden in Every School.” I do this by meeting and organizing with different schools around the Ohio Valley to start moving forward with building their own gardens. I also search for grants that will help fund this movement. When I’m not meeting with teachers, I work with Steenrod Elementary School and teach demonstrations such as vermicomposting, seed starting and other garden activities to students in grades pre-kindergarten through fifth. Seeing the excitement these kids have for simple garden projects is my favorite part of this experience. Gardening is such a healing and informative learning experience for students, and every child deserves to be a part of that.
What types of skills have you learned by being an AmeriCorps member?
Since being an AmeriCorps member, I’ve learned how to be a more efficient organizer and how to express my ideas and thoughts in a meaningful, effective way. The most meaningful skills I’ve learned so far through this experience are leadership and teaching. I never considered myself to be a leader in any way, but after becoming a member, I’m starting to see my leadership skills come into formation. I also had no idea how much I’d enjoy teaching. Feeling these two skills start growing has been a very cool and humbling experience.
What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself through this process?
Learning what path I want to take in life. I’ve known since high school that I wanted to work in the environmental field, but I had no idea what to do with that work. What do I do to make the most impact and inspire people to care and appreciate the amazing planet we live on? Over the past few years, pursuing environmental education has been hiding in the back of my mind. I didn’t give it much thought until I started realizing that every piece of writing, passionate debate, inspiration and meditation all circled back to education. Through this process and working with Grow Ohio Valley, I know I need to pursue a career in outdoor education. It’s what excites me, and it encompasses all of my passions. My experience with AmeriCorps has been critical in helping me figure this out.
How has this involvement changed your life?
Other than realizing what work I will be pursuing in my future, I feel like I know my home country more deeply than I did before this experience. There will always be so much to learn throughout my life, but if I hadn’t had this experience, I would have never known the beautiful and inspiring people that exist here. I am also much more aware of the work that needs to be done to move forward into a healthier, sustainable, welcoming and compassionate future.
What is your favorite thing about West Virginia?
The people and landscapes.
What is your favorite West Virginia outdoor activity?
I love using my weekends to explore the state parks, forests and outdoor recreation areas of West Virginia.
After your service, do you think you will stay in West Virginia? If so, why?
I like to move around a lot, so I know I won’t be settling down anytime soon, but I will definitely return to West Virginia, even if it’s for a short period of time. This place holds an incredible amount of potential to really be at the forefront of building healthier communities through sustainable living, urban farming and gardening. Grow Ohio Valley is an awesome example of that. The people and environment of West Virginia deserve that kind of mission, and I would love to continue to be a part of that in some way.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?
Build a school garden! Support Grow Ohio Valley and any environmental organization in your community.
To learn more about how AmeriCorps members are making a difference in West Virginia, check out “Bridging West Virginia’s Employment Gap,” in West Virginia Executive’s Spring 2017 issue.
