Welcome to our VISTA Spotlight Series! Each month we spotlight one of our AmeriCorps VISTA Members and the incredible service they do. Our members and their host sites are at the core of our program and we are enthusiastic to share the great things they do in their communities.
This month we have the pleasure of highlighting the service of Emma Myer-Medina. Before her VISTA term, Emma studied Polymer and Color Chemistry at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University. An active participant in student life, Emma became aware of AmeriCorps during her time as a Volunteer Coordinator for NCSU’s Feed the Pack program and decided to take a gap year as their AmeriCorps VISTA.
Six months into her year of service, Emma has found her time building resources for Pack Essentials rewarding. Pack Essentials is a resource navigator at NCSU that connects students facing basic needs insecurities to resources they need to stay successfully enrolled and participating at NCSU. Emma helps to run several different programs, including Feed the Pack – the on-campus food pantry which is open to all NC State students, staff, and faculty. Pack Essentials applications are available for students to fill out if they need help getting connected to additional resources. Some of their biggest partners include the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, Interfaith Food Shuttle, the Hindu Society, HOST, Raleigh City Farm, the Diaper Train and so many more partners both on and off campus.
A large part of Emma’s role as a Hunger Corps VISTA is to build capacity within the program by building new partnerships for Feed the Pack. Emma has developed new partnerships with Raleigh City Farm, a local nonprofit farm in downtown Raleigh that provides them with fresh locally grown produce each week, and a new partnership with the Diaper Train of Wake County which provides them with bags of diapers and wipes that they can distribute to their patrons who are providing for families with young children. Emma also launched the Pack Essentials Advocate Knowledge (PEAK) Program on NC State’s Reporter platform. This is an online asynchronous educational program to spread awareness to the NC State community about the reality of basic needs insecurity on-campus, what resources are available to students, and how students can get connected to these resources.
Emma has a lot to be proud of during her service year so far, but she is the proudest of creating a safe and welcoming environment for students to work and grow in. Emma says, “At the beginning of my service year, there was a situation where some of the students did not feel comfortable and there was a lot of tension in the air. This was a really challenging time as I was trying to navigate how to best advocate for the students while making sure that they felt supported in their roles. I spoke with my supervisor about my concerns and encouraged the students to reach out directly to my supervisor about their experiences and through this the situation was resolved. Today, I have students tell me that this is the best work environment they’ve ever had and that they enjoy coming to work. I think this experience has really helped me develop my communication and conflict resolution skills and has made me a better leader that others can rely on.”
After Emma’s service has concluded she plans to continue her education by pursuing a Master’s in Material Science and Engineering. She is looking forward to taking the experience and skills she has gained during her service year and applying it to her time in graduate school and beyond.
If you wish to read more about Feed the Pack, you can do so here or find them on Instagram.
This blog was written by Alice Chesley-Akhtar with information and support from Emma Myer-Medina.