NCCC Atlantic Region Class 18 Induction Ceremony Speech by Class 17 NCCC Alumna Kiera Westfall

Hello and welcome to the NCCC Atlantic

region Class XVIII Induction ceremony. My

name is Kiera Westfall. I am a proud alumna

of the Atlantic Region's Class XVII Corps,

specifically as a member of the Raven Five

and Phoenix Three teams. Currently I am

serving in Philadelphia as an AmeriCorps

VISTA with the Greater Philadelphia

Coalition Against Hunger and the Deputy

Director of the Mayor. I want to first

thank the staff of this campus for

bestowing upon me this honor today. By

representing all of the past and current

AmeriCorps members serving, I want to

officially congratulate and welcome you

into our service family.

One year ago I sat in the same seat you are

now. I had no idea what to expect. I was

still feeling nervous around my new

teammates. Mostly though I just remember

the excitement I felt to finally begin the

months of direct service that I had

committed myself to. I wanted to experience

new communities. I wanted to be a physical

part of a larger force for change. I know

that many of you are thinking these things

now. So today I will not recite my NCCC

experience. My journey was my own, as yours

will be. Each team's year will look very

different. Instead I want to leave you with

a list- the most important lessons I

learned during my year. I hope they offer a

bit of wisdom, something to consider as you

depart and officially begin your year.

My first lesson: Don't just serve, live!

Every community you visit this year will

have its own set of characteristics and

quirks. Take the time to explore each one.

Support the economies of local businesses

as much as you can. By exploring an area,

you can discover the needs of the residents

and the most effective ways to solve

problems. It is also a wonderful

opportunity to inform residents how your

team is serving. The memories of your

connection to a place and its people will

outlast the project outcomes.

Secondly, understand that you may not

change the world with every project. There

will be assignments that are simply not

self-sustaining. Most of the invasive

species removal projects must be repeated

annually but allow for native species to be

reintroduced to an area. There are project

sponsors who are unfamiliar with the amount

of work that a team of ten eager AmeriCorps

members will accomplish in a short amount

of time. However even the most difficult

projects have the ability to enhance a

team's cohesiveness. These experiences will

act as catalysts of personal and

professional growth. Do not allow yourself

to get discouraged with a difficult

assignment. Expect a diverse year.

Third, balancing the living and working

aspects of the relationships with your

teammates over the next nine months. Take a

moment and glance down the row you are

sitting in. This group will become your

family. Just like a family, you can't pick

your team. Over the course of this year you

will find yourself becoming friends with

people whose paths you previously would

have never crossed. Your patience and

ability to empathize will be tested daily.

But after surviving nine months of

successes and challenges, you will have

enhanced your understanding of what it

means to be a diverse family where every

member is celebrated for what they can

contribute.

Because you will be spending so much of

your time with your team, I stress the

importance of having friends outside of

this group for balance. After two months of

an isolated existence, you will be

desperate for a chance to talk to someone

else. These friends will keep you grounded,

while reminding you that whatever obstacle

your team faces, you all will overcome

together.

Today you become official AmeriCorps

members. You are all now part of a network

of people who understand what it means to

give up many of life's luxuries to squeeze

your life into a red bag, live with your

co-workers, and eat all of your meals on

$4.75 a day. In nine months when you've

graduated and gone home you'll realize how

quickly the glazed look appears when you

begin stories with, "In AmeriCorps…" You

will return to homes all over the country,

but will remain connected because of this

experience.

"Be the change you want to see in the

world." Ghandhi's message here is a

proactive charge, a challenge to arise and

commit oneself to service in action. As

AmeriCorps members every individual here

has already made this initial commitment.

Your months of active service are just

beginning. But this message does not stop

at the community level. It also calls for a

personal investment. In order to be fully

engaged in this experience you must allow

for the change to penetrate your heart and

mind. Begin by asking yourself,"Why do I

want to serve?" "Where do I want to be in

nine months? Who do I want to be?" Posing

these questions to yourself, searching

yourself for the answers, that is the most

important advice I can give you.

You will undoubtedly leave this year

changed. You will have met, befriended,

lived, and worked with a very diverse group

of 18-24 year olds. You will laugh, cry,

yell at, fight with, and love many people

in this room over the next nine months. As

you overcome obstacles within difficult

projects together, your team will become

your family. Your TL will become your ally

and your friend. And after living this

wonderfully unpredictable and slightly

insane AmeriCorps life, you will return

home. I ask you these questions today

because I want this year to become an

opportunity to better yourself. Become more

patient, develop your public speaking

skills, challenge your perceptions about

someone. Be your own source of change.

Answering the question of "Who am I?" will

shed the light on the "Why?" of your

service. This knowledge will help you not

only in the understanding of yourself but

in knowing where to go from here.

Congratulations Class XVIII, it's your

year. Now go get things done!