Student Jesse Gringas: AmeriCorps VISTA at World Learning

Jesse Gringas discusses his practicum at World Learning, through a placement with Americorps VISTA.  Jesse is currently completing the Reflective Practice Phase of his Master degree from SIT in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management, as well as writing a capstone based on his current position.

 

 

 

 Nine months can go by real fast while on-campus at SIT. The small Brattleboro campus jam-packs the year with speakers, events, snow shoeing, canoeing, tabling, protests, petitions, conferences and the like; the Spring wind comes in May and swoops all the students away into the world.

I decided to give it another year and stayed on campus to work as an AmeriCorps VISTA. The extra year has allowed me to really absorb the chaos from the year. Sitting in my little office I get to see the chaos from afar and I can, like a hawk, swoop in and grab an opportunity to work with the new batch of students, see a speaker, attend a conference with more ease and thoughtfulness.

AmeriCorps VISTA at World Learning, continued

The VISTA position links me into a network of other VISTAs doing work in college campuses across the state and into New Hampshire and Maine. Besides on-the-job training at World Learning, AmeriCorps also provides 3-4 trainings for the year. World Learning is a professional non-profit organization. Recent changes in the organizational structure, culture and environment make this place really interesting. Conversations with employees are full of information about how the organization was then and now. I am learning about all the ins-and-outs, weakness and strengths of the non-profit. Development and education are topics that World Learning thinks about. All the skills and thoughts from the previous year come harkening throughout my experience whether in a meeting or volunteering with my fellow VISTA members.

I find myself as a student in between two worlds: that of the non-profit and that of higher education. They both operate very differently and having the unique position to work here while I am studying gives me some opinions with a difference. Whether I am at odds with my boss, vetting a problem with a current student, or off to Burlington for a VISTA retreat I am learning and staying attuned to campus life and the complexities of the non-profit world.

The other side of being a VISTA/indebted graduate student is the wonders of welfare. I happily receive food stamps and winter heating assistance. Free-bees are second nature to me. Often I feel my second-hand sweater shows and I often find people offering up extras to me. I love it.  I am insured also through the government. Although it is not the most thorough insurance (dental is weak!) I am up tuned up as needed.  In case you are wondering I get about 1,200 bucks a month between AmeriCorps and World Learning.

The year VISTA position is probably not an ideal situation for someone with a family albeit a dog or cat or goldfish would probably be alright. It is probably not ideal for someone who can’t wait to get over one place and on to the next.  Also probably not ideal for someone who likes to get enough cash to buy lots of things. Rather it is for someone who likes to take their time to get to know a place through people and geography. It is for a person who wants to take it all in all over again.  Being here gives me the chance to enjoy Vermont, to pain through her winters, to smile exhaustingly with the snowmelts and sunshine, to visit with professors, take an extra language class or exercise my knowledge from the previous year as a Grad student.   If you need more info, I am open for questions at Jesse.gingras@worldlearning.org.  Calling would work too at 802-258-3515.

Tags: - World Learning, Jesse Gringas