What is a day in the life of a Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps Job Coach like? Hear from 2020-2021 AmeriCorps member, Will Crews!
After virtually completing my undergrad degree this spring, and spending a summer contemplating what future options I have during this pandemic, I found myself lying awake in late July applying for AmeriCorps positions all over the country. Like most things in 2020, I didn’t expect this opportunity to actually happen, leaving me with no expectations as to what would come with my AmeriCorps service term. So when I was actually in the car driving from Huntsville, AL to Austin in August I figured it was time for me to start preparing for a year that I knew would be rewarding, challenging, and like nothing I had experienced before.
I remember the first few weeks training via Google Meet with my fellow AmeriCorps members, and logging off after hours of information thinking “what the heck did I get myself into?”
I’d be sitting in my room listening to Patti explain what felt like a whole different language, filled with acronyms and vocabulary of the immigration process that we’re brand new to me. How would I be able to be effective in this job? Will my clients be able to understand my French? Was I stupid for thinking that I would be able to serve and connect with the women at Posada? I’m not sure if it’s because of our pandemic ridden society or the tense political state of the election, but my six months working at Posada Esperanza has felt simultaneously like six weeks and six years.
I’ve had the pleasure of being a job coach for three different women, all with their own unique situations, stories, and personalities. While I focus mainly on finding employment and accessing benefits for these women, I also get to walk alongside them as they face their own challenges as newcomers to the US. However, not every day is walking through challenges, and I have gotten to make some pretty great memories with my clients as well.
From playing the same DaVido song on repeat in the car, learning how to make different Congolese dishes, and attempting to speak Lingala, I’ve genuinely enjoyed getting to learn more about their cultures, which gives them a sense of normalcy in a very transient, fragile chapter of their lives.
From attending more prenatal appointments than I ever thought I would as a 22 year old man to getting to share the exciting news with someone who qualified for a work permit, there is something different and unexpected everyday at Posada. Even though I am by no means an expert, I have learned so much about how to advocate for those stuck in a bureaucratic, hoop-jumping system in ways that are sustainable and self-sufficient.
While I have been able to see the challenges that come with migrating to the US, I have also gotten to see the persistence and grit that the clients at Posada [Literacy Coalition Partner Organization] carry with them as they are starting their new lives here.
I love getting to work everyday with my coworkers, who have quickly become friends, and with an organization that is supported and well-integrated throughout the city of Austin. Whether at your favorite Ethiopian food truck (reminder to check out Ethiopian-Eritrean Food Truck on the corner of Pleasant Valley and Cesar Chavez), your frequently visited HEB, or the hotels scattered around the city, Casa and Posada have assisted hundreds of immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers into becoming active and integral parts of the community.
There are definitely days of defeat, where a likely job opportunity falls through the crack or a task takes three hours longer than planned, that can drain my spirit, but the frustrations of these days are always outweighed by the days where progress is visible and tangent- by seeing progression and the self-pride the clients get when they land their first job, find their first apartment, or finally feel that they have found a safe home in Austin.
– Will Crews, Texas Family Literacy AmeriCorps member, Job Coach, serving with Literacy Coalition partner Casa Marianella – Posada Esperanza in Austin, Texas