What Next?

Hi, name is Robyn! My father once told me there was never a point in his life that he could have guessed what he was doing a year from now. A year ago I was moving from Virginia back to my hometown in Lansing, Michigan. I had no idea what I was going to do or where I was going to live, I just had this crazy idea in my heart that I was going to move back to my hometown and make a difference.

I never planned on joining AmeriCorps after college. It just kind of happened. I found a service position as an AmeriCorps*VISTA that seemed like everything I wanted to do. The next thing I knew I was sitting in front of a computer at the Michigan Community Service Commission marveling at my stroke of luck. Without a plan, without a direction, I stumbled into one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

This past year I received amazing opportunities. I’ve been able to be an e-Reporter at the National Conference of Volunteering and Service; I organized Michigan’s signature 2010 Global Youth Service Day event; I wrote, got, and managed my first grant; I’ve gotten thought leaders across the country to write their first blog for Learn and Serve – Michigan; and I’ve been able to see the amazing teachers and students who make this state great.

It is incredible to step back at the end of your service and see everything you can do in a year. As a result I’ve become addicted to service. I’m addicted to seeing the impact your time and work can make. I’m addicted to seeing the value of the work I do in smiles, not in profit margins. I’m addicted to being surrounded by people who are committed to making a difference.

Just in the state of Michigan members have started drug prevention programs in Hamtramck, created dozens of community gardens in Lansing, recruited volunteers to serve homeless shelters all over the state, mentored children in Detroit, grown service-learning programs in Romulus, and so much more. To be part of that movement is inspiring.

In fact I have enjoyed my experience so much that I have decided to do another term of service. Next week I am packing my car and moving back to Virginia to help students recognize their service potential as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with North Carolina Campus Compact. My father is right, you can never predict what you will be doing a year from now.

Life is unpredictable like that. Sometimes you know where your next step will land, but sometimes you have to take a breath, close your eyes, and leap into the abyss. Your stomach drops, you might let out a scream, but when you hit solid ground you might discover that you’ve landed into a new world with opportunities beyond imagination. I didn’t intend to be sitting here today finishing up my last month of a wonderful service term, but I don’t think there is anywhere else I would rather be in the world.