Introducing our 2025-26 Campus Compact VISTA Cohort
This year, 45 Campus Compact VISTA members are serving as part of a national cohort, working on projects that support low-income college students, K–12 learners, and local communities. Their efforts address pressing issues such as education, food security, basic needs, housing, veterans and military families, college access and success, workforce development, and more.
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing our VISTA members' bios. Today, 10 of our VISTA members are introducing themselves and sharing the meaningful work they’ll be dedicating the next year to advancing – Please join us in welcoming them!
Zora Hancock
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
"As the second-year AmeriCorps VISTA at James Madison University, my role is to increase the capacity of our pantry and educate the community on how to recognize and combat food insecurity. My work for The Pantry at JMU includes grant writing, program development, and assessment. Outside of my direct pantry work, I coordinate our food recovery and meal voucher program with our university dining partner. Our main goal is to serve students whose basic needs are not currently being met and eradicate food insecurity on campus; however, I also enable other students, faculty, and staff to be able to do their part."
Eleana Anderson
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
"I serve as the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at the University of Michigan's Ginsberg Center, where I support the Community Partnerships Team in strengthening local volunteer infrastructure. By conducting research and deepening partnerships with organizations like the United Way and the Washtenaw Association of Volunteer Coordinators, my work helps the Center better understand and address the needs of volunteer coordinators. My capacity-building effort ultimately aims to enhance volunteer engagement and support local organizations in more effectively addressing poverty-related challenges."
Amar Gandhi
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA
"I am a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as a Data Impact Analyst for one year at George Mason University's (GMU) Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning (CECiL) in Fairfax, VA. My project's goal is to effectively track, visualize, and analyze community engagement data. I will participate in the evolution of Collaboratory, a faculty-community engagement tracking platform, using it for robust data entry, tracking, and visualization. The main objective is to improve data-driven decision-making processes and strengthen community engagement outcomes for GMU across the Northern Virginia region. This project highlights and supports education and experiential learning, offering critical job training for community-engaged students."
Casey Aubrey
Greenfield Community College
Greenfield, MA
"I am the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving at Greenfield Community College. I am serving as a VISTA full-time for a year to build capacity around service learning and civic engagement initiatives on campus and in the community. I do this by helping to facilitate volunteer & civic engagement opportunities for students, while organizing systems to track & incentivize them."
Autumn Strange
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw, GA
"My VISTA project aims to build Kennesaw State University's Military and Veteran Service Program’s capacity, increasing the number of veterans, military members, and their family members graduating and continuing on to meaningful careers by providing a holistic approach to support the unique needs of this population. By ensuring services across two campuses, I will develop, maintain, and expand partnerships and assist with the planning and execution of events for military-connected students. My work as a VISTA will also investigate program efficacy through data research and student surveys."
Sophie Bottum Musa
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
"I am the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member at Georgetown University’s Center for Social Justice. I aim to initiate a basic needs program for students who attend the university, as well as build volunteer infrastructure to support a long-time community partner, the Father McKenna Center. The Father McKenna Center is a drop-in center in the D.C. area for homeless men, providing both a day program serving breakfast, lunch, and shelter, as well as a food pantry for families in need. I hope to increase Georgetown’s partnerships with the McKenna Center and other organizations, as well as identify barriers for low-income Georgetown students."
Elijah J.M. Griggs
Roosevelt University
Chicago, IL
"To aid Roosevelt University’s food pantry, my Campus Compact VISTA service year is focused on conducting community outreach to improve services and build volunteer systems with the ultimate goal of reducing food insecurity in the student body. An area of particular interest to me is expanding the food pantry’s offerings to provide a more diverse variety of options to students."
Catherine Kerr
Urban College of Boston
Boston, MA
"I am currently serving in my second year as the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at Urban College of Boston. In serving closely with the Student Success and Academic Affairs departments on campus, I aim to strengthen the college's ability to support, create opportunities for, and target communications to low-income students, many of whom are English Language Learners."
Noemi Carillo
Agnes Scott College
Decatur, GA
"I'm the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving for a second year at Agnes Scott College. My project serves older adult homeowners in the city of Decatur, and we work towards creating a more efficient and resilient Decatur. We work on creating more volunteer opportunities between the college and the community to ensure we're active participants to this vision we have for a lifelong community."
Noah Algao
Tufts University
Medford, MA
"After serving as a Campus Compact Americorps VISTA at Stanford University and Canopy, I am returning to serve as the Campus Compact VISTA at Tufts University, where I am implementing strategies and designing collaboration opportunities between the Community Action Agency of Somerville and Tufts’ Tisch College. I hope to improve the effectiveness of this 20-year relationship and build a model for other community-academic partnerships."
Alexander VanAntwerp
Worcester, MA
"VISTA Coordinator - I help Student Veterans and Dependents of Veterans connect to local programs and aim to decrease the information barrier required to engage with Veterans benefits and assistance.”
