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MSU grad helps coordinate community service summit in N.Y.

September 23, 2008

Ashley Johnson

Not many people have the opportunity to facilitate an event where Jon Bon Jovi and John McCain were key speakers, but MSU alumna Ashley Johnson had the chance a few weeks ago and found a way to make it happen.

Johnson, an Owosso native who earned a degree in interdisciplinary studies in social science and human resources and society in 2007, volunteers for City Year, a nationwide service organization. Johnson recently helped coordinate the Service Nation Summit, held Sept. 11-12 in New York. She was in charge of logistics for the event, which kicked off a yearlong campaign to promote a major expansion of service opportunities in America.

Presidential candidates McCain and Barack Obama spoke at the summit, emphasizing the need for service, particularly among America’s youth. Other speakers included singers Usher, Bon Jovi and Alicia Keys, actor Tobey McGuire, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York Gov. David Patterson and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton speaking via satellite.

“I got to say ‘Thank you’ to a lot of the speakers,” Johnson said. “I actually had a little conversation with Bon Jovi — he told me he was really thankful to be a part of this whole thing.”

Johnson said the Service Nation Summit brought together people of different ages and backgrounds.

“(The Summit) united celebrities and politicians, people in the business world and universities … It really brings together people from everywhere,” Johnson said.

Life after college

After graduation, Johnson went to work at City Year in New York and has been there the past two years.

City Year is an AmeriCorps organization that was founded to get young people involved in helping communities.

The organization seeks 17- to 24-year-olds to dedicate 10 months of full-time community service to work as tutors, mentors and role models for children in underserved schools and communities across the country.

“I wanted to take a gap year after college to gain more experience before going on to grad school and entering the corporate world,” Johnson said. “It was an incredible experience for me to be able to do something like that at my age.”

David Andrako, public relations manager for City Year New York, said participation in City Year and groups like it is a great way to provide young people a place to spend a year serving in some of the country’s most underresourced communities.

“We are very excited that some of the country’s leading colleges and universities are recognizing the importance of gap years and national service,” Andrako said.

Inspiration

Johnson said she began to feel a call to service when she was still a student at MSU.

“I had an internship in the human resource department working in employee relations. … It gave me a lot of real world experience,” she said. “I saw how valuable having real world experience was.”

The MSU Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement is a viable option for MSU students considering some form of service after graduation, said Karen McKnight Casey, director of the center.

“It’s a wonderful way to interact with the community on a quasi-volunteer basis, but also to give something while doing a tremendous amount of learning,” Casey said.

Andrako says students can really benefit from taking a “gap” year after graduation to gain growth and experience.

“City Year is a great opportunity for young people to gain experience in schools without having the responsibility of their own classroom,” he said.

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Lessons

Johnson added there are difficulties in working with a nonprofit organization like City Year, but they can help the overall experience.

“With a nonprofit, you have to develop, implement and do a lot of things all by yourself that you don’t get with, say, an entry level business position,” she said.

“And it helps you in multiple ways — you grow in your skills, abilities, professional experiences.”

In the future, Johnson hopes to work in the charter school system developing programs targeted for middle school girls, and she owes it all to her experience with City Year.

“I saw the power that positive relationships can have in shaping the attitudes of young people … and I feel like working with City Year gives me the opportunity to develop myself, as well as the next generation of leaders.”

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