Before Green City Force, I never saw myself working as an urban farmer and getting my hands dirty. I was employed at the time as a group leader at Mosaic Beacon for Catholic Charities and enrolled in the Youth Council Program at my development as the president. I was very involved with my community and signed up to get alerts from the New York City Housing Authority whenever they had any job programs, meetings or trainings. Green City Force caught my eye and I took a big step forward and resigned from my job and applied to serve my community. I kept in contact with my students and my old job, so I would be able to go back and feed them knowledge; to educate the youth, adults, and the community on what I do and how it can affect them. I always kept in mind “It was never about the money,” it’s about the ability to take initiative to give back what you were given and be known for it. Being a role model for my community and the future generations I’m thankful for the opportunities that were handed to me. As an AmeriCorps member of Cohort 20 serving at Forest Houses, I was capable of showing my skills and enhancing them during my time of service. I’ve opened doors for myself and pushed through the struggles.
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