Amara Zavala
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, Virginia
"I am a first year Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA who is serving at the University of Mary Washington. I have two projects in promoting food security, one with the university itself and another with the Phoenix Center for Innovative Learning, an alternative high school."
Ayanna McDaniel
The Chicago School
Chicago, IL
"Hello! My name is Ayanna and I am a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving as First Generation Support at The Chicago School in Chicago, IL where I assist First Generation students through our First Gen Student Success program. With over 63% of The Chicago School students identifying as First Gen, I aim to provide them with peer mentoring and specialized resources that will guide them through their journey at The Chicago School!”
Blai Yang
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
"I serve as the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Member at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay's (UWGB) Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). With my project focus area being education, I serve low-income college students, and I help improve and develop the CCE student programs. My goals are to develop an innovative, self-sustainable system and materials for the CCE programs."
Brea Moore
Washington and Lee University
Lexington City, Virginia
"I am a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at Washington and Lee University and am currently serving for a year in the Office of Community-Based Learning. I am responsible for developing programming to eliminate barriers of entry to community engagement and service faced by low-income and first generation W&L students. i am passionate about my two current projects: to develop and run a driver's education pilot program, and mentor a cohort group of federal work-study students working off-campus at local non-profits."
Brianna D. Cooper
University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX
"Brianna D. Cooper is the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Member for the Center for Community Engagement at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where they focus on advancing food security initiatives. Brianna is passionate about fostering equitable communities and addressing systemic challenges through service-driven solutions. With a strong foundation in community engagement and a deep dedication to creating lasting impact, Brianna continues to work toward building a more just and inclusive society."
Emily Rademacher
The Pennsylvania State University
Centre County, Pennsylvania
"I'm a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member, and I'll be spending my service year at Penn State University. I work with the Restorative Justice Initiative to improve access to higher education for people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Receiving additional education helps expand justice-impacted people's career opportunities, reduces recidivism rates, and provides countless benefits for the individual, family, and community."
Ezra Packard
Stanford-Valley Verde
Santa Barbara, California
"My name is Ezra Packard and I am serving this year at Valley Verde and Stanford University as a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA in San Jose, California. My project aims to improve the effectiveness of gardening education programs to address regional food insecurity. Right now, I am interviewing community members for a community needs assessment to better understand their long-term food needs and access to services."
Faith Fernandez
Stanford-Nuestra Casa
Stanford, California
"I am serving as a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at Nuestra Casa and Stanford University. My project focuses on expanding access to safe and affordable drinking water for residents of East Palo Alto, a community that has faced longstanding water quality and affordability challenges. By developing educational materials, tracking data, and supporting outreach, the ultimate goal is to strengthen community capacity and advance public health and economic stability."
Geoff Gracia
MSU-Circular Economy
East Lansing, Michigan
"As a Circular Economy Specialist VISTA, I gather and analyze research data, create GIS maps and economic spreadsheets, and build outreach networks to support sustainable resource use. My project serves Michigan communities, Lansing-area businesses, and MSU students and faculty by empowering them to reduce waste, strengthen local supply chains, and generate new green jobs. The ultimate goal is to alleviate poverty through sustainable economic growth and workforce development.”
Hadley Stevick
Stanford-Thrive
Stanford, California
"I am a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving at Stanford University-Thrive. My VISTA project's focus is building capacity for organizations providing mentorship and out-of-school programming to K-12 students in the communities surrounding Stanford University.”
Ian Richmond
National Louis University
Chicago, IL
"I am a second-year Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving in the food pantry at National Louis University in Chicago, IL. With a performance measure outcome of "healthy futures," my project's goal is to ensure that acquiring free groceries is always easy and reliable for NLU students—that way they can focus on education.”
Isabel Conners
CfSI-Evaluations
Boston, MA
"Currently, I serve as the Evaluations VISTA at College for Social Innovation in Boston, MA, where I mainly work on data analysis, survey review and implementation, and proposing new ways to gather data that will allow us to better serve and manage our Fellows. At College for Social Innovation, we partner gap year, college, and international students with social impact internships in Boston or their home colleges through our two programs, Semester in the City and Semester for Impact, while also providing courses on professional development and careers. We endeavor to provide accessible internships to underrepresented students, especially those that are First-generation, Pell-eligible, or BIPOC. Our goal is to provide experiential learning opportunities that increase the competencies of college-aged individuals and prepare them for a successful transition into their careers and do so by centering 20 best-practice skills that we support the Fellows in growing throughout the semester.”
Jeannine Lopez
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
"As a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at the University of Kansas, I assist in the development and management of the Center for Service Learning's economic opportunity programs. We lessen financial barriers to service through need-based employment programs and service awards. Our student employment program, in partnership with local nonprofits, increases job readiness for students through a cohort-style professional development training series.”
Kristin Flanagan
White Mountains Community College
Berlin, NH
"I am working with Student Success at WMCC, with the primary goals of fostering a more engaged student body, most especially ensuring that our remote students feel they are part of our WMCC community. Higher engagement creates a higher likelihood of graduation and positive transition into career or post-graduation pathway outcomes, leveraging the college to support economic mobility for low-income students and graduates in our community.”
