Alumni

Hey, I'm Nick! After completing my Peace Corps Service, I knew I wanted to solve difficult development problems with innovative solutions. Using my Peace Corps and Stevenson Center experiences, I created a company to address a difficult problem for developing countries' education systems and teachers. During the past year I have been working as a digital nomad in Southeast Asia to run my educational company while creating start-ups in business consulting and e-commerce. I believe that entrepreneurship + community development can truly change the world, and I hope I can convince you to hop on the same Stevenson Center path that led me to where I am today!

Lindsey Earl grew up in west Denver, walking distance from hiking trails and camping spots. After studying at Colorado State University, Lindsey joined AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) where she was placed on two teams of 18 to 25-year-olds. For two years, she and her teams traveled the nation serving nonprofit and governmental organizations. After a challenging year as a team leader, Lindsey transitioned to graduate school for Cultural Anthropology at the Stevenson Center! Lindsey's thesis research was about how the city complaint system perpetuates the homelessness encampment eviction cycle. Her professional practice was at Change Happens!, a public health nonprofit in Houston’s Third Ward. Since her service commenced three days before Hurricane Harvey, the majority of her contribution became forming and assisting the disaster services department as well as helping with grant writing. Lindsey returned to Denver to apply the skills she has learned in academia and working across the country to improve her home city. Lindsey currently works at Adams County Department of Community Safety and Wellbeing as the Homelessness Coordinator, leading the county's strategic efforts to end homelessness. She lives with two roommates and her Flemish Giant rabbit Mr. Noodle. In her free time, she attempts to learn Spanish, hikes, cooks, paints, and listens to too many podcasts.

I am the South Skunk River Watershed Project Coordinator for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. I work primarily with farmers to find practical solutions to water quality concerns in streams, rivers, and other waterways throughout my project area. My BS is in wildlife ecology and I received my MS in kinesiology and recreation from Illinois State University in 2018. Prior coming to the Stevenson Center, I spent several years as a habitat management specialist for non-profit organizations around the country. I also served in the Peace Corps as an economic development volunteer in Uganda from 2010-2012. I’m excited to be a resource for prospective Stevenson Center students and encourage anyone to reach out with questions.

I am currently working as an Urban Forestry Analyst in the Office of Environmental Policy & Sustainability at the City of Tacoma, Washington. The issues I'm focused on are increasing tree canopy, especially in underserved neighborhoods and drafting policy changes to support a healthy urban forest (including being able to grow fruit trees on public property). After graduating from Illinois State University I was accepted to a year long community development professional fellowship called Challenge Detroit where I worked for the Quicken Loans Community Fund. After which I spent 2 years with The Greening of Detroit, an environmental nonprofit founded in 1989, focused on reforestation, workforce development, and environmental education in Detroit. Prior to ISU, I served two years in AmeriCorps (Returning citizen work in northern Minnesota and public health work in Connecticut) and earned a BS in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Superior. I enjoy weightlifting, reading, soccer, road trips, working on my old Jeep, and planting trees. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the Stevenson Center, grad school life, or life after grad school.

Hi Everyone! My name is Andrew, and I am one AmeriCorpsy Fellow. After completing 2 terms of service (NCCC and Rebuilding Together) I completed the ACED Fellows Program at ISU and am now the Data and Performance Measurement Analyst at the Washington Reading Corps. My professional advancement over the past few years could be described as a series of fortuitous peaks and insufferable valleys; both of which pushed me along toward a vague idea I had for my future. So yea! Feel free to email/call me and I will tell you whatever I can about ISU, the Stevenson Center, the professional practice for Fellows, and the Sociology program. Thanks!

Cecilia Montesdeoca is a Diversity Advocacy Specialist with Illinois State University. She is responsible for planning and delivering programs and services, primarily to student populations, related to diversity and inclusion. She uses her expertise to engage in student outreach, assess programs and services, and conduct select presentations and training on issues of diversity and inclusion. Cecilia also advises and works closely with multi-cultural student organizations and coordinates regular cultural awareness events for the campus community. Cecilia has a B.A. in cultural anthropology and community health education from Illinois State. She is also an alumna of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Summer Congressional Internship program, AmeriCorps Illinois Public Health Association, and AmeriCorps NCCC Southwest Region.

I am an Illinois State University alum who is passionate about community outreach and business development. I have served as an AmeriCorps volunteer for two terms in Connecticut and in Illinois. I received a B.A. in International Relations from Roanoke College. I have had wonderful opportunities both personally and professionally to meet and work with exceptional people and to travel to amazing places. ISU has opened so many doors for me- I can't wait to see what's next in my career!

I currently work as a Grants Management Program Analyst at East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging, where I completed my professional practice. Prior to the Stevenson Center I served in two AmeriCorps terms: one as a mentor/tutor to at-risk youth in Waco, Texas, and the other as a part of an emergency response team based out of St. Louis, Missouri. I was in the kinesiology and recreation program at Illinois State University, and completed previous degrees in Park and Recreation Management and Sport Pedagogy.