When it comes to iconic duos, some of the standouts that come to mind are Bonnie and Clyde, Batman and Robin, Mario and Luigi, Holmes and Watson, Spongebob and Patrick, etc. However, Arizona Serve’s iconic duo is Jade and Karla (better known as Dumb and Dumber, if you ask Karla)!
Jade and Karla are long-time best friends who served as AmeriCorps Peer Coaches at Desert View High School from 2023-2024. Peer Coaches are a team of high school seniors around the Tucson metro area who serve with their school’s College and Career Readiness Counselor. They assisted high school seniors for their next steps after graduation, with everything from applying to college, to FAFSA forms, to trade school and military pathways, identifying scholarships, and anything in between.
Wanting to learn more about post-high school pathways themselves, Jade and Karla looked to national service. Jade shared that it was “just being taught about the opportunities” that got her interested in service. “I thought it was limited to older people and was what you do. I never realized you get involved as a youth, and I was motivated to do networking.” On the other hand, Karla was no stranger to community service. “My nana runs a nonprofit elderly home, so I grew up with community service around me, and I got involved with Peer Coaches because Jade told me about it,” she shared.
They both felt they grew a lot from their year as an AmeriCorps member. Karla reflected on the impact on making a college education attainable, stating that “kids were very interested in what they could do to make college more affordable.” She also felt that she gained confidence and wanted to serve another AmeriCorps term. Likewise, Jade said “I’m not scared anymore to put myself out there as much, now I know I should take advantage of each experience. This allowed me to grow my networking.”
One of their favorite memories from their year as Peer Coaches was hosting an admitted student ceremony for the University of Arizona. Jade shared that “One of [her] friends, last minute – the day before the ceremony, got admitted to the U of A, and at the ceremony she got to call her mom and tell her how excited she was. It was a very sweet moment to witness and you could hear how proud her mom was.” Agreeing, Karla added that “When kids got accepted into any of the colleges in-state, the school had them all line up and sit down with their colleges. It was so cool to see all of the seniors you grow up with choosing their colleges. It was a moment I’ll never forget.”
As for their own college-going journeys, Karla and Jade are both students at Pima Community College. Karla is studying Aviation Technology and in her third AmeriCorps term! She is serving as a Youth Programming Team Leader. In this role, she’s leading the next cohort of Peer Coaches through their own term of service. When Karla finishes school, she dreams of building airplanes. Jade’s plan is to complete her Associate’s Degree and then transfer to Linfield University to study Wine Studies, so that someday she can open her own vineyard! In the meantime, you can catch them enjoying sports, reading, watching movies, getting drinks from Black Rock, and serving on the United Way Youth Leadership Council.
Best of luck to Karla and Jade as they begin their educational journey and career paths! Thank you both for your dedication and passion for serving the community.