Jared Cole
My name is Jared Cole, and for the last year I served as an AmeriCorps Stream Team Assistant. I was stationed in Columbia, Missouri, with sponsoring organization Missouri River Communities Network.
Before my AmeriCorps service, I was an active volunteer with environmental programs in Kansas City, including Shawnee Mission East Recycling, the Earth Fair, and Bridging the Gap. After that, I attended the University of Missouri-Columbia (MIZZOU) for four years and graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and double-minored in Business and Environmental Studies. While at Mizzou, I served as founding President and board member for Sustain Mizzou, a Senator in the student government Missouri Students Association, and as a member of several MU advisory committees.
I joined the Missouri Stream Team AmeriCorps Project in October of 2006 because I wanted to explore Missouri streams and learn more about water ecology. As an Assistant, I planned tree plantings, coordinated volunteers, and mentored many volunteers on water quality monitoring. My favorite part was getting to know the macroinvertebrates and other species that call Missouri streams home. You just gotta love the bugs!
After my Stream Team Assistance ends, I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade science at PS 15 in the Bronx, New York City, through Teach for America. The Harlem River is just four blocks from the school, and I plan to take my students there to learn about watersheds! I just can't wait to see my water critter friends again!