New VISTA in Town

My name is Emily and I just signed on to serve as a VISTA with Volunteers of America-Dakotas in South Dakota. I will be stationed on the Rosebud Indian Reservation for at least the next year and will be working with the community to promote and increase elder volunteerism. I'm very excited to be working and living in Mission, South Dakota. This will be my second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA member.

After I graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in May of 2009 I joined VISTA and served in Helena, Montana. I worked with the Montana Council on Homelessness to promote awareness of homelessness in the state of Montana as well as help start a family shelter in the city of Helena. As my VISTA year came to a close I was anxious to find a new opportunity within AmeriCorps and continue a career of service.

I grew up just outside of Saint Louis, Missouri my entire life until I went off to college at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. At DePauw, I majored in History, minored in French and got to experience a semester abroad in Ghana, West Africa and a Winter Term in Istanbul, Turkey. I hope that my diverse experiences will help me support the community in which I am working this year.