Leave Your Mark: A FEMA Corps Member Spotlight

How did you first learn about

AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA

Corps?

Initially, I was researching the

Peace Corps when I stumbled

upon AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA

Corps. FEMA Corps caught my

eye due to the disaster-specific,

domestic

work

associated

with the

program.

Why did

you

choose to

apply? As a

recent

college graduate, I decided I had

spent plenty of time working on

my mind—it was time to work on

my heart. FEMA Corps acts as the

perfect portal to combine my

schooling in Psychology and

Sociology, my professionalism,

and my benevolence into one

commitment.

What has been one of your

favorite memories thus far?

Receiving the FEMA specialized

training in Anniston, Alabama was

very motivating for me; listening to

the FEMA officials speak of their

real-life interactions with disaster

survivors, all the while learning

about the way FEMA operates as

an organization was extremely

interesting.

Tell us about something that

you’ve done for the first time

since starting. Coming from a rural community in

Indiana, I have never gone through

a natural disaster before. Pictures

and stories can only

do so much to

explain the

hardships these

survivors endure in

their day-to-day

lives. Working

directly with

disaster survivors is

truly an inspiring

opportunity;

survivors who have

lost their own belongings and

bearings are still out assisting their

families, friends, and neighbors.

What has been the most

challenging part of your term of

service thus far? How have you

worked to overcome that

challenge?

At times it is difficult to see the

effect that such minute things such

as checking one simple box can

have—the right boxes checked

can be one of the determining

factors that lead up to a disaster

survivor obtaining a place to live.

I keep that notion in mind and

keep reminding myself that even

the smallest things can lead to

making a lasting impact.

Your term of service just started

a few months ago. What are

some of your goals as you

progress through the year?

I plan to build upon the knowledge

I have learned thus far, carrying

my skills with me from disaster to

disaster. I also hope to put my

abilities to use in the community—

volunteering more of my free time

to other organizations and

agencies in the area.

And lastly, please share any

advice that you might have for

prospective Corps Members

who are interested in FEMA

Corps. Anyone who is interested in FEMA

Corps should definitely be willing

to live a life that is very different

than the norm—from living in ships

to working 80 hours a week—

every day brings something new

and challenging. You must be

“FEMA flexible”!

This month’s FEMA Corps Member

spotlight comes from Kelsey

Stephens, currently serving at the

Southern Region campus (Vicksburg,

MS). A graduate of Ball State

University, Kelsey studied

Psychology, Sociology and

Interpersonal Relations. Kelsey is a

proud member of Bayou 6 and her

team’s FEMA specialty role is

Individual Assistance (IA). I spoke

with Kelsey about her FEMA Corps

experience and the great work that

she and other members are providing

to those in the NJ/NY area.

Kelsey (L) pictured with CNCS Director

Wendy Spencer and FEMA Deputy

Leave Your Mark: A FEMA Corps Member Spotlight

Diana Cook, a FEMA Corps member from

the Southern Region (Vicksburg, MS) is the

subject of this FEMA Corps Member

spotlight. A former NCCC member at the

North Central Region campus (Vinton, IA),

Diana is from Sunnyvale, CA. She currently

serves on Bayou 3 and her team’s FEMA

specialty role is Logistics.

How did you first learn about AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA

Corps?

I was looking online for volunteer opportunities in my area

and came across information about FEMA Corps.

Why did you choose to apply?

I was looking for a full-time opportunity to serve my

community while taking a break from school.

What has been one of your favorite memories thus far?

Spending time together with my team in our Habitat for

Humanity housing in Baton Rouge.

Tell us about something that you’ve done for the first

time since starting.

I’ve handled thousands of dollars worth of accountable

property.

What has been the most challenging part of your

term of service thus far? How have you worked to

overcome that challenge?

The hardest thing to deal with is not knowing what we

would be doing from day to day and the way that I

overcame that was by focusing on the people I was

helping and serving alongside every day.

Your term of service just started a few months ago.

What are some of your goals as you progress through

the year?

To develop a leadership style that inspires people to

push their comfort zones and that they are more capable in

uncertain situations.

And lastly, please share any advice that you might have

for prospective Corps Members who are interested in

FEMA Corps.

FEMA Corps will push your limits in ways you would not

expect because, as opposed to traditional NCCC, you will

be helping people in a more indirect manner, but you will

be able to impact thousands.

