Hello Tandem blog friends! I’m really excited to introduce myself to you all and share with you the journey that brought me to Tandem.

My name is Samar Shaukat and I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida. When it came time to apply for college, I had a hard time even considering leaving home. I decided on attending Rollins College, a small liberal arts school located just outside of downtown Orlando.

While I was in school, I studied Anthropology and Latin American and Caribbean Studies with a Spanish minor. I was a member of the senate for our Student Government, the founder of our chapter of Invisible Children United, and a three term peer mentor. I also held multiple internships involving education and social engagement.

An illustration of monarch butterflies, featured in “Juan’s DREAM.” These butterflies are a symbol for immigration.

For my honors project I took two things I was passionate about and put them together: education and children. I partnered with The HOPE CommUnity Center of Central Florida to write a bilingual children’s book on immigration reform, called Juan’s DREAM. It is written from the point of view of a monarch butterfly, the symbol of immigration. It tells the story of a young boy named Juan, his dream of becoming a U.S. citizen, and his desire for equal rights towards education. I was able to ask the children who go to the HOPE Center to illustrate the story with their hopes for the future and their interpretation of the monarch butterfly. An article was written about my efforts on fusion.net, a new age news source geared towards the millennial generation.  

When my senior year was drawing to a close, I had to decide what to do next. It had been my dream to teach abroad, so I jumped at the invitation to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship.  I was awarded a grant to teach English in Indonesia. My experience was not only eye-opening, but also helped me re-focus on what I really wanted to do with my time. I wanted to direct my energy on ensuring everybody had access to equal education opportunities because I believe that no child deserves to be left in the dark.

I began looking into various AmeriCorps positions because I knew I wanted to serve in the States. AmeriCorps is a program funded by the federal government to help meet the critical needs of society. It is often referred to as the domestic version of the Peace Corps. My particular subset is called AmeriCorps VISTA, also known as Volunteers in Service to America. VISTA brings full time AmeriCorps members to work in various nonprofit organizations nationwide, and there are currently more than 5,000 VISTAS serving in different programs throughout the US. They are installed to create and expand the organization’s existing programs. The goal is to bring low income individuals or communities out of poverty. For example, Tandem is working to improve outcomes for children and families living in underserved communities through programs that support families, educators, and communities to work together surround young children with learning opportunities that support their early literacy, language, and social and emotional development while instilling a lifelong love of books and learning that leads to future academic success.

While scrolling through the lists of available programs while applying to AmeriCorps, I came across Tandem and knew it was a match that was meant to be. Not only were they located on the West Coast (Best Coast), but Tandem hit the nail on the head in terms of my goals. In this year of service, I look forward to learning more about early literacy and interactive book-sharing, as well as honing my nonprofit development skills.