Ashley Lewandoski serves as an AmeriCorps member with Campus Compact K2H Civic Futures at Brady High School in Lakewood, Colorado. 

Tell us a bit about your project!
The BUILD Summit Presentation was held virtually on Zoom this year! This is a moment to highlight the student’s hard work this semester. We had presentations about real estate, child psychology, and Habitat for Humanity. A student who was an apprentice at a real estate company expressed how the owner of the business had to pay people’s rent out of pocket because of the eviction order by the Governor. She found out firsthand how important it is to have a savings/reserve for a business for emergencies like this year.

I helped coordinate and create with the BUILD Internship Program team behind the scenes to make sure their ePortfolios were ready for a big audience to see on their big day. During this presentation, they also talked about their community service hours I was in charge of. One student decided to handmake cards with her mom to send to inactive voters in the community. She also applied for Peace Jam and attended a protest! Also, another student babysat a young child as well as walked a dog for a friend. She said she is way more grateful for what mothers go through and what they have to do! I am really glad the students were able to virtually push through all of the obstacles this term and successfully present their ePortfolios to the school staff and students. 

What have you learned from your AmeriCorps K2H service?
From last year’s service year to this year of service, it has changed dramatically! In 2019-2020, we were taking field trips to NOAA, Xcel Energy, Namaste Solar, and W & L Contractors, etc. Mr. Peth’s class also worked on-site with Habitat for Humanity where we built walls at the warehouse center, we painted and added trimming to a new house, and we also took off old siding from a house and added on the new siding at a house on Perry St. Our students also customized their own guitars! I also would be in the yoga class as well as in the gym.

Students have had a hard time transitioning to the online schooling platform.  Many have expressed the obstacle of having to hold themselves accountable for homework, as opposed to having a teacher in-person kindly reminding them about homework and due dates. Others were finding out how to advocate for themselves if there were COVID-related issues. Additionally, students were expressing how lonely they were and just wanting to be with their friends in person. Through community and always being there for them virtually, we’ve helped our students meet their goals and inspire them to create their path after high school! 

What is your proudest achievement from your time with AmeriCorps?
My proudest achievement cannot be put into just one example! I have seen students figure out a career they thought would be ideal for them, just wasn’t what they thought and they found a new interest closer to their heart. Additionally, I loved being able to find new speakers for Brady High School! We had a speaker from Turin Bicycles talk about how to repair a bike for Mr. Saiz’s entrepreneurship class. Or we had a speaker from Kitchen One for One come into Mr. Y’s class to talk about his non-profit food truck. Another example would be inspiring one of our students to be civically engaged and she followed through! Being on-site with Habitat for Humanity was an incredible hands-on experience for Mr. Peth’s students. I am very grateful for how many teachers are willing and receiving AmeriCorps staff help! Our students are full of potential and I’ve seen firsthand how their growth through Brady High School will prepare them for the workforce or a college! 

Ashley Lewandoski