NYCC VISTA Members 2008-2009
NYCC VISTA members are recruited nationally. They have varying backgrounds, abilities, and professional goals. All NYCC VISTA members have Bachelors degrees and have had significant experience in college-level community service and/or service-learning programs. These volunteers dedicate a year of their lives to the alleviation of poverty. Here are their stories...
Mike AllenHamilton College; Clinton, NY mikestroallegato@gmail.com
Elise ArnesonSUNY Geneseo; Geneseo, NY arneson.elise@gmail.com I am currently serving at SUNY Geneseo, my alma mater, in the Center for Community. I graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Childhood Education and a second major in English. Service has always been a huge part of my life, and I have been involved in 4-H, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Golden Key and Kappa Delta Pi. Whew! As a VISTA in the Center for Community, I am responsible for coordinating the HEROS program and Livingston CARES. HEROS (Higher Educational Resource Opportunities in Schools) is a mentoring program between SUNY Geneseo college students and local area high schools. The aim is to encourage high school students in ninth through twelfth grade to plan for and prepare for post-secondary education. College mentors help their mentee in the high school with filling out college applications, applying for financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and much more! Livingston CARES is a non-profit organization that organizes four service trips to Biloxi, Mississippi to help out with Hurricane Katrina relief. Livingston CARES is a collaborative effort between the college campus and local community, in which students and community members work side by side. Our most popular program is the Alternative Spring Break, in which fifty SUNY Geneseo students dedicate their spring break to relief and recovery of the Gulf Coast. Favorite Quote: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--- I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference." - Robert Frost
Ryan ArroyoAlfred Unviersity; Alfred, NY arroyo@alfred.edu
Jason Beck
Colgate University; Hamilton, NY jason.o.beck@gmail.com
Jason Beck grew up in the small town of Holgate, Ohio and attended Miami University—majoring in Political Science and English/Creative Writing. He co-wrote an honors thesis on service-learning and worked for an affordable housing agency in Cincinnati before enrolling in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Jason’s desire to be a VISTA can be traced back to his reading of Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Benjamin Barber, and Harry Boyte during his political theory classes at Miami. The democratic ideals these theorists espoused spurred him to work toward a “strong” version of democratic society. Now serving his second VISTA term at Colgate University, Jason functions as a liaison for community partners on campus. He assists faculty in developing service-learning courses that work with impoverished communities in Utica, and also advises student groups volunteering in the city.
Nicole BurnorLehman College; Bronx, NY
nicole.burnor@gmail.com
Tara Bush
University of Rochester; Rochester, NY
tbush@ur.rochester.edu
Hi, my name is Tara Bush. I'm originally from Dallas, TX but now reside in Rochester, NY serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the University of Rochester. I just graduated from SUNY Geneseo last August and I am twenty-six years old. I love to travel, and I have visited thirteen different countries, as well as, been all over the US. I have a wonderful family and enjoy talking, dancing, and eating. I want to make a difference in the world, and I believe I will.
