While academia has lost one cultural anthropologist (for now), the nonprofit world has gained a passionate employee dedicated to helping youth and families. 

Up2Us Sports VISTA alum Angelica Flores, who was recently hired for a full-time position at the nonprofit organization Room to Grow, was slated to begin a graduate program in Anthropology when the Covid-19 pandemic inspired her to change course. Unenthused about the prospect of online courses, and curious about getting out and exploring, Angelica turned to national service. She became an Up2Us Sports VISTA—an AmeriCorps-supported office-based service position—in August of 2020, and moved across the country from her home state of California to New York City. There she began work as a development assistant for Up2Us Sports partner, The Renaissance Charter Schools, with locations in Maspeth and Jackson Heights, Queens. 

The Renaissance Charter Schools focus on fostering a humanistic, community-oriented atmosphere: during the past school year, kids were involved in stocking a community fridge, as well as raising funds and gathering donations for those students’ families who were affected by a fire. Angelica worked mostly on newsletters, grants, and social media, but also had occasion to speak with students directly as part of her development duties. 

It was during these interactions that Angelica made use of the Up2Us Sports sports-based youth development (SBYD) curriculum. Much of Angelica’s initial work as the still-remote school year began was to make contact with students, engage with them, and try to help them stay focused on lessons. On Fridays, when advisory groups met in person, Angelica would go in to get feedback from kids and teachers regarding how classes were going, and overall morale. The Up2Us Sports SBYD curriculum helped Angelica find ways of talking to kids who didn’t know her well, and who tended to be uncomfortable about opening up. “It’s especially hard when most of the kids [are] that middle school/high school range, when they’re just a little awkward and uncomfortable talking to strangers.” She was alert to the kids’ need for psychological safety, and was conscientious “not to ruin that safe space they’ve created with their advisors, [while still getting] that information from them.”

Angelica’s term as an Up2Us Sports VISTA inspired her to reevaluate her long-term plans and continue on the path of civic engagement. She decided to remain in New York and seek full-time employment in the nonprofit world. Angelica’s VISTA leader connected her with Up2Us Sports’ Workforce Development (WFD) team, who helped Angelica shape her resume and checked in following job interviews. Her supervisors at The Renaissance Charter Schools wrote her glowing letters of recommendation and were encouraging of her efforts to find work. 

Thanks to her natural talents and newly acquired skills in development work, and with the support of Up2Us Sports’ WFD team and her host site supervisors, Angelica found her place at Room to Grow, a three-year program that provides crucial support to families raising babies born into low-income circumstances. The organization’s mission resonates deeply with Angelica, whose mother was a young full-time student, working full-time when she had her. “It’s something I’m really passionate about. We benefited a lot from our community back home…they went above and beyond in making sure that we were taken care of.” 

Angelica has found something of a calling in the nonprofit world, realizing that she needs “to be more on the ground working with people, hands on.” And she attributes her work as an Up2Us Sports VISTA to the discovery that her passion lies in “helping others instead of just studying cultures. It really made me realize that helping people, especially families and young people, is something I’m really passionate about—it’s something I can really relate to.”  With the skills and experience she gained as an Up2Us Sports VISTA, the support of her host site supervisors, and the desire to help families and youth, Angelica is striding strong into her full-time role at Room to Grow, ready to make a positive impact.  

Angelica served as an Up2Us Sports VISTA from August 2020 through August 2021 thanks to support from AmeriCorps VISTA.