Farewell, AmeriCorps.
I only have 9 weeks remaining in my term as a Water Quality Resource Assistant at Green Mountain Conservation Group. But I also only have 9 weeks left before I leave the AmeriCorps program for good.
For the last 3 years, beginning in 2022, I’ve served as an AmeriCorps member at different sites, in different programs. It all began in May, 2022. Two days after I graduated from college, I began my first term as a Biology Assistant at the New England National Scenic Trail (NET). I had heard about AmeriCorps, particularly its Scientists in Parks program, from a professor who I had worked with recently. I’d always been interested in National Parks, as I believed it to be one of the most established ways to enter the conservation field. So when given the opportunity to enter the highly exclusive National Park/Trail System, I leaped at the chance. That summer, for 12 weeks, I worked remotely to gather a database of native plant observations along the NET. I used iNaturalist, a community science app to create a project that is still growing to this day (you can search “New England Trail Nature Watch” on iNaturalist to see). It was made with the goal of establishing a long term data set that can tell us about the effects of climate change on native plant phenology (i.e. when life stages such as blooming and fruiting occur). This term culminated in a very impressive report, if I do say so myself. This first AmeriCorps term was my initiation into the program and the post grad professional world. It was great, albeit a bit lonely sitting at my home desk.
My second AmeriCorps term came in the summer of 2023. Again, I entered the Scientists in Parks program. This time, I was a Biology Assistant at Fire Island National Seashore. There, I spent five months conducting shorebird monitoring, but also tick dragging, small mammal trapping, and invasive plant removal. This was the best summer of my life to date. It was my first field term as well. I was outside for 8 hours a day, everyday. I met some of my current best friends. And most importantly, I cemented a passion for conservation and aquatic ecosystems. I left that AmeriCorps term on top of the world; empowered as a field scientist, and ready to forge forward on my career path.
That brings me to now. I am currently serving my longest AmeriCorps term yet, 11 months, in a completely different program and setting than my past terms. Green Mountain is a long ways away from my bedroom office or an Atlantic seashore. But this term has been just as, if not more formative to my personal and professional development compared to my past AmeriCorps terms.
I never imagined myself living in New Hampshire. I had always sworn off somewhere landlocked, where I couldn’t see the ocean from my window. But something, something special, drew me here. I knew my service at Green Mountain would be too valuable to give up. I was also ready to settle down and actually make somewhere my home for a while. Believe it or not, Effingham, NH, population of 1,691 has been the longest place I’ve lived outside of my childhood home. I’ve been able to set down roots here and grow in such a meaningful way. Professionally, I’ve gained a huge breadth of skills and knowledge that I’m ready to use elsewhere. I’m more confident than ever that I can one day be a full time conservationist, an ecologist who inspires and does the work needed to make a change. I’ve been inspired here, and I hope to bring that inspiration to others throughout my life.
So if this program is so great, why am I leaving AmeriCorps? Well, I’ve just run out of time. AmeriCorps members are only eligible to receive up to two full term Segal Education Awards. I have received 1.75. While I think there is limitless opportunity within the AmeriCorps program for career development, I’m taking this as a sign to move forward to a new area of Environmental Science. I’ll be forever grateful to AmeriCorps, to Scientists in Parks, to the Lakes Region Conservation Corps for giving me the chance to flourish. Knowing it is a viable path to live according to my values of service to both the earth and her people is incredibly empowering. I will without a doubt use my skills in these terms for the rest of my life.
Farewell, AmeriCorps. You’ve been good to me.
Grace is a full-term Water Quality Resource Assistant at Green Mountain Conservation Group. Her favorite shorebird is an oystercatcher, and in her free time you can find her religiously practicing yoga! Learn more about Grace here.