Brianna Wilkins - From College Student To Student Advisor

Hello everyone! My name is Brianna Wilkins, and I am a first-year VISTA serving with Capital Area College Access Network. This year has already been so exciting for me. Not only did I start my service year moving to a new town that I knew nothing about, it is the first apartment my furry friend and I have lived in by ourselves. The first week I moved to Lansing, incoming AmeriCorps VISTAs attended Pre-Service Orientation, in Oak Brook, Illinois, so I got to travel there, as well. It was really great to meet a lot of people from the Midwest region, especially those that are going to be serving with me this year. I made some new friends, I learned a lot more about poverty, and gained a better understanding of how I will be serving in my new community. It was kind of scary, traveling to a new place after just relocating, but I enjoyed the adventure!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been getting to know my assignment a little better. I’ve gone into the schools where I will be serving, at Wilson Talent Center and Woodcreek Achievement Center. I’ve already developed a couple workshops for the upcoming fall. My first event is a College Rep Day at the Wilson Talent Center. I contacted around 40 different colleges around Michigan to come in for a college fair. This allows the students to venture out and learn about schools they may not know about and learn about what they may want to do in the future. For the Wilson Talent Center, I’ve developed a FAFSA Day, where we will have different college financial advisors from Lansing Community College, Michigan State University, Davenport University, and MiStudentAid give brief presentations about FAFSA so the students know what it’s about, as well as why it’s so valuable to their post-secondary education goals. I’ve also created a FAFSA Parent and Student Knowledge Workshop at Woodcreek Achievement Center. This is a way for parents to get more involved in their students' college process. It also allows us to be upfront about what information the students are going to need from them when it comes to filling out their FAFSA. I’ve planned several college campus visits for Woodcreek. They include trips to Lansing Community College’s West Campus, Olivet College, and Michigan State University. 
​
So far I’m having a wonderful time at my site, and I look forward to serving. I’m excited to see where this year will take me. I know this year is going to be a special journey for me, but I’m ready to experience my VISTA year to the fullest.