NYCC VISTA Members
NYCC VISTA members are recruited nationally. They have varying backgrounds, abilities, and professional goals. All NYCC VISTA members have Bachelors degrees (or commensurate experience) and have had significant experience in college-level community service and/or service-learning programs. These volunteers are provided a living allowance of $10,380 ($11,388 downstate) per year, health benefits, and child care (if eligible) during their term of service by AmeriCorps VISTA, and are expected to serve a minimum of 35 hours per week for 12 months.
Thomas Ashby - Buffalo State College
I am an alumnus of Niagara University and I have lived just outside of Niagara Falls, NY my whole life. At Niagara, I earned two degrees; a B.A. in English and a M.S. in Secondary Teacher Education. I enjoy working with youth and teaching, but found myself unable to secure a steady teaching job in New York State. I then learned about VISTA. I read about the different programs and opportunities and saw it as a great chance to help out my hometown and try to do some good in the community. My placement at Buffalo State College in the Volunteer and Service-Learning Center is going excellent. My service includes linking college students in service-learning courses with community partners in need of aid. I am also working to coordinate a tutoring pilot program for fourth grade students at a local elementary school. A third hat I wear as a VISTA at Buffalo State College is as the VSLC representative at a local community center, helping coordinate different student programs as well as helping develop a computer room for the center.
Don Austin - Union College
I graduated with a B.A. (Magna cum Laude) in History from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania in 2005 and would like to begin pursuing an advanced degree in Environmental History before too awful long. When I’m not wearing my VISTA hat, I’m backpacking, hunting, fishing, biking, reading, and planning a 2009 Appalachian Trail thru-hike.
Previous volunteer work includes National History Day Competition (2003-2004), Habitat for Humanity (2005), Chemung County Historical Society (2006), Adopt A Highway (2005), canvassing with League of Conservation Voters (2004), and a full term of AmeriCorps*State (2006-2007).
I joined VISTA because I have a lot of respect for the program and its mission. I completed my first year of AmeriCorps in August 2007, which inspired me to continue working with and for volunteers. And I can’t work a job where someone is telling me what to do every five minutes. That sucks.
I coordinate a literacy program called Studying Arithmetic in Literature (SAIL) for 3rd and 4th grade students at two elementary schools in Schenectady, NY, who cannot meet the New York State standard in math and reading. In addition, I am responsible for managing a program called UCARE—Union Community Action Reaching Everyone. UCARE is a volunteer clearinghouse that matches Union College students with organizations in the Schenectady area in need of volunteer assistance.
Jason Beck - Colgate University
Jason Beck grew up in the small town of Holgate, Ohio and attended Miami University—majoring in Political Science and English/Creative Writing. He co-wrote an honors thesis on service-learning and worked for an affordable housing agency in Cincinnati before enrolling in the AmeriCorps VISTA program. Jason’s desire to be a VISTA can be traced back to his reading of Jean-Jacque Rousseau, Benjamin Barber, and Harry Boyte during his political theory classes at Miami. The democratic ideals these theorists espoused spurred him to work toward a “strong” version of democratic society. At Colgate University, Jason functions as a liaison for community partners on campus. He assists faculty in developing service-learning courses that work with impoverished communities in Utica, and also advises student groups volunteering in the city.
Steve Bonanno - SUNY Fredonia
 I was born in Denver, Colorado but moved several times - from cities to the country - until my family settled in a quiet suburb of Buffalo, NY. I chose to attend nearby SUNY Fredonia and graduated from there in May 07 with a double major in English and Spanish. While at Fredonia, I indulged in my passion of learning Spanish by studying for a semester in Mexico, which has been a great help to me in a community that has such a large Hispanic and Migrant population.
Equipped with these two degrees, I returned to the school from which I had just left. During my undergrad years I didnt think I did enough to help the community around me. This was a driving reason to why I wanted to become a VISTA, giving me the chance to see Fredonia from a different lens and have the opportunity to make a significant difference there. I work to forge partnership between student groups and community organizations so as to increase volunteerism among students. I focus on the youth and seniors and try to create sustainable programs that will enrich the lives of both of those groups.
QUOTE: The strong move quiet, the weak start riots. - Malik Cox
Jenna Bower - University of Rochester
 I’m Jenna and I grew up in the rural town of Holley, NY. I have two younger sisters—Lora and Anna—and wonderful parents—Mark and Karen—as well as a wiener dog, Gunther.
I graduated from SUNY Brockport in May 2006 with a history degree. I’m interested in cultural history and identity, and on a somewhat related note, the idea of nationalism and the role it plays in creating and exacerbating conflict.
I believe in the social value and potential of art as an arbiter of change but only when it is brought out of galleries and museums and delivered to the people. I appreciate good food and wine but I’m not a foodie or a wino. I like to cook for other people. I play soccer and I like outdoor activity. I travel to learn new things; I look forward to spending more time in South America.
I like to read and write and I like philosophical conundrums. I like being around people but I enjoy solitude more. I like having my mind blown. I prefer awe over swagger—in others and in myself.
