Meet Our LEARN Program AmeriCorps Members
Volunteers of the Month: June 2010
Nick Crosby
Nick is originally from Bakersfield, CA and came to San Diego after graduating from UCSB with a degree in Literature. Nick's contributions to the LEARN program are plentiful, as he created a Guide to Applying for Unemployment which helps many LEARN members, as well as library customers. He also runs the Conversation Café at the Bonita branch library, providing local adults the opportunity to practice speaking English in a comfortable environment. Nick's favorite part about LEARN is "seeing people succeed at things that they've been struggling with their whole lives."
Raquel Sojourner
Raquel is a San Diego native who earned her Sociology degree from UCI, then returned home when she discovered the AmeriCorps opportunity while at a graduate school function. Raquel organized a San Diego County Library team in the Race for Literacy, a two-day event with all proceeds going to literacy programs throughout the county. 57 people joined the team and fought for literacy, one kilometer at a time. Raquel is amazed at how big of a difference LEARN makes in people's lives, and loves that she has "never had a job that has challenged me so much" before.
Sarah Seene
Sarah is a San Diego native who earned her B.A. in History at Claremont McKenna and her M.A. in American History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Sarah's big project this year has been organizing LEARN's Summer Reading Program, a program that provides adults with incentives to read and achieve literacy goals. She also teaches an English conversation class at the 4S Ranch library that has over 20 regular attendees. Sarah loves to see how many people the program reaches and is amazed "by how foundational it is in people's lives."
Desiree Garcia
Born in Texas, raised in San Diego, Desiree earned her B.A. in Communications from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. She joined AmeriCorps because she loves helping people and had positive past experiences working in a similar field. Desiree started a new round of computer classes at the Encinitas and Vista branches and teaches basic skills, such as mouse movement, clicking, and using the Internet. The most rewarding part of her LEARN experience so far has been "just having someone get it and seeing it click for them."
Get Involved!
There are lots of ways to support San Diego County Library:
- Be a literacy tutor
- Join the Friends of the Library
- Help at any Friends of the Library book stores
- Give time and talent at a branch library
Visit any San Diego County Library to find out more information.