When I began my service term as a Montana Campus Compact AmeriCorps Leader, I viewed it as merely something to fill time while I attended physical therapy. I had recently torn my Achille’s tendon, making it physically impossible to do my job as a wildlife biologist technician and leaving me scrambling for work. My recovery was projected for fall 2020, which lined up perfectly with the end of my service term, so I figured I would make the most of the experience, face it with a positive attitude, and hopefully never do it again. Now nine months in to my AmeriCorps service, I’ve realized that I never could have anticipated the intangible benefits of engaging in a service term through AmeriCorps. Over the last several months, I have had the opportunity to experience an entirely new working environment, challenge myself to meet objectives vastly different from my typical working goals, and strengthen my cultural competence.

Though I didn’t initially think I would benefit much from working in an office setting, the experience has completely redefined my expectations of a healthy working environment. The staff at Salish Kootenai College, and with the Upward Bound (UB) program in particular, welcomed me like I was family, and made me feel like a valued employee – not just a temporary hire. Each UB staff member has different strengths, and contributes to the Upward Bound team in their own  way. Watching them communicate and work together to achieve common goals has shaped my definition of collaboration in a work setting, and it has been a privilege to join the UB family, if only temporarily.

In addition to learning from an open office environment, I have had the opportunity to challenge myself to achieve objectives unlike those I’ve had in the past. A typical goal for me before AmeriCorps might have been to trap twenty bobcats this season, find and collar two mule deer fawns today, or get permission from five private land owners to access their land this week. Through my position with the Salish Kootenai College UB program, however, my goals challenged me to use a completely different skillset. For example, my typical UB goals were to encourage a certain student to open up to me, understand a student’s aversion to an academic subject and help them overcome it, or help a student make important decisions in navigating the college admissions journey. Striving to achieve these goals challenged me because they are not goals I can achieve independently. I can give a student all the information and support available, but in the end, the decision to open up to me, face academic weaknesses, or pursue postsecondary education is theirs. The skills that I developed through expanding my own objectives will serve me both in my career and in life for years to come.

Through this experience, I also had the opportunity to strengthen my cultural competence. Raised in a small town in northwest Montana, I was not exposed to diverse cultures growing up. Living and working on the Flathead Indian Reservation presented me with a great opportunity to learn more about the indigenous cultures that I had grown up so close to. As an AmeriCorps Leader, I am not a staff member of Salish Kootenai College, but I was offered many of the same opportunities awarded to staff nonetheless. One of those benefits is that I was allowed to take up to six credits of classes at no charge. I enrolled in two arts classes, one of which doubled as a reservation history class. Engaging with the college through the perspective of a student afforded me the chance to express my curiosity and ask questions in a setting in which I felt comfortable doing so.

Admittedly, I didn’t approach my AmeriCorps service term with the most open mind, and I certainly didn’t expect the position would hold value to me on a professional level. Since then however, I have learned that the potential for personal growth is always present. By pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, you create an environment in which personal growth and learning opportunities abound. AmeriCorps in particular fosters this environment by encouraging members to complete introspective journaling and reflect on their service through blog posts like these. Having learned from my experience with Montana Campus Compact, my challenge to myself moving forward is to approach every new opportunity with a sense of curiosity, honesty, and empathy, and to seek personal growth in whatever form it may take.