My role here at Cloud & Fire has been Education and Postsecondary Education Success VISTA, which means I mostly support the Career and College Pathways coach in enriching our students’ educational experience and providing them with support for their future endeavors. Part of my role has been to build up the academic culture at Cloud & Fire through helping develop new and existing programs and events, like The Watering Hole, our student-run cafe and music night. I also have helped to reinforce a college culture, my recent project being our up and coming College Club, where students have a space to explore post secondary education options as well as become accustomed to the differences of a college classroom.
In my life up until now, I’ve always been very focused on myself and my immediate community, whether that meant focusing on my studies or only serving others when it happened to be my job. I felt it was about time to give back, and not just to the community I grew up in, but those particularly under resourced. Being a VISTA was the perfect opportunity to partner with an organization who not only needed me but also shared my desire to resource students in the San Fernando Valley.
I have had many impactful moments during my service from seeing an event that was built from scratch come together as a major success to hearing positive feedback from students and staff impacted by my work. So far, I’ve helped upgrade several curriculum or general systems that teachers use in their classrooms, so it brings me great joy every time I hear a student or staff exclaim how something they used to find difficult has been simplified with my help. It’s a small thing, but it reminds me of how I have helped so far and motivates me to keep serving.
However, it is my own worldview that has been impacted the most. I’ve become more fully aware of the true magnitude of our students’ needs from educators as well as their community, and the disparity between what resources they are given and what they truly need. I’ve also learned that though I’m young, I am more capable of supporting students and families than I thought; any life experience can be used to teach or at least encourage those around you.
Cloud & Fire 