Acquiring Skills and Experience

Hi, my name is Miranda Grunwell and I served as an AmeriCorps member at Disability Network Southwest Michigan in 2008.

I originally decided to do a year of AmeriCorps as a way to gain additional work experience. At the time, I was a year out of college and could not find a job. Every interview I went on told me they were looking for more work experience. Since I loved to volunteer and had done so since I was a teenager, AmeriCorps seemed to be a good fit for me. It allowed me to stay involved in my community, as well as earn some income to help pay the bills.

I also thought doing a year as an AmeriCorps member would be a safe place to try something new without the long-term commitment. I have a Learning Disability and was unsure of how that would affect my ability to work in an office setting. Participating in AmeriCorps gave me the opportunity not only to experience what it was like to be in a typical work-place environment, but it was also a great way to test my skills and expand my abilities.

During my year of service I worked with the Brain Injury Support Group (pictured) along with other support groups. My task was to increase the attendance of our groups and come up with topic ideas for group meetings. Throughout the course of my service, I had an opportunity to network with several community professionals and to speak with them about our groups. As a result, some professionals made recommendations to people to join our group, some volunteered their time to speak at group meetings, and some even made donations.

After my year of service I was hired on as a full-time staff member at Disability Network Southwest Michigan as an Independent Living Assistant. I am now celebrating my third year there! My time as an AmeriCorps member helped me, as well as the staff at Disability Network, to see that my disability didn’t affect my ability to do good work and be a strong asset to my office. While I may not be editing a grant anytime soon, I can plan and organize our events and not miss any details!

I believe AmeriCorps is a great way to learn about who you are and what you enjoy doing. And for me, it turned out to be a pathway to a great place of employment!