I am Hannah Johnson, and I’m an AmeriCorps Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). My site is Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, and I am placed in their Bayview-Hunter’s Point office in San Francisco. My assignment description (VAD) is based in “Community Engagement.”

Now, all that jargon being said, let’s get real–

I embarked on my journey as a VISTA in February of 2016. I was the first VISTA to start service at my site. In the weeks leading up to that time, I don’t think either my site or I had any concrete idea about what was really in store for the upcoming year. Looking back, now almost 10 months later, I am so happy I made the choice to serve alongside the staff at Tandem!

First off, “Community Engagement” can be interpreted in many ways. So, as a Community Engagement VISTA, it took me a few weeks to gain my bearings. But with the support of my supervisor, I took off & started up on some projects fairly soon after arriving.

Me, making a goofy face at the beginning of an interactive Read Aloud demonstration for educators – a service provided through Tandem’s StoryCycles program. Photo courtesy of Holy Family Day Home.

One of my first projects was to act as “Chair” of a planning committee for an annual city celebration, SF Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros. Basically, I hit the ground running—and I’ve been running ever since! A few other projects I’ve worked on this year include: researching statistics about our community to help drive the work we do; supporting our internal committee in developing a new StoryCycles book bag tracking tool; and creating and conducting a 3-hour volunteer training on interactive Read Aloud techniques.

My fellow VISTA and I guiding the 3-hour volunteer training in November 2016.

Not only do I feel respected in my role as a VISTA here, I also feel trusted as a full member of Tandem’s San Francisco Programs team—and I trust my team in return. The office here allows for a lot of autonomy. I have found that if I need guidance, it is very easy for me to ask staff for help, but otherwise, I am often left to my own devices. This gives me plenty of room to support other staff in areas that I would like to learn about, while also working on my own projects and my professional development goals.

Me again, networking on behalf of Tandem at an all-member San Francisco Family Support Network meeting. Photo courtesy of SFFSN.

Another thing—I cannot underline enough how much I love the culture of our office! One thing that I have learned while I’ve been here is that I really value coworkers who appreciate humor in the office space. Most everyone here is kind, caring, and funny in their own unique way!

A recent Halloween photo with Tandem staff.

One of the most important things I’ve taken away from this experience, in my opinion, is that while I have been here, I have gained new insight on which direction I’d like to steer my career path. My role at Tandem has helped me understand more about how a nonprofit functions behind the scenes. I have realized that programs and development are totally interconnected. And after having spent so much time supporting programs, I have gained a real interest in nonprofit development. After my service, I plan to transition into a role that will support me in learning more about fundraising and grants.

All in all, I would definitely recommend serving, volunteering, partnering, working, training, or just plain having fun with Tandem! I know that I grew during my time here, and assisted in helping others to grow, too. And that’s what Tandem is all about– working together to spark the joy of learning.

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