Brit CampeseNazareth College; Rochester, NY bcampes4@zimbra.naz.edu
Emily CaseyMorrisville State College; Morrisville, NY emily.ann.casey@gmail.com
Jordan FischettiHamilton College; Clinton, NY
yardin24@gmail.com I was born in Queensboro, Long Island, but have lived in New Providence, NJ, a very small town about 25 miles southwest of Manhattan, ever since I was one. I attended Hamilton College in Clinton, NY where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in May of 2008. I was the only Geoarchaeology (a combination of geology and archaeology) major in my class, but was one of several Hispanic Studies minors. Despite my scientific background, my real passion in life has always been helping others. Ever since elementary school, I have been involved in community service in one capacity or another. At Hamilton College, I did many hours of volunteer work either in Utica, NY or with Utica youths at Hamilton College. While one day I will probably pursue a geological job (probably in Climate Change Research) or even teach English in Spain, I decided to put my career goals on hold and devote a year to helping those less fortunate than me. I also did not want to go directly to Graduate School, which a career in the two aforementioned fields would require. Consequently, I decided to become an AmeriCorps VISTA worker at Hamilton College. In addition to providing me with the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of both Utica residents and Hamiton students, I knew that being a VISTA Worker for a year would also give me more time to figure out what I really want to do with my life and provide me with more career options as well. For example, before taking this job, I was sure that I wanted to become either Geologist or Foreign Language teacher, but now I’m strongly considering a career in Public Policy. Finally, the fact that my girlfriend and many of my closest friends still attend Hamilton College may have affected my decision as well. I have several responsibilities as an Americorps VISTA worker at Hamilton College. As a Bonner Leader Coordinator, my responsibility has been recruiting, selecting, and now mentoring and finding appropriate volunteer sites for a new group of seven Bonner Leaders. I also coordinate transportation for them and a few other students working in Utica as well. I am also involved in the loosely-organized West Side Project. My role is to discover what volunteer options students have in the long neglected and very impoverished western portion of Utica and place them at appropriate community sites. Finally, I serve on the Underground Café Advisory Board and attend West Side Initiatives meetings. Quote: “Every man dies, but not every man really lives” (William Wallace; Braveheart)
Bailey GarfinkelSUNY Oswego; Oswego, NY garfinke@oswego.edu
Lucy Hannington
St. Lawrence University
lhannington@stlawu.edu I was born and raised in Vermont, and as much as I love to travel, the Green Mountains will always be home. I completed my BA in History at St. Lawrence in May 2008, and in September 2009 I’m heading to London to study at University College London where I’ll get my MA in Cultural Heritage Studies. After that, I have no idea what I’ll do with my life, and I’m ok with that. I love stacking firewood in the fall, when the air is cold and smells like dry leaves and wood smoke, then going inside to watch college football and eat warm chocolate chip cookies. I am famous for my brownies. I eat hot-dogs even though I know what goes into them. I am a die hard Red Sox fan, and I once played a kazoo along to Take Me Out to the Ball Game while at Fenway Park. I once touched Charles Dickens’ hair (totally by accident). I am not too proud for karaoke, and thing it should become an Olympic event. I believe that Foreigner is a seriously under-respected band. Someone once got a free pint in London just for mentioning my name. I love to travel, but I enjoy coming home more than going away. The best night of my life was spent lying on a sand dune in the Sahara watching the stars come out. I believe: cold begins at 30 below zero, Ben and Jerry’s Free Cone Day should be a national holiday, and that everyone has the capacity to change the world, some just need more convincing than others.
Taryn Kutujian
Stony Brook University taryn.kutujian@gmail.com
Andrea Leifer
SUNY Upstate Medical University ableifer@gmail.com
Rebecca Marshall
Purchase College rebecca.marshall@purchase.edu
Colleen McAllister
Syracuse University
cmcallis@syr.edu
 Well hello there, the name’s Colleen
And my favorite color happens to be green.
There are many places that I’ve called home
Quebec, Martinique, and SUNY Potsdam are just some.
I’m an Americorps VISTA volunteer
In Syracuse NY – I love it here!
In an office housed in Syracuse University
My job is to improve children’s literacy.
I send college students out to tutor all day long
- Extra attention for 2,600 kids can’t be wrong!
The tutors take ten hours every week
To help city children read, write, and speak.
That’s my service, twelve months in duration;
A small sacrifice to improve the population.
Katie MishlerWagner College
katie.mishler@wagner.edu
Liz MixSUNY ESF (Enivormental Science & Forestry) emix@esf.edu
Nikki NephewSUNY Potsdam nephewnm@potsdam.edu
Anand PeralaSUNY Fredonia; Fredonia, NY
pera6236@fredonia.edu I was born and raised in western New York. My parents emigrated from India back in the 1960’s and I have one older sister. I have a bachelor’s from Buffalo State College where I majored in political science. On campus I was involved with the student government, NYPIRG, and Amnesty International. Off-campus I had worked on various political campaigns, and canvassed for many other groups. I got a lot of exposure to the work done by community organizations and the complex problems of poverty in the US. I enjoyed my previous work in more politically-natured organizations, but wanted to do something that would have a more tangible impact. After looking for a job in the non-profit field, I came across the VISTA position and was immediately interested. I took this as a chance to learn and to help build the foundations of a community. I serve at SUNY Fredonia where I act as the liaison between community organizations and student organizations. In addition to increasing general volunteerism, I have a targeted goal of increasing volunteerism with organizations that serve youth and the elderly. It is a lot of work, as outreach is an constant effort, but it is very rewarding. The best part about this experience is going out into the community with students and seeing the impact they have, as well the lasting impression they are left with after helping others in need. One thing I would like to do before I die: Learn to ride a motorcycle.