Kristina Schaible
Emerson College
Boston, MA
"As the first AmeriCorps VISTA at the Elma Lewis Center, I am co-designing platforms and systems to gather meaningful insights into the social impact of all youth programming initiatives. Student insights will help the team transform programming to better serve the community. We hope to see an increase in the number of students in the Greater Boston area demonstrating stronger academic engagement and enhanced social-emotional skills."
Linda Vera
Stanford-Rise
Stanford, CA
“As an AmeriCorps VISTA Member serving as the Environmental Justice Program Coordinator with Rise South City at Stanford University, I support frontline and low-income communities disproportionately impacted by climate change. My project focuses on capacity building through volunteer engagement, environmental justice programming, and community outreach. I aim to advance equitable climate resilience and reduce environmental burdens in frontline neighborhoods."
Mak Morales
Portland Street Response
Portland, OR
"I'm a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA at Portland State University. As a coordinator in the Multicultural Retention Services office, I support low-income and first-generation college students. By offering these students culturally-informed programming, advising, and community building opportunities we improve their graduation rates, thus, advancing their opportunity for upward social and economic mobility.”
Maya Brehon
Southern Connecticut State University
New Haven, CT
"Hi! My name is Maya Brehon, and I serve as a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, CT. My mission is to empower lower-income scholars by designing and hosting workshops focused on financial literacy and career readiness. Whether it's navigating student loans, building a budget, crafting a resume, or preparing for interviews, I’m here to support students throughout their college journey and help them build a strong foundation for life beyond graduation.”
Melody Norton
University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA
"I am a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia for the 25-26 year. I am serving low-income K-12 students at an after-school tutoring program located directly within their apartment complex. Both the student volunteers and the students being tutored benefit from the homework club. The anti-poverty outcome I aim to achieve is an increase of students with improved academic engagement."
Michelle Dong
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Dartmouth, MA
"I'm a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving at UMass Dartmouth in Massachusetts for a year! I’m aiming to serve first year students through creating a comprehensive mentoring system that utilizes best practices. The purpose of this project is to create a system that’s easy to navigate so more students stay in college and graduate. Through the creating a mentoring system, I hope to foster a greater sense of belonging which in turn would increase retention rate and hopefully create greater social mobility for students.”
Minerva Martinez Acosta
George Mason University-Bonner
Arlington, VA
"I am a Campus Compact Americorps VISTA serving at George Mason University. I am serving limited income students and communities in Fairfax, VA by supporting service learning and student service organizations through the Office of Community Engagement and Civic Learning's (CECiL) and work with the Bonner Program. I am currently creating a service student organization for CECiL -- organizations would be able to access resources and educational programming from CECiL.”
Murriah Warren
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
"Murriah Warren is the Center for Community Engaged Learning's Campus Compact/AmeriCorps VISTA. She specializes in the America Reads/America Counts program and is excited about supporting it after working as a mentor and tutor in Lansing public schools for three years.”
Nolan Thompson
University of Maine at Augusta
Augusta, ME
"I currently work for New Ventures Maine, a statewide program of the University of Maine at Augusta, as an AmeriCorps/Vista building capacity for their financial literacy and academic attainment and success programs.”
Rabina Rai
Southern New Hampshire University
Hooksett, NH
"I serve as the AmeriCorps VISTA for the SNHU Amiko Youth Nutrition Program. My project focuses on strengthening food security and nutrition education for low-income K–12 students, many of whom are from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. The ultimate anti-poverty outcome is to increase youth access to healthy meals, improve their health knowledge, and foster sustainable habits that support long-term well-being.”
Ray Karaczun
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA
"I am a 2nd year Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA serving at The Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth (ISRY) affiliated with Harvard University. We serve middle school-aged youth in states across America. My project is developing out-of-school time curricula to aid youth in their 21st century skills and STEM knowledge."
Sarah Butchko
CfSI-Service Expansion
Boston, MA
"I am serving as the Equitable Service Expansion VISTA at the College for Social Innovation (CFSI) in Boston, MA. CFSI provides access to transformative experiential learning by connecting students to internships in the social impact sector, helping them gain valuable mentorship and develop workforce skills. My role focuses on expanding program accessibility for low-income students through identifying potential scholarship and financial support pathways, working on strategic partnership development, and creating marketing materials."
Zane Jones
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
"I'm a Campus Compact Americorps VISTA serving with Texas State University and the National Museum of the Pacific War. During my service year, I will be expanding our traveling trunk program, a free teaching resource that brings WWII artifacts and educational activities into classrooms of low-income school districts. My goal is to increase learning outcomes in the classroom, empowering communities through education."
Over the coming weeks we’ll continue introducing the other members of our 2025-26 Campus Compact VISTA cohort. In the meantime, they will continue to progress their capacity building work, making a difference in their communities.
Interested in hosting a Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA in the 2026-27 program year? Join us for one of our upcoming host site information sessions!