Welcome back to our VISTA Spotlight series in which we’re spotlighting our AmeriCorps VISTAs and our partner organizations who host VISTAs during their year of service.
Today’s spotlight is on Hannah Fraser who is completing her second year of service as NC Campus Compact’s VISTA Leader! She graduated from Western Carolina University in May of 2020 with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Spanish. After graduation, she served in the NC Hunger Corps at Wingate University’s Collaborative for the Common Good for the 2020-2021 service year. One of the most impactful projects in her first service year was building the capacity of the Food Council of Union County.
Hannah is currently serving as the VISTA Leader in the NC Campus Compact office at Elon University. Her supervisor is VISTA Program Coordinator, Erin Odoyo. In this role, Erin is the liaison between our ViSTAs, host sites, and AmeriCorps. She supports our recruitment efforts and expands our network of host sites and partner institutions where VISTAs serve. The VISTA program would not be able to run without a dedicated coordinator, and we are so grateful for her contributions!
As the VISTA Leader, Hannah supports our cohort of VISTAs in a number of ways. She has spearheaded an online resource library, called the VISTA Annex, containing resources, articles, podcasts, and documentaries that relate to the VISTAs areas of service and interest. This annex also contains a calendar of upcoming professional development opportunities, webinars, conferences, and trainings that the VISTAs are encouraged to attend. Hannah also has one-on-one check-ins with the VISTAs to ensure that their projects are running smoothly, and that they are supported and satisfied in their service experience. She is also participating in the recruitment process for our next cohort of AmeriCorps VISTAs. She will interface with applicants and share her experience as a VISTA with those interested in pursuing national service. Hannah is also leading our alumni engagement efforts. She hosted a virtual Happy Hour for our aumni to reconnect and share what they’ve been doing since their year of service, and will continue to engage them with our current cohort of VISTAs through a Speaker Series and dedicated LinkedIn page.
Hannah’s year of service in the NC Hunger Corps ignited her passion for improving food systems, and she is pursuing opportunities to further her education in food and agriculture policy. She has been accepted to Tuft’s Friedman School, the Vermont Law School, and is anxiously waiting to hear back from a fellowship with the Congressional Hunger Center before deciding her next steps. We are so excited for her and know that Hannah will go on to do great things in the spirit of service and justice.