By Renee Irwin
I graduated from IUP with a Bachelor’s Degree in English Writing. I had huge plans. I was going to make a name for myself at a local newspaper and write for online magazines. I started applying for jobs right away, only to discover that nobody wanted to hire me. I had no experience, and to my surprise, nobody wanted to give me any experience to put onto a resume. I was stuck. I landed a job as a transcriptionist, which became my own personal hell. I lost myself; I lost my happiness, my spirit, and my perseverance.
Fast-forward: I worked in my job of nightmares for eight months, only then to get a job working at a local gas station. This was not how I saw my life going! How many post-graduate students don’t think that, though?
In August of 2016 I heard of AmeriCorps for the first time. It sounded too good to be true. Could such a great experience even exist? It included so many opportunities, so many benefits, so much experience. [Read more…]