I applied to AmeriCorps VISTA and Campus Compact specifically because I wanted to learn more about the nature of poverty in my community and work to educate and engage students through community service while helping them to fulfill the social responsibility that comes with a quality education.
At University of Rochester, I coordinate community service programs. I work with student organizations to create projects that have both educational and service components and that focus on critical issues facing the Rochester community and our society at large.
Tara Bush - University of Rochester
Hi, my name is Tara Bush. I'm originally from Dallas, TX but now reside in Rochester, NY serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the University of Rochester. I just graduated from SUNY Geneseo last August and I am twenty-six years old. I love to travel, and I have visited thirteen different countries, as well as, been all over the US. I have a wonderful family and enjoy talking, dancing, and eating. I want to make a difference in the world, and I believe I will.
Shelby Harvey - Keuka College
 My name is Shelby Harvey. I grew up in Jamestown, NY where I had the opportunity to volunteer with a variety of community organizations. Through this involvement, I developed a particular interest in anti-poverty issues and HIV/AIDS prevention and education. I recently graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a BA in Spanish. I enjoy travelling, baking, participating in anything competitive and finding the humor in every situation. I joined VISTA because I lacked a strong idea of what to pursue either educationally or professionally post-graduation; AmeriCorps seemed like the ideal way to both gain a year of professional experience and satisfy my personal desire to participate in service-related activities.
I am currently serving as the Community Service Coordinator at Keuka College. I act as the primary liaison between community organizations and the College. I continuously meet with local organization to effectively determine community needs; in efforts to address these needs I constantly work to recruit and effectively utilize student volunteers. Since my project’s priority area is family strengthening through at-risk youth intervention, I work to develop new youth-focused projects in addition to maintaining and strengthening Keuka College’s preexisting relationships with Big Brothers Big Sisters and local youth centers. My end result goal is to formalize relationships between the College and community organizations to ensure the sustainability of community service programs after the VISTA term of service is finished.
Favorite Quote: "We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it”- Sir Winston Churchill
Anna Imperial - Wagner College
I am originally from the Sanfernando Valley, CA. Before becoming the Wagner College NYCC AmeriCorps VISTA, I got my B.A in Literature which focused on world lit. and cultural studies. I became an AmeriCorps VISTA because I was interested in being apart of how the institution supported anti poverty initiatives in the community. My undergraduate studies focused on how knowledge production in the academy linked up with the narrative of third world communities.
As a VISTA, I help capacity build in a program called the Civic Engagement Certificate program. This program requires incoming students to do 270 hours of community service in primarily an at risk population throughout their four years at the institution. Incoming students are placed in a learning community (a core course) and linked to a specific community organization on Staten Island. I help them community build, monitor their progress in the program, and survey their site of service. I am basically the liaison between their professors, the Dean of Experiential learning (my supervisor), and the community site. I promote anti poverty initiatives by helping bridge the gap between the institution and the community.
Favorite Quote: "We have to remember that although the forces that guide our everyday life feel homogenous and totalizing, it is only in studying such entities that we can understand 'difference' ----- (pg.6 Postmodernism or Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism by Jameson)
Colleen McAllister - Syracuse University
 Well hello there, the name’s Colleen
And my favorite color happens to be green.
There are many places that I’ve called home
Quebec, Martinique, and SUNY Potsdam are just some.
I’m an Americorps VISTA volunteer
In Syracuse NY – I love it here!
In an office housed in Syracuse University
My job is to improve children’s literacy.
I send college students out to tutor all day long
- Extra attention for 2,600 kids can’t be wrong!
The tutors take ten hours every week
To help city children read, write, and speak.
That’s my service, twelve months in duration;
A small sacrifice to improve the population.
Joe Picalila - Binghamton University
 Alma Mater is SUNY at Fredonia, B.F.A. in Media Arts
Life Member of Alpha Phi Omega, National Service Fraternity
During my time at Fredonia I volunteered in many community service projects. When I found out about VISTA (specifically the NYCC program) I wanted to continue working on a campus with students to help make my vision of more students doing community service a reality. Since I had gone through college because of federal grants, I felt I owed something back.
My role at Binghamton University is to act as a liaison between the campus and community agencies. My goal is to collect data and help with many campus programs to further the idea of service-learning. I hope to have established a process for capacity building in these programs by the end of my term. I find my duty to be a very fulfilling one.
Theophrastus
“Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend”
Chrystal Pridemore - Hamilton College
 I was born and raised in South Eastern Kentucky in a small city nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain Range. I attended College in Barbourville, KY. While there I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in Psychology and Criminal Justice and a minor in Political Science.
I made the decision to become an AmeriCorps VISTA primarily because I wanted to take a year off before deciding what the next step in my life would be. I wanted to do more than just work a part time job. I wanted a position where I would have ample opportunity to learn and grow as a person and as a professional. So that reason along with my experience in volunteering as a member of the Bonner Scholars Program and my passion for service is why I chose AmeriCorps.
