今天，埃斯特班·罗德里格斯-希基是 a successful high school support staff member at Rivers Edge Academy, an environment-focused charter school – living his passion and changing young 人们每天的生活.
然而, when he graduated from college with a business degree in 2014, 他不会想到自己能鼓舞年轻人. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life, in fact.
“I was kind of soul searching in a sense,” Esteban said of that time in his life. “我想搬到双子城去, 我想我应该在商界找份工作, but I saw the listing for the AmeriCorps position for the 社区技术赋权计划(CTEP), and I just decided to take a chance and see what it was all about.”
他在CTEP工作了一年, and is now known for his youth work in non-profit organizations in the Twin Cities. 他把这归功于他在美国志愿队的服务, 特别是, his mentoring and guidance from his program directors and rich experiences serving youth, 让他踏上了一段充实的事业之旅.
从墨西哥到明尼苏达
In some ways, AmeriCorps service in Minnesota might sound like an unlikely first step for Esteban. Born and raised in Cancun, Mexico, he was accepted to college at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. 他爸爸是墨西哥人，但是他妈妈来自威斯康辛州. She met his dad as a college student at Central College in Iowa when she did a study-abroad experience Mexico. 这对夫妇在那里结了婚，组建了家庭. 然而, 作为双重公民, Esteban aspired to go to college and live in the United States; uncles who had attended Luther recommended the liberal arts school to Esteban, 他去那里出差. Although he loved his college experience in the rural Iowa community, he yearned to live in a more urban environment after graduation.
“I’m a city guy at heart, though, and I was happy to get back to the city,” he said. So, he focused his career search on the Twin Cities, and an ad for
an AmeriCorps member to join the 社区科技赋权计划 (CTEP) caught his eye.
CTEP’s programs aim to bridge the “digital divide” for new immigrants and low-income communities in Minneapolis and St. 保罗. With his ability to fluently speak English and Spanish, 以及他对科技的精通, 埃斯特班非常适合这个项目.
克服服务中的挑战
埃斯特班在CTEP的美国服务队服务于 邻居的房子 在圣. 保罗. 邻居的房子 is a social service agency that has become an integral part of the community on St. 保罗的西区文化丰富多样. 成立于1897年, 该组织现在为低收入家庭提供服务, 难民和移民, 以及其他处境艰难的居民. More than 95% of their participants live at or below the poverty line, 96% are persons of color and 93% speak a native language other than English.
Participants and staff work together to identify needs, 讨论可能的解决方案, 为未来制定一个计划. Combined, the six 邻居的房子 Family Centers serve 600 families each year. 尽管埃斯特班的服务项目各不相同, one of his main projects was helping high school students in 邻居的房子 obtain internships and employment.
起初, 然而, Esteban said he struggled at first to understand how to best contribute through his service and took some time to build on his strengths.
“But with the help of my managers, I was able to find what my niche was,” he said. “当我真正发现自己的优势时, 这和和年轻人接触有关吗, it gave me a clearer focus on what I wanted to do in my service and my life.”
一个关键的部分是削尖他的 listening skills, Esteban said, noting that listening is an important part of 与年轻人一起工作.
“I figured out how to be real with young people and be more honest and open about my life,” he said. “我努力成为一个更好的倾听者. I love talking – I’m a big talker – but I realized I needed to be a good listener as well.”
他在美国志愿队服役了一年 CTEP不仅提高了他的技能. 这给他指明了一个新的方向.
“That’s when I really started feeling like, this is the career for me. I really enjoy this – I love working with young people. And a corporate job wasn’t in my future anymore,” he said.B
投入你的精力——但要小心
在2015年完成他的美国服务队服务后, Esteban – now 27 — went on to fulltime positions at La Opportunidad and 邻居的房子, 2017年, 他接受了一份后勤人员的工作 河边学院. 在那里, 他的工作是提供社交服务, 情感, behavioral and academic support to students during the school day and helps students identify and participate in enrichment activities outside of school. 另外, he is the main liaison for Latinx and Spanish-speaking families as they transition their children into high school.
He is also an active AmeriCorps alum with CTEP, recently participating in organizational efforts to increase Diversity and Inclusion 在CTEP. His advice for those considering AmeriCorps service with youth is 找到平衡.
“Give it your all – give it a lot of energy – but also take care of yourself,” he said. “Find a balance between giving a lot of your time and energy and effort to the people you serve, 但也要知道什么时候你需要照顾好自己. You have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.”
You can learn more about how to become an AmeriCorps member in the 社区科技赋权计划 on 这个网站.
