Maddie Poindexter - A Smooth Transition into Year Two

Hello! My name is Maddie Poindexter and I am serving my second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Davenport University (DU) in Grand Rapids. I did my undergraduate schooling in Grand Rapids, so that has helped me navigate the area with greater ease. Here at Davenport University, I serve within the Center for Campus Life office mainly with the Student Life team. My main responsibilities are running the four annual service days throughout the year, coordinating the HEROES mentoring program, working with the athletic teams and other students as they volunteer in the community, and running/coordinating the Panther Resource Closet. Last week Davenport held their “get involved” fair called PantherPalooza. At PantherPalooza I ran a table that informed students about the different volunteer opportunities DU has to offer throughout the year.

Every Monday and Wednesday I serve at The Refugee Education Center (REC) here in Grand Rapids, MI. Last year I created workbooks that will be used by all 7th-12th graders at the center to prepare them for college or a professional career, and will inform their parents on the topics we are discussing with their students. As I prepare to implement these workbooks into REC’s programming, I am contacting local businesses and professionals to see if they would be open to having a student shadow them at their place of employment. I am excited to test run these workbooks to see how the curriculum will help the students prepare for their future endeavors.

My hopes for this second year of service are to remain creative in my approaches, to recruit more volunteers, to introduce the idea of college to more students and families, and to make my voice heard more at my host site and community partner. I am very thankful to be serving in the same site as last year. The beginning of the year has been less chaotic and stressful than last year because I know what to expect and have already made vital connections in my community. I am excited to see what new systems and sustainability tactics I can implement at Davenport and REC in the coming year.