Team Leader to a Global Service Fellow

I started my volunteer experience with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps. Through AmeriCorps, I discovered All Hands Volunteers in Project Detroit Flood Rebuild. All Hands Volunteers (AHV) completely blew my mind in regards to an incredibly high-caliber work ethic, multi-talented team leaders, site supervisors, organized and intelligent staff...especially for a non-profit. So I decided to leave AmeriCorps to join AHV. My goal with AHV was to become a rebuild site supervisor. Within 3 months I was trained how to dry wall, mud and tape, how to install chair rails, baseboards, how to frame, the safety of mucking and gutting basements ridden with dangerous molds and debris, and much much more. I was taught so well that I became a rebuild team leader with zero knowledge of any of this type of work before I joined AHV.

Shortly after this Michael Hecker, an AHV mentor came to Detroit explaining a new program called the Global Service Fellowship (GSF) within AHV that "offers emerging leader a transformative experience in the US and abroad rebuilding communities impacted by natural disasters, empowering volunteers to serve and challenging themselves to become innovators in the non-profit sector all the while enhancing AHVs capacity to achieve its vision. GSF Fellows work as understudies in three key work areas: Volunteer Coordination, Program Management, and Field Coordination."

I was recommended by the Project Director, Reuben Grandon at the time to apply for this position and sure enough I was accepted into the GSF. After a two week orientation learning about what the fellows would be a part of, we were sent out to our projects. I was sent to Melamchi, Nepal along with another Fellow. I have learned a great deal about how AHV is run in another country in regards to the staff positions and work that the volunteers were doing. Through the Fellowship in Nepal, I have been able to learn a great deal of the Nepali language, cover different staff positions whenever needed, attended the Hackathon led by effect.org where employees from Google, AHV, and Nepal Rises put their heads together to create technological solutions to issues that NGOs are having (My idea actually won the entire Hackathon), I have also been able to build my resume tremendously, network with amazing people, and build overall life skills in ways I could never have learned otherwise.