Service brings people together and bridges divides, and that's what AmeriCorps members do each and every day. AmeriCorps member are committed to improving our communities and we are so appreciative of the many AmeriCorps members serving at afterschool program across Alaska. Today, (and throughout this week on social media) we will feature our Afterschool AmeriCorps STEM Coaches and our new AmeriCorps VISTA member.

Kaiden Davis

Alaska Native Cultural Charter School, Anchorage 21st Century Community Learning Center

Hello! My name is Kaiden Davis, and I am an 18-year-old that attends East Anchorage High School and King Tech High School. I have lived in Anchorage Alaska for my whole life with my three siblings. I study Aviation Technology at King Tech and have always had an interest in the unknown. I started volunteering at a young age, working with organizations like Anchorage Youth Court, Spirit of Youth, Identity, Catholic social services, Anchorage Community Trust, and many more. Helping people is something that brings me joy. What brought me to being a STEM coach was my experience on my school's FIRST FTC robotics team. I also enjoy making jewelry, baking, and building things. As a transgendered person in STEM, I know how important it is to uplift girls and students in this area. I hope through this program I learn how to better my community, learn skills I will take with me through the rest of my life, and receive a better understanding of what I want to pursue in the future.

Samantha Antonio

Boys & Girls Club at Woodland Park

My name is Samantha Grace Antonio and I have the opportunity to take part in the AmeriCorps Afterschool program. Throughout my high school career, I have spent most of my time working with peers as well as students older and younger than me. For my last semester of high school, I wanted to take on a teaching role to diversify my learning perspective. I also wanted to go further with my volunteering in the community and get a feel for working in the real world.

The best part about this program is that I can apply my own hobbies and interests into the activities that I facilitate. With STEM, there are a myriad of ways to be creative and add arts into the mix. We draw and map out ideas while creating, which is a favorite activity of mine in my downtime. We are always asking questions, sharing our ideas, and listening to one another. I am truly grateful to be in the position I am, facilitating and connecting student learning time and downtime. At our program, we get to explore and learn in fun ways.

Andrew Belanger

William Tyson Elementary School, Anchorage 21st Century Community Learning Center

I am Andrew Belanger, born and raised in Anchorage, AK. I am a Civil Engineering major who is interested in the transportation sub discipline. I chose to become an AmeriCorps member to help foster youth's interest in STEM, and secondly to reignite my own passion for STEM.

Careers in STEM can be self-rewarding and earth changing. The more role models, the better. I hope to learn as much as I can as a member. I haven't completely mapped out the rest of my career, so I hope this experience will help me glean insights.

I enjoy playing disc golf; last summer in Fairbanks, during a tournament I even got a hole in one. I was fortunate enough to meet, talk to, and shake Michael Jordan's hand during the only NFL game I’ve been too. Unfortunately, this was back when most people had only disposable cameras and we were out of film so I could not capture the moment!

Jun Liu

Boys & Girls Club, Mat-Su Clubhouse

Hi, my name is Jun Liu from Beijing, China. I am a landscape architect who has worked in Beijing for many years. I later went to Japan to study environmental science and completed my Ph.D. After coming to the United States, I successively worked in landscape architecture and civil engineering companies in California and Nevada. I eventually moved to Alaska with my husband's job relocation. I fell in love with Alaska and decided to settle here.

I have a broad educational background and enjoy working in different fields. I found the AmeriCorps Afterschool Program and thought it would be a very rewarding job. I thoroughly enjoyed my afterschool learning activities as a youth. I learned to play music, the art of drawing, and more. These activities helped me understand my lessons with ease and led to better grades in school. As an Afterschool STEM Coach, I look forward to bringing that same joy and ease to students in our program.

In my free time, I enjoy kayaking, gardening, painting, sewing, and playing the piano. I love the beauty of Alaska.

Alicia Richmond

Boys & Girls Club, Mat-Su Goose Bay Clubhouse

Hello, my name is Alicia Richmond, I am currently an AmeriCorps member starting February of 2023. The main reason why I applied for this position was because it involved activities with children, so that I could participate with my younger kids. After being offered the opportunity to actively participate and attend orientation, I started to see the value of what my previous profession could offer. I am a retired chef, and using the idea of food in science to show kids how important the everyday things they learn at school are in the long run is something I am interested in. We use so many different skills in our adult lives that we’ve learned in elementary school, from basic math to the basics of science, especially with food.

After my first week and seeing everything we had access to, I really enjoyed being able to branch out and show the younger kids various aspects of science that I enjoyed while also bringing the children’s input and ideas to life with the supplies and the support of AmeriCorps.

My site supervisor is amazing, and even though our site moves extremely fast and it’s hard to squeeze in additional activities, he is very supportive of the kids being able to participate in activities with me. I get to bring in volunteers when I can, and we work well together by communicating and planning in advance.

I am a mother of 5 kids and have been actively involved with kids most of my life. I spent most of my adult life as a chef and have done 3 years of college, I’m just shy a few credits of achieving an AA and BA in Human Services. I am currently employed as a contractor doing mail after I was medically forced to retire from the kitchen after a diagnosis of renal failure and chronic kidney disease. This volunteer work gives me the time to spend with kids while also allowing me time to support myself in a field that I enjoy while also achieving the rest of my college credits to gain my doctorates in psychology.

Lukas Garcia

Alaska Afterschool Network

Hello, my name is Lukas Garcia, I am very excited to be joining the Alaska Afterschool Network as the Afterschool Sustainability AmeriCorps VISTA. I’ve always wanted to see Alaska and be a part of the community here and I’m so glad I am today. My whole life I have been involved in loads of extracurricular activities. I grew up in Longview, Texas with my two sisters, one older and one younger, where I spent most of my free time playing a variety of sports and being involved in boy scouts. Then moving to Ocala, Florida where I did a lot of the same activities through middle school and continuing at Forest High School. Through high school I was the team captain of the varsity lacrosse team as well as head of Communications and Historian of the community service club ASTRA which was involved with the Salvation Army and other community groups.

Being the exploratory person I am, I’ve always taken the opportunity to experience new things, so I’ve traveled to various states around the U.S, hoping one day to see them all. I spent six months as a State/National AmeriCorps member creating programs that have helped many students grow emotionally and socially in Ketchikan, Alaska. There, I taught activities that focused on STEAM education and Physical Education. I can’t wait to apply my skills in communication over the next year and I’m looking forward to being involved in many community events. I’m hoping that this experience with the Alaska Afterschool Network will open a world of opportunities to meet people and learn new skills.

Celebrating AK AmeriCorps Members!