Leave Your Mark: A FEMA Corps Member Spotlight

Lizzie McSherry is a FEMA Corps

Member serving at the Southern

Region campus. Lizzie studied at

Daemen College before joining

FEMA Corps. Lizzie is a proud

member of Bayou 5 and her

team’s FEMA Specialty role is

Community Relations.

How did you first learn about

AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA Corps?

After initially applying for traditional

AmeriCorps NCCC, I received an

email about the potential of a

collaborative project between CNCS

and FEMA. A few weeks later, another

email came confirming the

development of the program with an

invitation to apply.

Why did you choose to apply?

Having a general idea of FEMA’s role

in a disaster and knowing the

reputation of CNCS’s service, I figured

that this would provide some great

insight into a large scale relief effort

along with being an incredible

opportunity to help those in need.

What has been one of your favorite

memories thus far?

One weekend during our Spike in

Baton Rouge, my team had completed

an ISP in New Orleans and decided we

needed to experience a night in this

new city together. A few hours into

roaming around the Bourbon Street

area, we ran into about 20 other Corps

Members whom we hadn’t seen since

our initial trainings; the crazy, excited

energy when we all saw each other

was completely overwhelming and

made for an amazing evening with

“old friends.”

Tell us about something you’ve

done for the first time since starting.

Even though I live so close to New

York City, I’ve never actually come

through and spent any time seeing the

sights. Since we’ve been here for our

current spike, I’ve visited Central Park

and Times Square, seen Grand Central

Station, eaten real New York style

pizza, visited the Museum of Natural

History, and so much more I figured I

would never end up doing!

What has been the most challenging

part of your term of service thus far?

How have you worked to overcome

that challenge?

Because situations in times of disaster

are both constantly and quickly

evolving, our individual roles and

projects working with FEMA do so as

well. The biggest difficulty, as a result

of this, has been in being reassigned

to new tasks or jobs after becoming so

mentally and emotionally invested

with those we were already working

with. Changing directions so often was

difficult at first, but having now taken

the time to observe how events unfold

in these circumstances, I’ve learned

that this seemingly chaotic period is an

inevitable aspect of disaster response

and has made understanding the

situation as a whole much easier.

Your term of service just started a

few months ago. What are some of

your goals as you progress through

the year?

When I started this term of service,

one of my primary goals was to

become fluent in Spanish; while I

wanted to study, I didn’t realize the

immediate importance it could have.

Since arriving in NYC, I’ve witnessed

fellow Corps Members who are multi-

lingual work and, after seeing how

much it helps them spreading

information to so many more people

than I’m able to, I plan to pursue

learning a new language more

seriously.

And lastly, please share any advice

that you might have for prospective

Corps Members who are interested

in FEMA Corps.

Leave your expectations at the door.

This program is a great experience if

you are able to let it be, but with

something as unpredictable as what

FEMA works with, it’s so important to

remain open-minded and be ready

for anything!

Leave Your Mark:

A FEMA Corps Team Leader Spotlight

Dan Faris is the FEMA

Corps Team Leader for

Summit 7, from the

Southern Region. A New

Jersey native, Dan has

attended Rutgers

University. His team’s

FEMA Specialty role is

Public Assistance.

How did you first learn about

AmeriCorps NCCC FEMA

Corps?

When I applied to NCCC, I was

contacted about FEMA Corps by

campus staff.

Why did you choose to apply?

I wanted to go help people who

had just been through a disaster.

What has been one of your

favorite memories thus far? Taking trips with the other team

leaders has been a favorite

memory. Helping my team come

together as a cohesive unit has

been a good experience.

Tell us about something that

you’ve done for the first time

since starting. I have walked through a disaster-

stricken area right after the

disaster hit. Seeing parts of Staten

Island that were badly damaged

really stuck out in my mind and is

very different than witnessing it on

TV or the internet.

What has been the most

challenging part of your

term of service thus far?

How have you worked to

overcome that challenge? In this deployment, it is

tough doing FEMA work

versus hands on work. Even

though we are still helping

people, you like to see who

you are helping and see the

results of your work. We

have tried to do more hands

on things like working with

Disaster Recovery Centers

and hand out supplies.

Your term of service

just started a few

months ago. What are

some of your goals as

you progress through

the year?

I would like to continue

to strengthen my team

and make sure that they

get the best experience

possible.

And lastly, please share any

advice that you might have for

prospective Corps Members

who are interested in FEMA

Corps.

Make sure you are interested in

the management aspect of disaster

relief. It would help you to be able

to see the big picture of helping

people and not focus on helping

individuals.