Mario Marchesi: September 2011
My first month serving with AmeriCorps at UTEC has been one of the most enjoyable months I have had in a long time. The month started out with AmeriCorps training where we built connections with one another, explored Lowell and some of its vast amount of resources and became a team. After the first week of training the fourteen of us were separated into our respective departments. I work in the education department as a “GED Specialist” where myself, Terence, Amelea and our supervisor Deanna work with our Workforce Development Teens helping them to prepare for their GED exams. At first I was intimidated by the classroom because I had never formally taught in a classroom setting and was very nervous. However, the students are great kids and made me feel right at home and my co-workers are also amazing people and resources to bounce ideas off of. In the classroom we use both lesson based and one-on-one tutoring based curriculum to help make the learning atmosphere more conducive to our students.
Outside of the classroom I have participated in a number of both UTEC events and AmeriCorps events. UTEC events included the Topping Off Ceremony, the Back to School Jam, the benefit for Alda Phung and most recently the Open Mic Jam. These events were all instrumental in making connections with teens and also fostering the idea of positive community involvement within our teens. The AmeriCorps events, which included a National Day of Service and our AmeriCorps Retreat, were collectively some of the best days I have had in a long time. At the National Day of Service, we went to Sturbridge where we helped to clean up a couple’s vacation trailer that had been completely destroyed by a tornado this summer. It felt so good to be able to help someone else and at the same time to work with so many great people as a cohesive force. As for the retreat, words cannot describe just how amazing it was to spend the weekend with and truly get to know fourteen of the greatest people I’ve ever met. Overall my first month at UTEC with AmeriCorps has been nothing short of spectacular and I look forward to what the coming months bring.
"As funders vested in the welfare of Lowell, we are keenly interested in the future of the city's youth ..."
