Reflections & Memories from Year 27
As we prepare for our next service term, here are some memories and reflections from our Year 27 Corps Members!
“A great moment I have had these pasts month had to have been while I was on the vaccination team. While serving in Festus on a vaccination site, a group of Spanish speakers came through the site. While at the site, I was helping with temperature checks when then I was then pulled by another core member saying they needed a translator to assist with initial screening. I supported the group of Spanish speakers (around 20 people) through the initial screening, and paperwork section, helped get them seated and then supported the nurses while they got their vaccine. I felt proud at the end of the day that I was able to bring this to the table and support the vaccine site.” - Elizabeth Delgado
Elizabeth and teammates Emil & Caleb at at PPE distribution event, as part of our COVID-19 response.
Nick and his teammates on project with the Ozark Trail Association this summer.
”One of the best days that I had in the program was during my ten days with the Ozark Trail Association. After a long, humid day of building on the trail I went with a couple other members to Rocky Falls. It is such a gorgeous natural feature in Eminence that I had never heard of before. We swam for a couple of hours to cool off after a long day of service. Afterwards we checked out a small circus that came into Winona and then drove to Eminence for ice cream at the Dairy Shack. The allure of the water brought us to eat our ice cream alongside the Jacks Fork River. I found a tiny turtle and we caught some crawdads. It was a refreshing adventure after a long day of manual labor.” - Nick Ciaramitaro
”To be truthful, I have little idea of what my future career looks like. I have dozens of skills I want to learn, jobs I'd love to work, and places I hope to experience. My work history has always been eclectic, and with ERT it has only become even more so. To be a jack of all trades seems like the direction I need to allow myself to head, rather than trying to squeeze myself into a certain career path. Serving with ACSTL, I kept track of the aspects of service I loved so dearly. One reoccurring theme was the strong sense of community in the work we did. Whether it was direct- like distributing PPE or thousands of vaccinations. Or indirect, like spending weeks on end cutting back harmful invasive plants. I felt like my time and labor was needed by the community I'm a part of. I aim to cultivate this same sense of community aid past AmeriCorps, and throughout my life.” - Izzy Rabalais
Izzy and her teammates Caitlyn, LA, Cassidy, and Alder at Washington State Park earlier this year.