AmeriCorps Week: Reflections on Service

For AmeriCorps Week, Young Women’s Leadership Program AmeriCorps Service Member Anna Gray writes about her experience working with some of the students from the program in planning for their future:

During my AmeriCorps service with the Young Women’s Leadership Program, I make sure our students know about all of their options, from prestigious four- year institutions to JobCorps or a technical college – and that they can achieve their goals and dreams through different avenues. We recently held a career and college workshop, and are working to make sure that the students are applying for colleges and scholarships. It has been a really rewarding experience to hear their goals and what they want to do.

This Spring, one of our students was accepted to Emory University. It has been her dream to go there since I met her. In her three years in the program, she has always been a driven young woman. Her dream is to be an ob-gyn and help women and bring life into this world.

Another girl recognized that she is not quite ready for college. I sat down with her and told her of her different options. I told her about JobCorps which is a program to help disadvantaged young adults become trained in a career path. With this program she would be able to be trained as a Nursing Assistant with no cost, and she would receive a small stipend. We are helping her apply so that she can start in the summer. To me it was exciting to see her become excited at this option. She has always wanted to be a nurse, and this is such a good fit for her.

 

To learn more about how you can support the Young Women’s Leadership Program, contact Anna at (404) 299-6099 or ywl@newamericanpathways.org. You can also purchase tickets to our annual Spring luncheon, Breaking Bread Together, which will feature a program detailing the YWL program.