Jillian Oates :: Campus Compact for New Hampshire

Hi! My name is Lucy Weathers and I am an AmeriCorps*VISTA that serves at Manchester West High School. I serve within the STEAM ahead program and I am their college and career coordinator. I am originally from Manchester, NH but for four years I went to Drew University in Madison, New Jersey to get my bachelors in biological anthropology. When I’m not working I love to read non-fiction, travel, be with friends, and play my ukulele. I am very interested in educational reform, so hopefully in my future I can research that a little bit more. I am very much a kinesthetic learner so I am planning on trying to teach in a lot of different areas after my second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. My first stop will be South America for a year. I would love to become somewhat fluent in Spanish, teach English, and finally see Machu Picchu. After that I would love to work in New Orleans, LA. I have heard some interesting educational reform happening down there and I would love to be in a city that has that much energy! I love younger students but I have worked with high schoolers this past year and it is interesting to see how much growth they achieve in a year and how much initiative they have!

I loved my major in college, it is a part of who I am, but after I left college I became interested in education. Go figure. I worked at Manchester Community College with an AmeriCorps VISTA for one year, helping ELL students and students with disabilities transition into the college atmosphere. I taught them time management and study skills and I loved it! After my year there, I heard from the president of the community college that there was a VISTA position available at West High School and it felt like I was at the perfect place at the perfect time. And I was! My official position at STEAM ahead is college and career coordinator. I help find community resources to help make the connections between what students are learning in the classroom to real world examples. That’s not all I do, since this is a brand new program at West I get to help put together newsletters and open houses. I take pictures for our bulletin boards and I meet with officials that want to further the STEAM ahead program. I have found that my job has let me step into so many roles and try out so many ideas. For a hands on learner, I have been in heaven working with the STEAM students, teachers, and administrators. I feel much more comfortable in my role(s) this year and I can’t wait to see what this year will bring!