Author: An TranVu

For the last time I wrote a blog post, I talked about making a difference.  I stated that making a difference was done through relentless discipline, doing a little something all the time to make a big change in the future. The work I do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis was meant to…

I began my service at Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana in September. For the past five to six months, I have had the pleasure of getting to know this community on the reservation. One of my favorite things about service so far has been getting to know a whole new culture and the people…

Here at the start of my second year at my host site, it’s interesting to look back and take stock of where I am now and what I need to do. My project is helping the Fort Peck Tribes in Montana develop a Climate Resilience Plan*. For context, climate resilience positions are newer to VISTA,…

Now six months into my third year with AmeriCorps Montana as a VISTA, sharing my experience in the program is something I have attempted to do in the past. The opportunity to serve with three separate nonprofit organizations has been a great opportunity to give back. While the experience has made me a better team…

In the community of Missoula, Montana, Soft Landing Missoula stands as a welcoming place for refugees and immigrants. As a dedicated member of this organization, my experience has been both rewarding and transformative, particularly through my involvement with the Girls

As the heat begins to push into me, my only thought is escape. It is too hot in here, I don’t know if can take it, I think I want to leave, I want to leave, I can leave if I want, there is nothing keeping me in this place, i can leave, take a…

“You’re up for anything!” I’ve heard this from many people, many times. It’s a compliment, but it’s also a nice way to say that I’m the person who asks when and where to show up and what I should wear. I’m the person who follows along. I’m the person who agrees to the plans after…

This past week we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday meant to honor the life and accomplishments of MLK. As a prominent civil rights figure, Dr. King’s tireless efforts towards equality through peaceful protest led to groundbreaking changes in the United States. The holiday in his name was first observed on Jan…

“Your wheels are spinning in place.” This is what a friend and colleague said to me as we chatted in his office in-between classes this past Spring semester. Three years had passed since I graduated college in May 2020, at the heights of the COVID pandemic, and I had only a negligible cluster of professional…

It’s always mattered to me where I live. From an early age was enamored with the idea of moving away from Iowa, leaving forever, and going to live in a utopian city somewhere. For a long time, this perfect escape was Canada, a mythical place where some aunts and uncles  lived and where my dad…

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance. It is the illusion of knowledge.” ― Stephen Hawking. As we reached the midway point in the COVID19 hysteria that gripped the nation, (and the world at large), mandatory quarantines left all of us with lots of extra time on our hands. Like many around me, my idle…

Lately, I’ve been reading at least an article a day from the online publication: Inside Higher Ed. Every article in the student success section relates to being a College Coach. Today’s article highlights something that I experienced firsthand yesterday. Shawn VanDerziel, President and CEO of National Association of Colleges and Employers, stated that, “We have…

Traveling out here has been one heck of a shift for me. I’m far from home here and, as someone who has never lived outside of their home state before, moving out to Montana has been a big, massive shift for me. Still, my service here has been a major factor in helping me to…

If you told me in August 2022 that I would willingly sign up for a second year of service, it would have seemed unrealistic – I was already homesick on the 30-hour drive here! If you’d told me the same thing in January 2023 I would have laughed out loud. Why would I sign up…