From October 2021 to May 2022, I participated in a service year with Americorps NCCC. The program, available to anybody 18-26, allowed me to travel throughout the country on several different humanitarian missions in the western part of the country. During this time, I developed key leadership skills that gave my life both direction and a greater sense of purpose.
From protecting the endangered Mojave desert tortoise, to learning conservation procedures at the Institute of Applied Ecology in Oregon, to aiding Afghan refugee resettlement efforts at Fort Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, my team and I grew both personally and professionally as we explored our country and our career interests.
After a month of team building exercises and instruction at McClellan Air Force Base, where Americorps class 28a (made up of over 300 members) became familiar with each other and with the program’s demands and responsibilities, teams were deployed on a wide-range of projects such as building and restoration with Habitat for Humanity, farming and agricultural education with academic institutions, and community service and development with nonprofits such as charity organizations and food pantries.
There are tons of benefits to the program. For instance, I made lifelong friends, many of whom double as professional connections, should I decide to pursue a career in their field. Because of my Americorps experience, I am prioritized over regular citizens for government positions. The program offers tons of free online courses such as introduction to computer programming, business classes, and resume workshops. And for completing the program, everyone receives an education award of roughly $6000 to go towards tuition or an Americorps-approved educational program. Housing, food, travel, and the plane ticket to campus are all covered by Americorps, and members earn a small stipend they can use to explore the area of the country to which they are assigned.
Equally important, I learned a lot about what it means to be a part of a team with the shared goal of achieving a specific outcome, whether that was cleaning and remodeling a disabled veteran’s backyard for accessibility or taking down miles of fencing to encourage migration patterns on conservancy land. The interpersonal skills I developed living with my team are central to my understanding of real-world professional achievements, and all I had to do to access this opportunity was show up.
Americorps is not for the faint of heart, I will say. Living arrangements can vary from long-term outdoor camping, to sleeping bags in church basements, to airbnb’s, all dependent upon the program sponsors for whom you work. Some projects require 6-day work weeks. Some projects require 60-70 hours of work per week. The work can be physically and emotionally demanding. But you will learn. You will grow. You will find yourself building a tolerance to difficult situations, and searching for productive solutions. You will wake up every day with a clear purpose, and when you’ve fulfilled that purpose, you will see exactly how much an individual, a community, or the environment benefits from your hard work.
Whether you’re just out of high school and don’t know where to start your education, or just out of college and don’t know where to start your life, Americorps NCCC offers the resources to help you find the answers. For myself, it was a transformative experience rare to find so accessible today. Below you can find a link to their official website to learn more about the program.
Link to the official Americorps NCCC website: https://americorps.gov/serve/americorps/americorps-nccc