VISTA Spotlight: George Shardlow

We got a lot of good feedback on our guest post from AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member Tara McKenzie.  We have quite a few of these dedicated people offering a year of service in our communities.  Today, we caught up with George Shardlow, an AmeriCorps*VISTA member who is working to connect community associations in Greater Homewood to valuable resources for strengthening neighborhoods.  Read on to hear his story, and make sure to leave something in the comments to let him know what he can't miss during his stay in Charm City!

1. Where do you come from?  (educational background, home state/town, etc.) I’m from Roseville, a suburb on the north side of Minneapolis and Saint Paul. I had a token Scandinavian-Lutheran childhood, replete with Lefse at Christmas, water skiing at the lake during the summer, and a profound sense of guilt all year round. Wishing to make a clean break from this background, I traveled all the way down to northeast Iowa, where I attended Luther College and studied Spanish, Political Science, and Africana Studies.
   
   Over the course of my time there, these disciplines began to bleed together and, what’s more, manifest themselves in tangible ways. Working for the Obama campaign during the caucus enabled me to not only ponder Democracy in my head, but also feel it in my feet, sore from canvassing, and an ear, warm from having a phone pressed against it. Teaching ESL to migrant workers from the local meat plant (the eventual site of the largest immigration raid in US history) and travelling to Spain and Latin America showed me the power of language to build bonds between people from completely different backgrounds. Hearing the complaints of African American students dealing with the alienation that comes with being the only people with darker skin amidst a sea of Olsons, Larsons, and Nelsons helped me to be mindful that race is not a relic of history, but rather an irrefutable reality of the present age.
   
   Nonetheless, when my four years were done, I knew it was time to get out and see more of the world.
   
2. What made you decide to be a VISTA? When I got to the end of my college career, I felt that I had not yet fully lived out the values I had internalized during my studies and that my understanding of the world was still merely conceptual. I wanted to find a way to have a real impact on the social phenomena I had been studying. AmeriCorps seemed like a good way to get involved. Furthermore, it seemed like a great way to learn how to live within my means, which has not always been a strong suit of mine (I’m not materialistic, I just eat A LOT of food).
   
3. Why did you choose Baltimore/GHCC? I hate to say it, but Baltimore and GHCC sort of chose me. I knew I wanted to see a different part of the country and live in an urban area, but beyond that I was open to anything. I started applying all over, but when I found my current position and had my interview it just seemed like a good fit. My dad is an urban planner and I have always had a deep-seated love of cities. I knew this job would allow me to see the nuts and bolts of civic action in an urban environment. They offered me the position, I said yes, and three weeks later I hopped on a plane and came to Charm City!
   
4. What do you generally do every day? My work focuses on outreach to community associations. I keep tabs on GHCC’s involvement in all of the communities in our area and inform neighborhood groups of the ways in which GHCC can be of service to them. A lot of it boils down to listening to people talk about what people want to see in their communities and figuring out how we can help make it happen.
   
5. How did it feel to actually get here and start working at the beginning of your service year? Overwhelming. There are over 40 neighborhoods in our catchment area. In some cases, there are neighborhoods within neighborhoods that view themselves as separate entities. I felt as though I had to be able to rattle off the boundaries of every community within the first week. Thankfully, there was no standardized test and I have been able to get my bearings bit by bit. I don’t have a car nor a bike, so I walk everywhere I go. It has been a blessing in disguise as it has allowed me to get to know each area more intimately. That being said, there are certain hours of night when the charm wears off and is replaced by an adrenaline rush, but that’s fun too.
   
6. What is your favorite thing about your VISTA work? I get to meet so many different characters, all of whom are doing amazing things in their communities. I learn something new every day!
   
7. What is your least favorite? The focus of our work is capacity building, which means a lot of my work is [behind the scenes]. As such, there are fewer opportunities to see the impact of your work that direct service allows.
   
8. What's one thing you really hope to accomplish before the year is over? As much as I want to know that I will have made an impact, more than anything I’d just like to feel connected to all the neighborhoods in our area. I’d like to be able to walk through any of those communities, see friendly faces and feel at home. Really, I’d just like to know all of you!
   
9. Anything else? Tell me what I need to see here in Baltimore. I like history, food, and music, so if there you have favorite spots anywhere in the city, tell me, because I want to see them. Better yet, give me a tour!