New to Tucson, Ashir Abouelish is our Career Service Specialist at Goodwill of Southern Arizona. He shares the change his AmeriCorps term of service has brought to him.
“I am originally from Holton, Maine, and I grew up in a wicked small town, with 4,000 people,” said Ashir. “There was not much going on besides hanging out with my friend group and going camping. I kinda randomly found my way to Tucson and I wanted to go somewhere that had no winter.”
Living in a small close-knit group was very formative for Ashir’s desire to give back.
“Seeing the impact in the community itself and having everyone root for each other and being involved in each other’s lives. As I’ve gotten older it has seemed that community has become less of a thing and we’ve become more individual. I think about how I grew up and how much I enjoyed it and I would just like to promote that sense of community in any way that I can.”
Ashir is able to promote community in his day-to-day job expectations Ashir is helping individuals get ready to go back into the workforce or move forward in their career. “It impacts the community by developing the workforce in a multitude of ways. Helping the unemployed or the underemployed find a job that is relevant to their education level or passions.”
As his time here in Tucson comes to an end and he looks toward the future.
“I see myself probably going back to Maine for the summer and for a little while, I’m a wimp with any extreme temperatures- so imagine how I feel about the summer. I want to see my family and friends for a while and figure out something for next winter. We’ll see what happens.”
“I think that having some experience working with a non-profit will be beneficial in whatever I do because it always looks good on a resume. Beyond the resume, it’ll help me re-lit a passion inside myself to do more service. Growing up I always said I wanted to do PeaceCorps, but now that I’ve actually done it it reminds me that it’s good work and it makes me want to do more of it“
Do you want to get involved and help advise the local community about potential career opportunities in Tucson? Be sure to check out our open AmeriCorps State & VISTA positions!