National Service Recognition

The ninth floor of the Hart Building is one of the best kept secrets of Senate office buildings. I had worked in the building for almost a month before I learned that existed in an email asking me speak about my AmeriCorps*VISTA Summer Associate experience for a National Voices of Service reception. As I rehearsed my five minute testimonial to an empty room before the reception began, I did not even think to get nervous - there could not be that many people coming. As an afterthought, I asked Kristine, who helped plan the event, how many people she expected. 200. What did I have to say about community service to 200 people have made it their career? However much I wanted to pitch my prepared remarks, I decided that an impromptu speech would be even worse. So I spoke about the lessons I learned this summer about flexibility, ingenuity, compassion, and how I learned from observing my co-workers in action. Although I may not have drawn any original conclusions, the message was well-received. People were appreciative of a concrete example of community service and were amazed by the results the VISTAs accomplished this summer. I enjoyed getting to brag about my fellow VISTAs to a room full of people, especially on a secret floor.
By Katie Graham