By Aerika West
Member interviewed U.S. Sen. Rockefeller about his VISTA service in 1967
Poverty affects the lives of so many people. However, you don’t see many people who are trying to help end it. As an AmeriCorps VISTA member, I am trying to change that.
I’m so proud to serve at the Weirton Christian Center in my hometown of Weirton, WV, because I am making a difference in the lives of others in my community. Knowing that every program I create is ending another person’s struggle makes me feel confident that the AmeriCorps VISTA program will, indeed, end poverty.
AmeriCorps VISTA has taught me new things about my community and myself. I have learned about the challenges local families face on a daily basis and the struggles that even children face at such a young age.
One of the highlights of my service year happened last month. That’s when I was asked to travel to Washington, DC, to conduct a StoryCorps interview with U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller. During this incredible opportunity, Sen. Rockefeller explained why he came to Emmons, WV, for AmeriCorps VISTA in 1967.
His experience serving the country for so many years in so many ways has given him a valuable life lesson.
As he reminded me, “If you don’t get outside your own box, your own culture — if you don’t immerse yourself in somebody else’s life, then you don’t know anything at all.”
Although he will no longer wear the title of Senator, he will still be making a difference in the lives of West Virginians through his work at West Virginia University. Buildings will be named after him, programs will be focused on a curriculum he designed, and a scholarship will be set up for master’s degree students that will last for many years to come.
I am fortunate to have learned so much from Sen. Rockefeller’s stories of service and success, the challenges he faced, and the friends he made. These are the experiences that changed his life. And I share his belief that we all have the ability to change lives and make a difference in poverty-stricken communities.