Our Up2Us Sports coaches and VISTAS give back to their communities, but their achievements and impact do not stop at the end of their service terms. The Alumni Spotlight series shines a light on service members and their experiences, including their new ventures and tips.

In Up2Us Sports fashion, we support service members including in life after service, personally and professionally. We stay connected with Up2Us Sports Alumni service members in their new ventures with Alumni Spotlight.

First up, Maxbova Joseph, an alum of both the Coach and VISTA Programs. Learn more about Maxbova below!

Where did you serve with Up2Us Sports?

I served with Up2Us Sports as a Coach in 2018 with Kids In The Game as my host site. I returned for a second year on the opposite site of the program as a VISTA Leader. As a VISTA Leader I served directly with the Up2Us Sports VISTA Program in the NYC Office.

What are you up to now?

Currently, I have finished up my second year of service and have now transitioned to a full-time role. My role now officially is Program Manager - VISTA  and I support primarily the East Coast. I operated in the same capacity as my service year.

What are you most proud of from your service term(s)?

What I am most proud of as a Coach with Kids In the Game is completing 1700 hours and utilizing the training I received. I started to do more and to incorporate life skills into my lesson plans. As a coach we need to be intentional about how we go about working with the youth in our community. In my VISTA service year I am most proud of making an impact and building relationships with our members. I have really been able to make a difference and support my cohort in all aspects of our program. Especially during a pandemic, many were working remotely and we worked together to keep them engaged in our programming. 

Describe a moment where you felt you made an impact at your host site.

The moment I felt I made an impact was helping to lead our summer program in my second year. The VISTA team worked hard to onboard 192 VISTA members. Danielle and I worked together to interview and hire eight Summer Cohort Leaders. These eight Leaders helped us manage our summer program of 180+ VISTA members. We were able to create a memorable summer experience.

What role did Up2Us Sports play in your career choice and progression after service?

Up2Us Sports helped tremendously after my Coach service year. I was promoted to Youth Sports Coordinator at Kids In The Game. Now I have completed my VISTA year of service, and work full-time with the organization. I learned a lot of great skills on both sides of the program. Truly a valuable experience. It's not about the money or the award, it's about the skills you learn along the way.

If you are an alumni of our Coach or VISTA programs and would like to share an update of your own story of life after service, head over to our Alumni page: www.up2ussports.org/alumni.

Maxbova served as an Up2Us Sports coach at Kids In The Game in New York City then as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Up2Us Sports thanks to support from AmeriCorps. He now works full-time with Up2Us Sports supporting the VISTA program.