The S-Files

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Kaitlyn Zenner, who served over the last year with ECLIPSE (Early Childhood Literacy Intervention Program Services and Evaluation) through the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Kaitlyn discusses her service helping 3-5 year-old children at Days Gone By Early Learning grow in the areas of language, literacy, social interaction, and initiative skills. She describes the activities she did within their classroom, including with the child that she was paired with to provide specific literacy interventions. Listen to learn about how Kaitlyn built upon her previous experience conducting research on literacy interventions at UW-Eau Claire's Human Development Center during her AmeriCorps service, as well as how she will build upon lessons she learned during her service after receiving a Fulbright grant to further her experience instilling literacy skills.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service stories of two AmeriCorps members, Shirley Aspinall and Nicole Chavez, who are serving with Marshfield Clinic Health System AmeriCorps Community Corps at Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Shirley describes her role as Communications Coordinator, promoting efforts to the public to recruit volunteers for water quality monitoring, river cleanups, and other projects, as well as assisting community education efforts. Nicole describes her role as Sustainability Coordinator, which focus primarily as serving as the volunteer coordinator for the Plastic Free MKE coalition and multiple efforts to inform the public. Both of them describe their service helping to organize and participate in the annual Earth Day river cleanup, which had 4,300 volunteers at 82 sites clean up 106,000 pounds of trash along the different waterways. Listen to learn about how Nicole and Shirley are assisting efforts to improve the quality of Milwaukee’s rivers through educating the public, training and coordinating volunteers, and connecting people to their local waterways. 

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Michael Smith, who is currently serving with Public Allies Racine/Kenosha (PARK) at the Racine Public Library. Michael discusses the different programs that he has overseen at the library to boost literacy efforts and to support the community. He also shares about the activities he has done with his fellow PARK AmeriCorps members, including projects supporting nonprofit organizations in the Racine and Kenosha area, as well as ways they came together as a cohort during their activities at the beginning of the year. Listen to learn about how Michael both followed his mother’s steps in becoming an AmeriCorps member with Public Allies and is forging his own trail toward becoming a librarian through his service.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Maysee Lao, who is currently serving with the North Central Community Action Program (NCCAP) AmeriCorps Program at the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS). Maysee discusses multiple public health efforts that she is supporting while serving at WIPPS, including COVID-19 vaccination clinics through the Hmong and Hispanic Communication Network (H2N) and research on multiple public health issues, including the use of services by caregivers of Hmong individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Maysee additionally discusses supporting learners from multiple age-groups through the Central Wisconsin High School Leadership Program and with LENA Start, which helps parents and young children develop language and conversation sills to close the language gap that correlates with future success, and with the. Listen to learn about how Maysee has been gaining valuable experience as an AmeriCorps member while assisting the communities she serves that she hopes to bring to her future studies in medical school and her career as a doctor.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Jean Abreu, who is currently serving her second term with the North Central Community Action Program AmeriCorps Program. Jean discusses her two years serving students at the Enrich, Excel, Achieve (EEA) Learning Academy in the Wausau School District, returning to assist students in the classroom after retiring from being a high school biology teacher. We discuss how she has worked with students in completing their coursework in the non-traditional computer-based setting, including bringing her biology expertise to the students and how working with the students was adapted due to COVID-19.  Listen to learn about how Jean has continued to reach students in her retirement through her AmeriCorps service, as well as the benefits she has found through serving with AmeriCorps.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Robin Muhs, who is currently serving with Schools of Hope and served last year with Achievement Connections, with both programs operated by the United Way of Dane County. Robin first discusses her current service with Schools of Hope at Huegel Elementary School as a literacy tutor, describing the different activities she is doing with her students. Robin then speaks about her previous AmeriCorps service with Achievement Connections, where she served as their volunteer liaison to help connect high school students needing assistance with Algebra and Geometry with remote math tutors during the COVID-19 pandemic, including her own tutoring with students at West, East, and La Follette High Schools. Listen to learn the ways that Robin’s AmeriCorps service has both impacted the academic growth of her students and her own personal growth and development for working with students in the future.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps alumna Amanda Wysk, who served with College Possible Milwaukee for two years and has continued helping others as part of the program’s AmeriCorps Alumni Council, which helps to mentor those that are currently serving. Amanda first describes her two years serving with College Possible Milwaukee, beginning with her first term of service as a Senior Coach, helping low-income students at two high schools navigate the college application process. She then discusses her second term of service as a College Coach, where she provided in-person support to college students at UW-Milwaukee and remote support to college students throughout the Southeastern United States that had been served during high school by College Possible Milwaukee. Amanda then describes her efforts volunteering as part of the College Possible Milwaukee AmeriCorps Alumni Council, providing mentorship and additional support to the current AmeriCorps members serving Milwaukee students. Listen to learn the ways Amanda was impacted by her AmeriCorps service helping students striving to graduate from college and how she continues to serve those assisting these students.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps alumnus Ben Rangel, who served with College Possible Milwaukee for two years, and the continued impact his service has had on how he strives to cultivate community in multiple ways in Milwaukee. Ben first discusses how he forged relationships with students and helped them throughout their process of applying for college during his AmeriCorps service. Ben then describes how his AmeriCorps service led him down a path to being part of the Trinity Fellows at Marquette, where he continued his connections with national service as the AmeriCorps Member Development Coordinator at City Year Milwaukee as part of the program. Ben then discusses how his AmeriCorps service continues to influence his work and volunteering today, including becoming a high school government teacher, founding and producing the Bridge the City podcast with other AmeriCorps alumni to empower Milwaukee residents to make local change, and serving on the College Possible Milwaukee AmeriCorps Alumni Council to help mentor those that are currently serving.  Listen to learn the ways Ben was impacted by his AmeriCorps service and how it has influenced the multiple ways he strives to cultivate community and encourage positive action today.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are exploring the service done by AmeriCorps member Lisandra Saldivar, who is serving with Public Allies Racine/Kenosha (PARK). Lisandra discusses the various service activities she has done at her host site, Focus on Community, including facilitating events that support the strengthening of local families and working with students in the classroom to provide life skills training focused on an effort to prevent substance abuse and inspire healthy life choices. She also shares about the activities she has done with her fellow PARK AmeriCorps members, including projects supporting additional nonprofit organizations in the Racine and Kenosha area, as well as ways they came together during their early team bonding activities. Listen to learn how Lisandra has been able to use her service as an opportunity to invest in the community that helped raise her and create deeper connections that will continue into the future while helping others.

In this episode of The S-Files, we are checking out the service stories of two AmeriCorps members that are serving with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction AmeriCorps Farm to School Program. We start our conversation with Catherine Masters and then sit down to speak with Gwen Murphy, both of whom are serving this year at Rooted in Madison and working with students in the Madison Metropolitan School District. We discuss how they are engaging students in nutrition lessons, working with students in school gardens, tasting seasonally available foods, providing seasonal recipes and resources to families, and connecting with local Wisconsin farmers. Listen to learn how Catherine and Gwen have been connecting their lessons this fall and winter to harvesting and healthy eating and their plans for growing new foods and memories with their students this spring and summer in the gardens and the classroom.