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Karen Delgado

AmeriCorps VISTA


Today’s Feature Friday is just in time to wrap up the annual AmeriCorps VISTA appreciation week!


Please join me in celebrating this talented and brilliant young lady. For the last year, Amber has served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member for the Rochester Center for Employment Opportunities.


Amber obtained her bachelor’s degree with double majors in History and legal studies. She shared feeling comfortable in college, and like many of us, struggling to balance that sense of fulfillment with financial hardship. Goal oriented, Amber did not let this deter her from studying at St. Bonaventure, University of Buffalo, and abroad at Oxford University.


Throughout her school years, Amber has always interested in the criminal justice system, particularly, in how people returning home from incarceration in the United States are treated differently than in other countries.


She found she did not have many opportunities available within her major with COVID changing the job market climate. Amber found the fulfillment she was in search of within the mission of the Center for Employment Opportunities. Amber states being drawn in by the organization’s progressive vision with the backdrop of the criminal justice system in the United States.


In her time with CEO, Amber has been assisting with grant writing, as well as the policy and advocacy, and program training teams. She explained how some of the most rewarding experiences for her, have involved making connections with some of the program participants. She described this connection as crucial and is evident in her person-centered approach. Amber enjoys interviewing people and not just learning from them but resonating on a deeper level. She explained how she finds it interesting to watch people grow.


Inquiring regarding Amber’s personal interests turned into a colorful and light-hearted conversation that seem to offer the most vivid visuals of art and culture. She spoke of her interests in international relations, travel, and theatre. She shared how she works at the local theatre part-time and finds it exciting to be able to see and interact with cast members in costume. “It’s a different energy”, she explained.


Amber also shared how she enjoys museums and loved the Phantom of the Opera, my favorite! Let’s not forget, architectural photography, another favorite of mine!


In this refreshing conversation with Amber, I learned that her cultural flair can be traced to her familial influences. She spoke of how her grandfather was involved with the USA ID and described him as worldly. Amber says she is told she is a reincarnation of him.


Amber’s deep love of books, reading and writing seems to stem from her trips to the library with her mother. She said she enjoys thrillers and mysteries, and even shared how she thinks her interest in international relations can be traced back to her love of the Magic Tree House series. I love that! Amber also traces her love of writing to her experiences at Writer’s and Books, which she added, “shaped her as a writer.”


Thank you, Amber, for your contributions not only as an AmeriCorps VISTA, but also for being a breath of fresh air!

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