Meet Eagle Rock’s 2014/2015 Public Allies Fellows

Like clockwork, each and every year since 2002 we’ve hosted a dozen Public Allies Fellows, and every year, we proudly introduce these Fellows to you, our stakeholders. Today, we’re presenting 10 new young leaders to you, along with two who we’re fortunate to hang onto for another year, as well as offering up a little information about each of them.

And in case you wondered what Public Allies is all about, here’s a primer:

Public Allies is a program with the intent of developing leadership skills in young adults. This AmeriCorps-funded program is a national movement with a mantra that’s pretty much this: “Everyone leads.” The thought here is, everyone can work to inspire others to believe in themselves, step up to the plate and take action.

Since its founding in 1992, more than 5,000 Allies have completed the program at sites in 23 cities with more than 80 percent of them continuing careers in the nonprofit and public sectors.

And so, without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to Eagle Rock’s 2014-2015 Public Allies Fellows:

Courtney Lancaster, Service Learning Fellow: Courtney received her Masters of Art degree in social change from the Iliff School of Theology in Denver. Most recently she worked for the Center Consolidated School Districts and has experiences with Transformational Ventures /Trading Hope. Courtney also has service experiences as a VISTA volunteer with AmeriCorps.

Molly Milota, Life After Eagle Rock Fellow: Molly worked at Kansas State University for the past few years as part of house and dining services. She brings to the Eagle Rock table extensive knowledge about what it takes to get into college — and also what it takes to stay in college. Molly has worked with Spectrum Series groups along with Functional Literacy tutoring. She has a Masters of Science from K-State in counseling and student development.

Nicholas Viglione, Human Performance Center Fellow: Nicholas, who hails from Purdy N.Y., has taught physical education at Rippowam Cisqua School in Bedford, N.Y., in both the upper and lower campus. He has also worked as a track coach as well as with project-based adventure after school programs. Nicholas earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physical education.

Aaron Guggenheim, Literacy and Literature Fellow: Aaron picked up his bachelor’s degree at the University of Michigan. He has experience working with the Ann Arbor Public School District at Skyline High School, along with working for the Michigan Daily newspaper as a reporter. Aaron is originally from Palo Alto, Calif.

Matthew Liston, World Language Fellow: Matthew arrives at ERS with experience in speaking both Spanish and Arabic, and with a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. Matt has worked as a Spanish classroom aid as well as with an AMA mentoring group working to organize cultural events. Originally from Boulder, Colo., Matt has been living and working at the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center for the past year.

Kelsey Baun, Professional Development Center Fellow: Kelsey just wrapped up a year of service with City Year in Boston. Along with her national service experience, Kelsey has worked with the Student Leadership Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE) office at Colorado State University. Kelsey has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, specializing in organizational and innovation management.

Jack Hilbrich, Outdoor Education Fellow: Jack is someone you might recognize around our campus because he has assisted with our HPOE Department by helping lead several of our wilderness trips. Jack comes from Illinois, but besides leading trips for ERS, he has been working with Outward Bound. And to ensure we have our quota of hockey fans, we hired Jack because of his experience as a hockey coach. (Joking, of course, but it was a consideration.) In addition, Jack earned his Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology from the University of New Hampshire.

Allison McManis, Societies and Culture Fellow: Allison just  finished up her year of service with Public Allies San Francisco where she was placed with the E3 Program (Education, Excellence and Equity). Prior to that, Allison had experiences with Hip Hop Theater and assistant coaching of a high school women’s soccer team. Originally from Oakland, Calif., Allison earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in social geography from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Dayna Safferstein, Visual Arts Fellow: Dayna has worked with the Putney School summer programs along with assisting artist Tony Carneiro in printmaking, sculpture and collage projects. Dayna has also worked at the Tufts University crafts center and was an intern for the Welling Court Mural Project. Dayna is from Brooklyn, N.Y., and earned her degree in fine arts from The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in partnership with Tufts University.

Andrew Walker, Music Fellow: Andrew spent the last year with the Bela Bartok Magyar-Angol Ket Tanitasi in Budapest Hungary, where he was a music teacher. Prior to that experience Andrew was an after-school tutor, fostering reading and writing in his students. Andrew has a bachelor’s degree in music from Central Michigan University and is originally from West Chester, Ohio.

Sara Benge, Science Fellow (returning): From Columbus, Ohio, Sara taught at the Horizon Science Academy High School after spending two years in the Peace Corps in Morocco. Sara has a Bachelor of Arts degree in exercise science from Willamette University in Salem, Ore.

Calvin King, Health & Wellness Fellow (returning): This former Eagle Rock School student is a Bonner Scholar and graduate of Morehouse College where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in political science. Over the past few years Calvin has worked with the City of Atlanta Freedom Schools, as well as the Georgia Network for Educational and Therapeutic Support.