Member Spotlight: Elijah Crowder, YWCA BCBL AmeriCorps member

Meet Elijah Crowder, serving with the YWCA Building Communities, Bettering Lives AmeriCorps program at Junior Achievement of Greater Birmingham.

What motivated you to join AmeriCorps? I was originally motivated to join AmeriCorps because I was excited to be serving in a professional setting while stepping out of my comfort zone to bring a true impact to my community. I made the decision to serve a second year because I fell in love with the services we provide to the community. AmeriCorps truly exceeded my expectations in delivering quality service to the community and helping shape others' lives as well as my own.

What would you like to get out of this service opportunity? The power of words and communication has been extremely impactful in my life. This year I plan to soar in my ability to speak publicly and motivate people both during my service year and after.

What will your service focus on for the 2018-2019 program year? During this service year, my focus is to coordinate a program called "High School Heroes". This program serves all high schools throughout Alabama. I will be helping students improve their leadership abilities as well as their presentation and conflict resolution skills. I will also connect students to their elementary schools and they will make presentations to other kids. They will teach them financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship.

What are your plans after AmeriCorps? After my AmeriCorps service year, I will continue to pursue my degree in communications. Eventually, I want to run an organization where I can help young men express themselves and reach their full potential by being productive in their communities.

Thank you for your service Elijah!