Service That Leads to a Career
1.10.2020
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LISC StoriesHealth
After graduating from college with a Bachelors of Arts and Science in Anthropology and Human Biology and Society, Diana Alfaro was still not sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to work. She had served as an intern at Iris Cantor Women's Health and Research Center, a public health clinic, and it sparked an interest in pursuing a degree in public health. She heard about AmeriCorps through one of her mentors who encouraged her to apply to the LISC AmeriCorps program in Los Angeles. After doing some research on the program and the experience she would be gaining, she decided to apply.
I knew that by doing this service, it would also give me time to reflect on the next steps I wanted to take and understand where my passions lie.
Diana Alfaro recently graduated from the LISC LA AmeriCorps program. During her service, she worked as a coordinator for the Promotoras program at Central City Neighborhood Partners (CCNP).
CCNP's Promotoras are women leaders who live in the community and have been trained to educate, guide and refer community residents to resources to support their health and social service needs. They help families navigate complicated systems and gain access to resources and information in linguistically and culturally relevant ways.
For Diana, the most memorable moment as the LISC AmeriCorps Promotora Coordinator was seeing the women graduate. Thirteen (13) women started the class and twelve (12) completed the full course. Together with CCNP, they were able to gift these women a certificate from the City of LA recognizing them as Promotoras. Seeing how proud these women were to have completed this program was the best experience for Diana. The experience has created strong relationships for her within the Pico Union & Westlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
“I knew being a part of this group would benefit me in the long run as I was not only getting closer to people who had also served but also got to learn more about the different organizations AmeriCorps partners with.” She felt it was important for her to have built relationships after completing her service, and knowing that the LISC AmeriCorps program had many opportunities post service, it motivated her.
Diana secured a full-time position with CCNP right after completing the LISC AmeriCorps program and gained confidence in herself and her future.
Seeing that I was able to accomplish this made me more sure of my abilities and qualities. This service also helped me narrow down the graduate program I want to attend.
Diana is currently applying for a Masters degree in Public Health, and thanks to her AmeriCorps alumni status, she is able to receive fee-waivers for certain schools, which is a huge benefit since graduate school applications can be costly. After receiving her graduate degree, she hopes to work for the County or a nonprofit organization. Her dream job is to open a clinic or lead an organization that has an emphasis on educating communities of color on different resources and public health curriculums.
The LISC LA AmeriCorps program is made possible by supporters like Southern California Edison.
