Continuing My Education

If I were to choose one word to describe the past few months of my life, I would pick, “NEW!” My name is Liz Hand and I have recently had the pleasure of encountering many new experiences. I was born and raised in Vermont, went to college in Vermont, and taught in high schools in Vermont since graduating in January of 2010. Needless to say, it was time for a change, and time to challenge myself to move – figuratively and literally – outside of my comfort zone.

In August of 2011, I packed all my belongings into my car and drove across the country to the shores of Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan. I applied for an AmeriCorps position before leaving Vermont, and while en route – somewhere near Buffalo, N.Y. – I got a call from my future site supervisors, interviewing me for a Marquette-based AmeriCorps position. Luckily, I was offered a position at the Marquette-Alger Regional Education Service Agency (MARESA), and it has been a whirlwind ever since.

I serve in an education program, but I can honestly say that I am learning as much, if not more, than the students I work with. My days are filled with novel experiences and variety. I have a Vermont teaching license in middle and secondary social studies, but at MARESA I am learning about the ways that structured education occurs outside of the traditional classroom. Growing up I was considered a “traditional” student, and was an outsider to vocational and special education programs. My understanding and appreciation of the benefits and difficulties of non-traditional programs was lacking, to say the least.

Through my service at MARESA, I directly serve these non-traditional students. I am strengthening my grasp on what these programs mean to individuals and communities. I continually see the benefits to individuals in these programs and am learning about the advantages that special education and career and technical education (CTE) programs provide to businesses and the community as a whole. And, as is the case with many great programs these days, I am learning about the difficulty of maintaining funding and support for non-traditional education programs.

I am able to broaden my understanding of non-traditional education through my wide array of daily and weekly activities. To give you a snapshot of just how diverse the tasks I perform are… last week I tutored a high school student in a college-level culinary class, updated the MARESA CTE program website, volunteered with transition students to provide food to the needy at the Salvation Army, mock interviewed high school students for career preparation, secured speakers to educate CTE students on MLK Day, created a brochure for one of our drafting programs, and took part in a cookie-making fundraiser for the culinary program. Pretty expansive, huh?

Not only do I participate in education at the micro level, but recently I was chosen to take part in Michigan’s LeaderCorps, in which we think and talk about education and service from a micro- and macro-level. As part of LeaderCorps I joined the ranks of Kathleen Egan and others on the Diversity and Inclusion Team. I’m excited to work with the LeaderCorps members because of the range of perspectives and experience these people have to offer. Many LeaderCorps members are in their second year of service, and their knowledge and expertise will be invaluable to me as I try to make the most out of my year of service in the education field. I hope to use their ideas and inspiration to do great things for the students and community members in the Marquette area!