LaCC VISTA Members:

Robert McNamara, Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA)

McNamara is from Philadelphia, PA, and graduated from Villanova University

with a degree in Philosophy, a minor in Sociology, and a concentration in

Honors. McNamara said that ever since high school he knew he wanted

to undertake an extended service experience after college: "The LSUA

position appealed to me because the connection between service and

learning, theory and praxis, was one of the most important and enjoyable

aspects of my own education." The prospect of facilitating interaction

between a university and its community through service-learning further

excites McNamara. At LSUA, McNamara is working with Julie Gill, Coordinator

of Service-Learning, on creating greater capacity for the office and

promoting service-learning courses amongst the faculty through a forum

and departmental-specific meetings.

Sarah Hailey, Delgado Community College

Hailey is from Maryville, Tennessee and graduated from Maryville College with

a B.A. in Philosophy. Through the Bonner Scholarship Program, Hailey became

involved in her own community, traveled to West Africa and Peru, and led

trips to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Hailey’s experiences ultimately

led her to the AmeriCorps VISTA position with LaCC, where she will facilitate

student and faculty relationships with community organizations and service-

learning opportunities on campus. Speaking of her interest in serving New

Orleans and the Gulf Coast region, Hailey says, “Whether in the public schools

or in the non-profit sector or even on campuses, I have witnessed the fruits

of compassion, creativity, and hard work, and I have already seen transformation.”

Dane Emmerling, Delgado Community College

Emmerling is from Greenville, North Carolina, and graduated from North Carolina

State University in 2008 with a degree in Bio-Chemistry and a minor in English.

Since then he has worked for a Service-Learning Scholarship Program at NC

State, where his passions for community service, fostering connections within

the community, and servant leadership were able to develop. He is thrilled

about his position with Delgado Community College, encouraging service-learning

opportunities through the curriculum and partnerships with the New Orleans

community. When thinking about his upcoming opportunity he said, “I have been

most satisfied with my learning experiences when they anchor me to both ideas

and people. I am eager to create opportunities for others to have positive

impacts on their communities.”

Adam Robinson, Loyola University

Robinson is from Roanoke, Virginia, and graduated from the University of Virginia

with a B.A. in Linguistics and Economics.  At UVA he worked as a service

coordinator for his college’s service fraternity, as well as planned and led service

trips to New Orleans through the Alternative Spring Break program.  He is excited

to use the skills learned during the course of those service endeavors in his capacity

as an Americorps*VISTA at Loyola University in New Orleans, where he will work

alongside Kelly Brotzman to further the success of Loyola’s Office of Service-

Learning.  “Every community has a distinct voice that can teach us wonderful

things,” he says, “but we cannot listen unless we truly engage ourselves in the

soul of the community.  And what better way to engage than by participating in

meaningful service?”

Sarah Thorne, Centenary College

Thorne graduated from Florida International University in August of 2008 with a

B.A. in International Relations and a Certificate in European Studies.  She learned

about AmeriCorps*VISTA during college in what she calls her "I want to join the Peace

Corps" phase. A friend suggested VISTA as a less-likely-to-contract-a-fatal-disease-

but-still-serving-in-a-big-way option, so she immediately started looking into it.  She

spent her first VISTA year with a non-profit called Texas HIPPY in Dallas, Texas, an

experience that left her wanting to do more.  At Centenary, Thorne will be working

with Chris Lavan, Director of Service-Learning, to enhance service-learning options for

students by building bridges between community partners and faculty members.  Says

Thorne, "I'm thrilled I have the opportunity to really empower students to make service

their own, so that they can better understand their unique value as a community member,

and really get excited about the possibilities of service-learning."  

Alexandra Raphael, Southeastern Louisiana University

Raphael is from the Cherry Capitol of the World, Traverse City, Michigan. She is a proud

alumna of the University of Michigan where she earned a B.A. in Sociology. Growing up,

her parents always emphasized the importance of giving back and working to improve the

social condition. This led her to Ann Arbor, where its values of diversity and social justice

inspired and shaped her collegiate experience. After graduating, she found she was a bit

directionless and considered the possibility of continuing a career in service. Raphael

pursued AmeriCorps because she believes in working to improve the lives of underserved

Americans. Raphael’s experiences in service-learning and her love of exploring new

communities brought her to Southeastern Louisiana University. At SLU, she will be working

with Dr. Tena Golding, Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence, to promote and

develop more service-learning opportunities on campus.

James Hurley, Northwestern State University

Hurley graduated from San Diego State University with degrees in Political Science and

Religious Studies. While pursuing his undergraduate studies he took an intern position

with a local campaign, volunteered with a voter registration drive on campus, and went

on a service trip to Honduras to help develop clean-water projects. After graduating,

Hurley became interested in long-term service after hearing about Americorps programs,

like VISTA, from several friends. He notes that the sense of purpose that derives from

helping and supporting community development is incomparable to anything else he has

done in his life. Hurley says, "I hope to facilitate relationships between NSU and community

organizations whose impact will continue to grow into the future."