Hello everyone and welcome back to the NCCE VISTA Spotlight Series. Each month we are able to spotlight the tireless work of our dedicated VISTAs and highlight the work they have done at each of their sites. The VISTAs and their sites are the core of our programming so why not share what they have been working on the past few months!
This month’s spotlight is on Mina Jang, who is one of our NC Afterschool Corps VISTA serving at Duke University. Mina serves on a team of 3 VISTAs who serve with the NC Afterschool Corps at Duke University with the Office of Durham Community Affairs. As one of three VISTAs Mina Specifically serves as the Transportation and Communications VISTA.
Mina remained at Duke to serve with VISTA after completing her undergraduate degree there with a bachelors in English and a minor in Korean. As a graduate of Duke University Mina easily transitioned into the role with VISTA. As the Transportation VISTA Mina plays an integral role ensuring that students who volunteer with the America Read America Counts (ARAC), Jumpstart and Partnerships for success which is in conjunction with the Duke Education Program. Mina is responsible for ensuring volunteers have access to transportation to and from their sires which allows them to be successful in their volunteering. She also manages the Lyft vouchers for ARAC and Jumpstart volunteers as an alternative to Duke provided transportation.
Mina says she is proud of her accomplishments in this role as she can provide transportation for around 70 students each week and better adapt to rapidly changing situations she may face. She is working on building the capacity of the transportation for these programs as things may come up and problems arise, she is working on establishing a systematic way of handling these situations and efficiently changing plans quickly.
On the communications side of her position Mina works to promote the ARAC and Jumpstart programs. She has created flyers and consistently posted them to social media channels to recruit and showcase the work of volunteers. When Mina finishes her service this summer, she looks forward to staying in the Durham area and continuing a career in education.