Laurie Berg, AmeriCorps Senior Leader,
Montana Campus Compact Network Office,
University of Montana
Andrea Aviles
AmeriCorps Leader, Upward Bound, Salish Kootenai College
Emma Burke
AmeriCorps Leader, International Rescue Committee, University of Montana
Brian Darios
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana Technological University
Sierra Hancock
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana Technological University
Brittney Hunter
AmeriCorps Leader, UM Indigenous Research and STEM Education (IRSE)
David Mariani
AmeriCorps Leader, Great Falls College
Dominique Nault
AmeriCorps Leader, Blackfeet Community College
Nico Fleming
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana Technological University
Leigha Acabedo
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana Technological University
Natalia Boise
AmeriCorps Leader, Soft Landing Missoula, University of Montana
Brooke Carey
AmeriCorps Leader, EmPower Place/BIG, University of Montana
Andrew Fok
AmeriCorps Leader, Poplar High School
Brianna Howerton
AmeriCorps Leader, SpectrUM, University of Montana
Nolan Kirby
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana Technological University
Jamie Miller
AmeriCorps Leader, Montana 10, University of Montana
Em Palermo
AmeriCorps Leader, Richland Boys & Girls Club
Rachel Parker
AmeriCorps Leader, Whitefish Schools Center for Sustainability & Entrepreneurship
Melissa Raybon
AmeriCorps Leader, Missoula Food Bank, University of Montana
Eileen Lamble, VISTA Leader,
Montana Campus Compact,
University of Montana
Jordan Blow
AmeriCorps VISTA, Partner with Place, University of Montana
Julian Costantini
AmeriCorps VISTA, National Native Children’s Trauma Center
Octavia Jimenez
AmeriCorps VISTA, National Native Children’s Trauma Center
Krya Kronberg
AmeriCorps VISTA, Office of Commissioner for Higher Education, Helena College
Grace McGrath
AmeriCorps VISTA, Office of Commissioner for Higher Education, Helena College
Kim Minch
AmeriCorps VISTA, 100 Fold Studios, Montana State University
Hilary Rosa
AmeriCorps VISTA, University of Montana Food Pantry, University of Montana
Greg Wagner
AmeriCorps VISTA, Dawson Promise, Dawson Community College
Alex Moore
AmeriCorps VISTA, Missoula Writing Collaborative, University of Montana
Gabe Alderson
AmeriCorps VISTA, Montana Department of Labor Career Lab, Helena College
Jerico Cummings
AmeriCorps VISTA, Montana Racial Equity Project, Montana State University
Hollis Hubbard
AmeriCorps VISTA, University of Montana School of Social Work, University of Montana
Cas Kendley
AmeriCorps VISTA, Moving Mountains Foundation, University of Montana
Ingrid Lindquist
AmeriCorps VISTA, Greater Gallatin United Way, Montana State University
Tessa Miller
AmeriCorps VISTA, Families First Learning Lab, University of Montana
Bri Morin
AmeriCorps VISTA, Rural Institute, University of Montana
Mary Sullivan
AmeriCorps VISTA, Pursue Your Passions, University of Montana
Courtney Bentz
AmeriCorps VISTA, International Rescue Committee, University of Montana
Naomi Simmons-Thorne
AmeriCorps VISTA, Great Falls LGBTQ Center, Great Falls College MSU
Katrina Tillapaugh
AmeriCorps VISTA, Veterans Advocacy Clinic, University of Montana
Member Monthly Highlights
Closing A Chapter Of Service To Begin A New One by Eileen Lamble | September 16, 2020
Just over a year ago, I packed up my life in Chicago to come to Montana, moving to a state I’d never been, to live with people I’d never met, and to serve in a capacity I had never before. Having just recently graduated from Villanova University, I was so ready to let my post-grad life begin. Serving as an.. Read more
Leaning Into Uncertainty With Grace by Cony Craighead | September 30, 2020
Ever since I was a small child, I was enraptured by the idea of service to one’s country, even if for just a year. I think something of great importance is transferred when offering yourself, your skills and your abilities, to the larger community. It can help develop the social connective tissues that allow us… Read more
My Transition Between Two Service Years By Laurie Berg | October 29, 2020
About 6 months into my first year of national service, COVID-19 became a large issue in my community and organization. It affected our everyday work, bringing us to work from home, open a community fund for relief efforts, and view the current child care crisis from a new lens. A lot was on my plate when this issue arose, and… Read more
Service In Quarantine by Julian Costantini | November 13, 2020
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” – Nelson Henderson. 6 months ago I wouldn’t imagine that I’d be moving to the Flathead Indian Reservation in the beautiful state of Montana and living there for a year. In the last year, I haven’t lived anywhere for more than 2 months at a time. I traveled to Iowa… Read more
Not So Lonely by Cas Kendley | December 4, 2020
How much do you think Google searches for the topic “loneliness” have gone up in the U.S. since COVID hit? The person I was a year ago would have chuckled darkly, said “a lot,” and left it at that. But I’ve learned there’s more answers out there than you’d think since then, and so I Googled it. It turns out, there’s actually less searches… Read more
Episodes Of The Heart In Butte, MT by Sierra Hancock | December 7, 2020
I never thought that my service year in Butte, MT would turn out the way it has so far. When I arrived in Butte, it was a super lovely day with breathtaking views and not a cloud in sight. Months later, the weather is below freezing most days, snow/ice on the ground, but the sun is still shining. I have explored only parts of its… Read more
Journey To Becoming An Antiracist by Jerico Cummings | December 16, 2020
My final year of high school I had to take a senior level government class to meet the social studies requirement per the Rapid City Area Schools district policies. I remember being in a classroom taught by the head football coach at the time.His classroom was in the freshman wing, on the ground floor, which meant that… Read more
