Thank You for Your Service, Alice!
After completing 2 years of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Alice will be moving on! Read her letter to the community below.
Over the past 2 years, Alice has been a huge asset to the CCA Team. With a focus on our land education programs, Alice has created and implemented an array of hands-on, outdoor education curriculum for the local community. From designing a brand-new Jr. Ranger program for McInnis Canyons to filming educational videos, Alice's work will have a lasting impact on CCA. Make sure to thank her for her service to our community and wish her good luck before she heads north!
Two years with CCA has gone by in what feels like only a moment. While I am excited to announce I will be moving on to the Environmental Protection Agency as a Public Affairs Officer in Seattle, it’s truthfully bittersweet, because CCA has been so wonderful to me. This upcoming opportunity is an excellent combination for me of writing and environmental work, and I have an incredibly long list of thanks to give, because I certainly didn’t do this alone.
First, a big thank you to all in the community who helped make my time at CCA extraordinarily memorable. Knowing who we’re serving is so special, and I thank all who came to a CCA event, as a participant or volunteer, in my time there.
I owe and gladly give a huge thank you to the CCA staff. When I applied for this role, I had a B.A. in English, six months teaching experience, and a year in marketing under my belt. However, most of CCA’s events are ecology, geology, or other -ology related. I didn’t have experience with any -ology. Simply put, CCA took a chance on me. They saw something in me that compelled them to hire me - and for giving me this chance, for giving me experience in environmental work, I am forever grateful. I owe my next adventure to CCA. I know a work environment like the one they created is extremely rare. I will cherish it and hold it close to my heart forever.
It would be a tremendous error not to thank the BLM staff, who helped me learn those -ologies and were patient with me. They took me in, taught me everything they could, and gave me experiences I would have never had on any other job. I have confidence moving into a federal career thanks to the care they showed me.
One of my bosses said to me at an event, early in my time with CCA, pointing to staff and volunteers, “these are the people you want working for your public lands.” He was entirely right to a degree I didn’t understand then. Each person I have gotten to know, through work or community events, is thoughtful, passionate, and beautifully in awe of our public lands. I am so thankful for all this role has shown and taught me, to the inspiration I have drawn from the spirit of the community, and to everyone I have met along the way. Thank you almost feels like it’s not enough, but I know I’ll carry with me a gratitude so dearly devoted to this area and these people. Each time I see the grandeur of a canyon wall, or meet a vivacious volunteer, or see someone bursting with ideas, my mind will return to my time at CCA, and I know I’ll smile, and a thank you to all of you will flutter through my mind.
Warmest regards,
Alice