I am an AmeriCorps VISTA at Hamilton College. My role is to act as the Cornhill Community Outreach Coordinator and the Bonner Leaders Program Coordinator. I am responsible for working with our local community partners, setting up service learning opportunities for those partners, planning the annual cultural series, Urban Service Experience (alternative spring break), and serving as a member on two boards, the Communities That Care Cornhill Board and the Underground Café Advisory Board. I am also responsible for overseeing the Bonner Leaders Program and performing the day to day task of making sure students get all paperwork in, that they are going to their service sites, planning reflection and training meetings, and helping the program to grow.
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." -Walt Disney
BJ Scanlon - SUNY Geneseo
 Hello, my name is BJ Scanlon, and I'm the VISTA volunteer at SUNY Geneseo. Geneseo, is my Alma mater, I am a recent graduate from 2007. In my undergraduate studies I focused on gender and sexual identity through my major in sociology and my minor in women's studies. I am a proud member of Alpha Chi Rho National Fraternity, and am an aspiring improv comedian.
At my site I work with a combination of programs geared at student involvement in the greater community. I have formed and solidified a group that meets regularly which consists of representative from the different service organizations on campus. I am also working to recruit and fund raise for a humanitarian not-for profit (Livingston County CARES) that is currently focused on gulf coast relief. The biggest task I have this year is the creation and adaption of a mentor program geared at helping students in rural high schools further their education through one on one peer mentoring with a college student.
Quote by Ani DiFrancomy i.q.i sing sometimeslike my life is at stake'cause you're only as loudas the noises you makei'm learning to laugh as hardas i can listen'cause silenceis violencein women and poor peopleif more people were screaming then i could relax
Kate Ustach - Hobart and William Smith Colleges
 Hello! I'm Kate Ustach, originally from Lewiston, Maine, and a 2007 graduate from William Smith with an individual major in Diversity in the Workplace and a minor in writing and rhetoric. I love to play squash, watch movies, read and travel.
I joined VISTA because I wanted to be able to continue my work with student engagement in Geneva as well as have a job that was different from day to day that allows me to make a lasting impact on a community. I am a true believer in the philosophy "do what you love" and VISTA has made that a reality for me.
I work as a liaison between the students and the community. I am the designated contact for community partners and continuously discuss what volunteer opportunities are available for students. I created a council of students on various clubs and organizations to promote the collaboration of student groups in the community and a community advisory committee that informs us about issues and projects in the community.
Quote: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."
-Steve Jobs
Andrew Wheadon - Rochester Institute of Technology
My name is Andrew Wheadon, and I grew up in Canandaigua, NY. (South of Rochester, for those not familiar with the thriving metropolis) I went to school at SUNY Albany, graduating in May 2007 with a dual degree in Political Science and History. When done with my year in VISTA, I plan on attending graduate school and looking at water...for a long time. Really though, I plan on going into the field of international development, specifically resource allocation and distribution.
I joined VISTA for many reasons, but most importantly I wanted to both serve and learn more about the Greater Rochester Community. Although I had lived within close proximity my whole life, I really did not know the city or those who lived within it.
The VISTA position at RIT provides an experience unlike any other in the NYCC system. We utilize established relationships with neighborhood organizations and community centers throughout north-east Rochester, including one with the Greater Rochester Urban Bounty. Through this group, we are able to use the Vineyard, a farm within the city limits. Here, we focus on youth development, (particularly in leadership) and community empowerment. Both students and local residents not only learn about nutrition, agriculture, and other pertinent facts, but are able to apply this knowledge to hands-on work in the field.
Amanda Wilson - SUNY Oswego
My name is Amanda Wilson. I am originally from Dunkirk, New York, which is south of Buffalo. I received my B.A. in German in May of 2007 from Oswego State University. During my studies at Oswego State, I studied abroad in Osnabrück, Germany. In the future, I hope to go to graduate school for International Non-Profit Administration. I enjoy going to hockey games, fishing, and going to the movies. I also love to travel.
In college, I focused on one of my interest areas, which is the study of foreign languages. After college, however, I decided to pursue another great interest area, which is helping the community. VISTA jumped out at me as the perfect opportunity. Upon examining hundreds of positions, I found an available position as SUNY Oswego’s Center for Service Learning and Community Service. In pursuing VISTA as a second area of interest, it is my belief that I now have a clearer view of my future career goals.
At the Center for Service Learning and Community Service at Oswego State University, I have a wide variety of responsibilities. I facilitate a two credit Service Learning course for group leaders, and I co-facilitate a one credit service learning course. I oversee Oswego State’s mentoring, Special Olympics, Red Cross, and Adopt-a-Grandparent programs by participating in weekly meetings and site visits. My favorite part of this position lies in partnering with the community. I meet with community members from all different backgrounds and get a sense of the needs that the city of Oswego faces. I also work in conjunction with students, faculty, staff, and community members to develop special projects for under served populations.
Favorite Quote: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”-Anne Frank
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