"It's difficult to pick one highlight—my whole service year has been full of great moments, both with my site and with the Siena cohort. Most recently, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I've felt a sense of camaraderie with the rest of the cohort, despite being physically distanced from each other. The ACE office had the wonderful idea of sharing a photo to shout out our co-VISTAs for supporting us, radiating kindness, etc., and sharing the picture to Instagram. Many of us joined in on this simple, touching gesture. Even in unprecedented times, I'm incredibly thankful to have the unwavering support of all these wonderful people."
When you dedicate a year of your life to community service, both the individual and the community served look different than when you first began. We asked some of our current members and alumni to share a bit about the impact their VISTA experience has had on them.
"The Siena cohort model is a great way to make connections both professionally and personally. I can honestly say that I met a ton of great people that I consider close friends, and would have otherwise never met."
- Marcos Velazquez, 2019-2020 Siena VISTA
"None of the other AmeriCorps positions I looked at had anything close to what Siena's program has to offer. Without the staff, team building days, and the other VISTAs, I do not think I would feel as confident and prepared for the next steps of my life both personally and professionally."
- Jacob Landis, 2018-2019 Siena VISTA
"The skills I learned prepared me to be a more polished professional, from learning how to speak better in public, to building confidence that I am an expert in my field. I learned how to write better, speak one on one with colleagues more effectively, manage my time more proficiently, and successfully multi-task with a heavy workload. These are all practical skills that I didn't completely master in college, so being a VISTA was a great experience for me."
- Jennifer Simek Hunt, 2009-2010 Siena VISTA