AmeriCorps Alums Bring to Higher Top Skills Education AmeriCorps alumni are a community of engaged citizens with real-word experience. Their proven ability to lead, collaborate, and achieve results makes them ideal students. Adaptability Service cultivates the ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-life challenges. Alums enter degree programs with experience, focus and drive. Alums come in with good experience that applies to our program, more hard skills than other people, and have been thrown into tougher “ situations.” — International and Public Affairs Masters Program

Collaboration Service instills a strong work ethic and responsibility to and appreciation of one’s colleagues and community. Alums have proven they can work individually and as a team. Having alums in the classroom enhances our mission and the experience of other students because they understand the value of diversity and “ collaboration in building communities.” — Masters of Information Science Program

Accountability Alums take responsibility for their actions as well as the outcomes that result from the decisions they make individually or as part of a team.

Initiative Alums are immediate contributors who lead by example as well as through direction, delegation, motivation, and inspiration. Alums have the motivation, proactive spirit, and skills relevant “ to succeed in [course work] and a 21st century workplace.” — Accelerated Distance-Learning Program

Interpersonal and Intercultural Communication Alums excel in partnering and communicating with diverse racial, religious, ethnic, cultural, and geographic groups. Why Colleges Recruit AmeriCorps Alums

• AmeriCorps alumni receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award after service valued at up to $5,500. Each year, alumni spend approximately $200 million from this award. • Over 130 colleges and universities match the Segal Education award or offer financial benefits to AmeriCorps alumni in recognition of their contributions and the value they add to their programs. • Two-thirds of alumni surveyed by AmeriCorps Alums in 2014 (67%), report wanting to pursue additional higher education after service. • Data from AmeriCorps Alums’ 2014 survey reveals alumni are predominately between the ages of 21 - 35 and more likely to hold degrees than the national average for their age group. Nine out of 10 alumni (88%) between the ages of 21 – 35 have a bachelor’s degree while the national degree attainment is 41%. • President Barack Obama announced Employers of National Service on September, 12, 2014, a new cross-sector partnership that encourages employers to create recruitment, hiring, and advancement opportunities for alumni of AmeriCorps and .

Alumni Profiles

Major Rebecca Lange was inspired to join AmeriCorps after hearing President Clinton’s 1995 Address. President Clinton shared “…there are 20,000 Americans… helping people, solving problems and, in the process, earning some money for their education. This is citizenship at its best,” and Rebecca says, “I was sold.” After service, she used her AmeriCorps education award to pay her first tuition bill and laterwent on to receive her bachelor’s in political science, a certificate in legislative studies, and a master’s in public administration. She is now an active duty Air Force Major and Deputy Legislative Assistant at the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

William Consuegra spent his senior year of high school serving with the Texas Youth Harvest AmeriCorps program. The AmeriCorps pledge asks every member to “get things done for America,” and William shares, “I have been getting things done since my swearing-in.” William went on to earn a bachelor’s in international studies and political science. He then received a J.D. focusing on business, environment, and corporate law and now works as the Economic Development Representative for the New Mexico State Land Office.

Deenie Espinoza became the first AmeriCorps member for Pima Family Literacy in Arizona where she earned her GED. After one year as a member, she joined their staff and led advocacy efforts for Arizona adult education and family literacy programs. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in education and is currently pursuing her master’s degree. She now works as an Online Academic Advisor and Success Coach for The Learning House.

About AmeriCorps Alums AmeriCorps Alums, an enterprise of Points of Light, is the only national network that connects the nearly 1 million alumni of all AmeriCorps programs to the people, ideas, and resources that support their commitment to a lifetime of service. For more information, visit www.americorpsalums.org, follow @AmeriCorpsAlums on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn, read stories on our blog, and like us on Facebook.

Competencies and conclusions are drawn from the AmeriCorps Alums’ Spring 2014 survey, the Abt Associates longitudinal study “Still Serving: Measuring the Eight-Year Impact of AmeriCorps on Alumni”, the Voices for National Service “National Service: Providing Pathways to Employment” report and informed by AmeriCorps Alums’ higher education partners.