Tiffany Frey
I came from a background of Speech Therapy where I had worked for several years as well as serving on the Board of Directors of a local private school. Prior to that, I stayed at home with my daughter except for time spent on the road in our school bus turned RV, converted to run on waste vegetable oil.
I chose to participate in this AmeriCorps program as an outlet to make an environmental impact in my community as well as a way to shift careers. As an AmeriCorps Stream Team Assistant, I have had many opportunities to work with a variety of people, educate kids, be a mentor, plan events, plant trees and monitor water quality. One of my biggest projects was to introduce rain barrels into our community as a way to prevent and treat storm water runoff pollution. The doors this position has opened for me are significant and the amount of information I have learned has been incredible. I have had many opportunities to use and develop skills as well as be creative and challenged. In addition, there has been an extreme amount of satisfaction gained by giving to the community. I can see areas in which my work is being utilized and benefiting others. Having the opportunity to serve during a disaster (the ice storm in Southwest Missouri) was an unexpected experience in which I was pleased to be able to lend my time and efforts.
From here, I plan on continuing to try to work in related fields as well as filling in some of the gaps in my education. The contacts I have made, experiences I had, opportunities given, and the education award will all help in furthering myself and advancing my career. If hindsight is 20/20 I would say I wouldn’t change a thing. My choice to pursue this experience is one I would make again.