My Two Years with City Year Greater Boston: From Serving in the Classroom to Physical Service

My two years at City Year have looked very different at a glance. Although my days now consist of prepping a wall for painting rather than prepping students for their upcoming tests, I continue to feel as though I am directly impacting students and setting them up for success.  

I first found City Year at my college’s post-grad service fair, where I walked past each table waiting for one to speak to me as though one of them would make my post-grad decision for me. Somehow, I managed to find the City Year table, which sparked my journey of service. I have always had a passion for helping in schools since I was still in school myself, so much so that I’ve considered pursuing a career in education. I committed to my first year of service with the hopes of using my passion for service to make a difference in the lives of students.  

My first year was everything I could’ve hoped for and so much more. I was able to build a community within both the City Year space as well as my school, The Keverian K-8 School in Everett, so much so that a second year was the clear path for me. In my first year, I had the chance to participate in the MLK Day of Service where I spent the day leading a project that consisted of painting a hallway full of detailed murals of inspirational people of color. There, I was able to be a leader in service while also producing a creative product that can act as a welcoming and beautiful space for students. I have always had a great passion for art along with service and the work of the Civic Engagement team seemed like it was truly the perfect combination of the two. After that event, I decided to pursue a second year of service at City Year Greater Boston, but this time with the Civic Engagement Team.   

The Boston Civic Engagement Team gets to continue City Year’s Mission of supporting student growth in ways that involve pursuing large-scale service projects at the whole-school level rather than acting as tutors and mentors within classrooms. The more I do as a Senior Project Leader, the more I’ve been able to appreciate that mission. I have gotten to lead volunteers in a large variety of projects such as mural painting, constructing picnic tables, creating student and teacher supply kits, and so much more. The Civic Engagement Team allows me to immediately see the tangible impact I will make in a school. Whether it’s painting a tall mural with the school’s mascot thus creating a welcoming environment for students or packing a bag full of supplies that a teacher can use in their classroom, I get to provide something to a school space that will immediately create positive change.  

The lessons that I was able to learn and the connections I was able to make during my time in a classroom allow me to remember my “why” when working with my current team. Although I do not interact with students directly as often, I know my work still greatly contributes to their experience students in schools. I see it in the excitement we see from students when they see us painting their halls. With every project, I am reminded of my students from last year and the excitement they would have for these results. I strive to do my absolute best work at every event because of them and am sure to bring them up in conversation at any chance I get when I am with our volunteers. I think about my 5th Grade students with each project. They act as my reminder of who I am doing this work for and who I am impacting.  

Another essential part of my role, and different from last year’s work, has been my team. When I was in a classroom, there was more independence during the school day because I was the only Student Success Coach in that classroom for the entire six-hour school day. I was able to work with my team more after school during clubs, support time, and events. However, this year is very different since we do not work based on the typical school day schedule. The Boston Civic Engagement Team works together during the entire service day. Therefore, we have been able to learn and grow together throughout the day as well as throughout the year. We rely on each other for support during prep as well as on event days. Since we work so closely and on a daily basis, we have learned so much about each other both personally as well as professionally. I have been able to grow as a leader, a teammate and even personally because of the opportunity to work with a larger team. I am very appreciative of this team of eight and everything I have been able to learn from them as well as applying the lessons I have learned from my past teammates.  

Despite the differences between my two service years, I truly believe that my passion for helping students and schools is just as great as it was when I saw that booth at my college’s fair. I am very grateful to continue to support the mission of City Year within a new avenue.