East To West by Sabrina Morin | December 23, 2020
After being pulled out of service in the Peace Corps Philippines with such short notice due to covid -19. I somehow, and somewhere between the months of quarantine decided it seemed right to finish another year of service. Initially I sought out to do two years with the Peace Corps… Read more
The Power Of Hours Adding Up by Jamie Miller | January 15, 2021
Time’s linear pattern as a force always moving forward feels like it may be the last concept we can depend upon as a consistent reality of life. All other contributing theories that keep the earth spinning have cracked and disintegrated thanks to our new friend Covid-19. Our perspective of equality has… Read more
Total Eclipse Of The Plant by Andrea Aviles | January 14, 2021
One morning I woke up and glanced over to my window. To my surprise, I noticed how my favorite plant, my golden photos, was dying. An upset feeling washed over me. How was this possible if yesterday she was perfectly normal? I watered her regularly, sang to her, and made… Read more
Waking Up To Serve by Mary Sullivan | January 27, 2021
It’s 8:00. Time to wake up. Since last March, the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged many lives in many ways around the world and here in Montana. As I write this, the most updated numbers are reporting that 75 of my fellow Missoulians have died. 1,152 Montanans, including 64 residents in my… Read more
Becoming The Fertile Grounds To Sow Seeds Of Service by Natalia Boise | January 28, 2021
My path to serving with AmeriCorps wasn’t a straight one- nor has it been one I would have expected. Last year this time I was offered a position serving in North Macedonia with the Peace Corps. I don’t think I could have known what the year would hold; I certainly didn’t expect a pandemic… Read more
So Much Love by Emma Burke | February 12, 2021
Hi everyone! My name is Emma and I am from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. That’s only 2 and half hours away from Missoula, but surprisingly I had spent very little time in Montana before I made the move. Before I started my service with AmeriCorps, I was a tad bit farther away than Idaho. I was living in Peru and… Read more
You Get What You Expect by Jamie Miller | February 12, 2021
I loved college. Growing up: my mother didn’t send me to bed with fairy tales. Instead she sang me to sleep with the enchanting, alluring stories of “the college days”. I understand many hear the phrase “college days” and a hundred different visuals of partying gone astray enters their mind. But that isn’t how my mother sold college to me. As… Read more
Above The Clouds On Mt. Unorthodox by Gabe Alderson | February 24, 2021
The handwritten caption read “MLK Read for Peace 2020”, describing a photo featuring then governor of Montana Steve Bullock, shaking hands and meeting with an AmeriCorps MTCC service member who was running him through the plan for that event. It was displayed on my 2nd floor… Read more
How The Pandemic Has Served Me While Serving In The Pandemic by Hollis Hubbard | March 10, 2021
Hey Y’all! My name is Hollis Hubbard and I am serving my second term as a VISTA in beautiful Missoula. I’m originally from Kentucky but my lifelong love for mountains and wilderness brought me out west in 2018 after graduating from college. My favorite things are camping, hiking, skiing… Read more
Seeing Impact In A Distanced World by Brooke Carey | March 15, 2021
I have always dreamed of being an educator. I wanted to be an educator to make a difference and change some lives. When educating, you can often see the impact you are having. You see scores improve, essays get better, and you hear the students’ tell you about their learning. This makes the hard days worth it. But how do you know if you are… Read more
Rhyming Mountains By Octavia Jimenez-Padilla | March 24, 2021
My entry in to national service came with the coalescence of massive forces in my life, the inescapable shadow of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the search for direction that accompanies a young graduates life after a constant experience in the education system, my drive for social justice, and my… Read more
From Metros To Mountains by Ingrid Linquist | April 21, 2021
Riding the metro home from work in Virginia, on my way back to my apartment in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington D.C., I rested my head against an oil smudged window, and thought “is this really what life as a college graduate is like, is this all it will be from here on out?” I knew I was depressed… Read more
Service In A Time Of Uncertainy by Grace McGrath | May 5, 2021
This past year has been a whirlwind; it just feels like it has flown by. And now it is time for me to think about what is next, and that is very scary. However, I wouldn’t have figured out what I possibly want to do without this service year. The pandemic has affected everyone in many ways and hurt some folks more … Read more
Architecture In Service by Kim Minch | May 19, 2021
Hi! My name is Kim, and I am an MTCC VISTA member serving at 100 Fold Studio. I have now had the opportunity to serve at 100 Fold as an Americorps State member multiple times and now I am serving here as a VISTA member. 100 Fold Studio is an international, nonprofit… Read more
Time Heals by Emma Burke | May 17, 2021
I have been reflecting on my past 9 months in Missoula and thinking a lot about the power of time. Time can heal. Time allows for growth, understanding, and building connections. When I first moved to Missoula I was skeptical if it would ever feel like home. Like most good things, it took time for me to find my community and place… Read more
AmeriCorps Has Saved My Life by Amon Barry | June 9, 2021
I was a proprietary trader for a company in Atlanta. Nice paying job. Nice crib and all. I was getting paid very well but I was filling empty inside and living selfishly. I decided to ask the universe to provide an opportunity to do something more fulfilling. Something that will make me feel better about my contribution to society and my… Read more