CalSERVES AmeriCorps, The Beginning

Well, It happened, I finally started with CalSERVES AmeriCorps! I moved out to Santa Rosa and into my new home with my 3 room mates who are in the program with me! I started work on the 15th with so much excitement running through my body, and I have to say, one week and a half later the excitement is still there and only growing! I have never felt so alive in my life, and never felt this feeling of total completeness. I have truly found my passion and I could not be happier. The CalSERVES program is everything I imagined and more. Now, I am not going to say its not been slightly hard to adjust to the area and the job is stressful at times, but I am staying positive and focusing on my passion. I am still in training until next Thursday, and then the real fun starts, I MEET MY STUDENTS FOR THE YEAR! I am beyond excited! I often look at my fellow AmeriCorps members in the classroom or huddled in a group outside, and I see our logo on the shirts,  It's so picture perfect. I am FINALLY an AmeriCorps member, something I have wanted for almost 2 years now. I am so lucky and grateful for the opp. to be a part of such a truly amazing and life changing organization! The biggest thing I know i have to work on is staying positive, because I know there are going to be times when it will be hard, but I will stay focused on my passion and my students and I know that will bring a smile back to my face! I am so glad I am following my dreams!

, and everything changes...

So, I sit down one day, and I really start to analyze my life, and I realize how much my views, opinions, and priorities are changing. Its so weird how life and the mind work. We slowly change daily and at times never even realize it. Over the past year and a half I have realized the passion that God has placed in my heart and life. That passion is community and national service work, anything to do with helping others, helping those who are truly in need, and giving back to this amazing earth that God has provided us. I live daily in excitement for my new passion, and since that day I have been trying to figure out ways to use my passion. Back in September of 2009 I looked into a community and national service organization called AmeriCorps, a organization that supports and funds smaller organizations of community service work. I was very excited and applied to tons of jobs all around the country. I was accepted into a program called SAGA (Southeast Alaska Guidance Association) where I was to spend six months improving lands and lives around Southeast Alaska. I was scheduled to start in April of 2010, but due to a life threatening accident the same month that I was supposed to start my program I was unable to do start. It literally shattered my world and broke my heart. After a few months I healed and got back out there and applied, applied, and applied my butt off. In December 2010/ January 2011 I was accepted into 4 programs, but there was this one program that stood out to me amongst all the others. A program that I had not yet been accepted to nor even finished all of my 3 interviews with. The program was called CalSERVES, a student mentor program in Santa Rosa CA. My job (if accepted) would consist of helping elementary school students that were falling behind on their state testing scores along with after school programs and more. I declined all the other program acceptances because there was just something, something telling me "Koby, this program is the one, you WILL get this." Well, after a few months of insane anxiety, tons of research, and bugging the CalSERVES team, I got the call that I had been accepted as a full time student mentor with CalSERVES for the 2011/2012 term of service ! I could not have been any happier, and a feeling of relief fell over me. I start my term with them August 15th of this year. I am mentally preparing myself for this program daily, continuing my research on the program, and doing everything I can to make sure that I will be able to help these children to the best of my ability. It has been a long process, but I am so thankful for where I am and for the difference I am about to make in the lives of others. I do want to talk about one person who I feel has influenced me and shown me all the love, care, and support  in the world. Rhonda Dawson and her love for helping others and everyone around her (along with the adoption of her son from Hong Kong) I truly feel like has made a huge impact and helped me bring this new life long passion to surface. I am so ready for this new chapter in my life, and I am excited to share it all with you along the way!