Member Spotlight: Alicia Calloway, Support Services Associate

Meet Alicia Calloway, she serves with the Building Communities, Bettering Lives AmeriCorps program with the Collaborative Solutions/Low Income Housing Coalition of Alabama/Professional Association of Social Workers in HIV/AIDS

What motivated you to join AmeriCorps? I decided to serve a second year with AmeriCorps because I wanted to continue contributing to building up my community. I have a heart for service, and I want to gain more experience to help me determine which career path aligns with my goals.

What would you like to get out of this service opportunity? I aim to be more involved in the effort to provide affordable housing to low income communities and those experiencing homelessness. So far, I have been able to use my skill-set that accompanies my degree to

assess important data on low income communities, and offer new perspectives and ideas to my team. I have also learned that I am interested in public health, and hope to figure out what steps I need to take to pursue a career in that arena.

What will your service focus on for the 2017-18 program year? My service will be heavily focused on the intersection of health and housing. I will be involved in a couple of healthy homes initiatives; planning conferences centered around affordable housing and HIV/AIDS; and conducting research for each county in Alabama, which will assess data such as the lack of affordable housing, poverty rates, average income, and unemployment rates.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps? I plan to either seek out a job at a local nonprofit, or apply for a masters program in public health or policy.

Thank you for your service Alicia!