Joe Picalila
Binghamton University
picalila@binghamton.edu
 Alma Mater is SUNY at Fredonia, B.F.A. in Media Arts
Life Member of Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity
During my time at Fredonia I volunteered in many community service projects. When I found out about VISTA (specifically the NYCC program) I wanted to continue working on a campus with students to help make my vision of more students doing community service a reality. Since I had gone through college because of federal grants, I felt I owed something back.
I'm now in my second year of service at BU. My role at Binghamton University is to act as a liaison between the campus and community agencies. My goal is to collect data and help with many campus programs to further the idea of service-learning. I hope to have established a process for capacity building in these programs by the end of my term. I find my duty to be a very fulfilling one.
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend” -Theophrastus
Erin Schwartz
Marymount Manhattan College eschwartz@mmm.edu Hi there! My name is Erin Schwartz and I am serving in my second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Marymount Manhattan College. I was born and raised on Long Island and went to college in Pennsylvania where I earned a BA in Psychology from Lehigh University. I got involved coordinating community service in college, through my work-study job in the Community Service Office. As graduation approached, and my indecision over what to do with the rest of my life (or even the rest of my year!) was at an all-time high, a supervisor and mentor suggested that I look into a year of service as a Campus Compact VISTA. I could continue doing what I loved about my job in college – getting students engaged in and excited about service – professionally! (Well, semi-professionally, because professionals actually get PAID.) What I thought of at the time as putting off “real life” for a year, ended up turning into one the most influential experiences I have had. As the VISTA at Marymount Manhattan, I work to promote and expand community service and service-learning efforts amongst students, faculty, and staff. I created a college access program, Advocates for College Education, where MMC students facilitate workshops encouraging NYC youth to pursue higher education. I also began a program for incoming first-year students to live on a Community Service Floor of the residence hall and participate in a 3-day volunteer experience prior to orientation. Quote: “Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results” ~ James Allen
Jeremy WattlesHamilton College; Clinton, NY jtwattles@gmail.com I grew up outside of Syracuse, New York, in a suburban development built on top of backfilled wetlands. After graduating from Cicero-North Syracuse High School and then Colgate University (where I studied Literature and ran Track and Field and Cross Country), I spent three years in Edinburgh, Scotland, earning my MSc in Literature, and working a wide range of jobs—everything from dishwasher, waiter, assistant bar manager, caterer, tutor, and project administrator for Scottish school drop-outs who aimed to earn their bachelor’s degrees. I was fortunate enough to be able to travel through the British Isles and to many countries in Europe, and to have made friends with people across the globe. I remain interested in travel and different cultures, creative writing, running long distances, music and art forms of all kinds, our place in this thing we call history, national mythologies and identities, and substantive debates about the sacred, the profane, the hilarious, and the absurd. As someone whose commitment to volunteerism and service is relatively newfound, I come to the VISTA program curious to learn more about the causes of poverty, as well as various strategies to combat it. At Hamilton College, I am part of the Community Outreach and Opportunity Project (COOP), where I advise and support the student-run volunteer group HAVOC, assist in the Bonner leader service-learning program, and participate in strategic planning for the COOP’s various other service activities and aims. I am also the Resident Assistant at the ABC (A Better Chance) house, which provides an opportunity for inner-city high school students of color to attend Clinton High School, become young leaders in their community, and progress onto a college education.
|