—by Joe Engleman ’14, Grinnell College
Almost a year ago, Sophia Estrada Snow – known by her Meskwaki name of Wabeskesiga – opted to take a gap year following her first year at Drake University. Over the summer, she became aware of an open AmeriCorps member position at the Grinnell College Center for Careers, Life, and Service’s (CLS) Civic Education and Innovation office, headed by Associate Dean and Executive Director of Civic Education & Innovation Susan Leathem Sanning.
Wabeskesiga applied and started last August. As the first AmeriCorps member working in the office since the COVID-19 pandemic began, she’s hit the ground running.
The Civic Education and Innovation office originated with a student initiative put forward in the early 2010s by then Student Government Association Vice President of Academic Affairs Wadzi Motsi ’12. “The idea behind my position was to have someone who focused on helping students build the mindsets and skills necessary to leverage their education in service of the common good,” Sanning says.
After some institutional reorganization and strategic initiatives, Sanning and the office she leads came to reside in what is now the CLS. While the Civic Education and Innovation’s work has many responsibilities and dimensions, supporting student volunteer efforts is a significant one.
Through the work of full-time staff and past AmeriCorps members like Carina Wilson ’19 and Guinevere Wallace Natarelli (who now works as associate director of alumni and donor relations for reunion programs), the office has opened the door for students on campus to identify opportunities to get more involved in community engagement work. Natarelli, for example, developed the Community Partner Search, which allows students, staff, and faculty to learn about and connect with community organizations across Iowa.
