Between March 16 - 18, 2026, Campus Compact held its annual conference, Compact26, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Illinois. Compact26 is the largest and most inclusive national conference focused on the role of higher education in building healthy communities and fostering a just and equitable democracy. With nearly 800 participants, this was Campus Compact’s largest conference to date. Three days of workshops, meet-ups, poster sessions, author talks, roundtables, and plenary sessions allowed for presenters and attendees alike to learn in fellowship with one another.
Representing the Campus Compact VISTA program at Compact26 were our four VISTA Leaders (pictured on the left) and 11 VISTA members from seven states, including Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia. Our Campus Compact VISTA members had the opportunity to present highlights of their year of service through a Poster Presentation, a Knowledge-to-Action Workshop, or a Promising Practice session.
VISTA member Ariana Sanchez, serving at the University of California, San Diego, and her supervisors co-presented Hope in Action: UC San Diego’s College Corps Model for Equitable Community Engagement, highlighting how UC San Diego adapted the statewide College Corps model to its local context, sharing lessons learned in partnership development, inclusive student support, and aligning service with community priorities.
Four of our AmeriCorps VISTAs hosted the “AmeriCorps VISTA Voice on Food Insecurity” panel, sharing their knowledge, experiences, and insights from working with student populations and anti-poverty initiatives on their university campuses. Campus Compact’s AmeriCorps VISTA Leader, Sofia D’Errico, moderated the panel for fellow AmeriCorps VISTA members Zora Hancock, serving at James Madison University, Ian Richmond, serving at National Louis University, and Brianna Cooper, serving at the University of Texas at El Paso.
The panel began with reflections from the VISTAs on their early service, noting how their perspectives on food insecurity evolved and how it can manifest differently across various student populations. For institutions starting food pantries, one inspirational message was given from Ian Richmond to those in the audience: “If you’re nervous about starting a food pantry or intervention but you’re worried about its effectiveness or capacity, all I can say is just go for it because food insecure students right now are out there currently waiting, and even if you can reach just one person, that’s an impact made and a person helped.”
Panel attendees were then invited to continue the conversation and learn more about the impact of Campus Compact VISTA projects on food insecurity during a poster session, where each of our panelists presented:
- 275%: The Impact of a Campus Food Pantry VISTA
Presented by Ian Richmond, serving at National Louis University
- Utilizing Student Leaders in Non-Traditional Higher Education Environments
Presented by Catherine Kerr, serving at Urban College of Boston
- Feeding Hope: Empowering Communities Through Culture and Volunteerism
Presented by Brianna Cooper, serving at the University of Texas at El Paso (pictured above)
- Food, The Thread That Connects Us
Presented by Zora Hancock, serving at James Madison University (pictured above)
- Michigan State University's "Shifting the Paradigm in Michigan: Building More Circular Economies"
Presented by Geoffrey Gracia, serving at Michigan State University
- The Kids Will Be Fine: Job Readiness in College-Aged Youth
Presented by Isabel Conners, serving at The College for Social Innovation
- Feeding Hope: Empowering Communities Through Culture and Volunteerism
Presented by Brianna Cooper, serving at the University of Texas at El Paso
- Utilizing AmeriCorps VISTA to Build Capacity and Relationships with Local Nonprofits
Presented by Noemi Carrillo, serving at Agnes Scott College, with her supervisor, Blayne McDonald
The Campus Compact VISTA team is immensely proud of our VISTA members who showed up and shared the impact of their AmeriCorps service at Campus Compact’s highly anticipated Compact26 conference.