Today's guest post is written by Kimberly Walker, who highlights how serving in Americorps changed her life.  She is currently the Evaluation & Performance Measurement Manager at Points of Light Institute.

"My passion has always been to effectuate change in the lives of people. In 2001, I began working for the HandsOn Atlanta AmeriCorps which is a 10-month national service program partnering with Hands On Atlanta (HOA) and Atlanta Public System (APS) as a team leader of the high school division. The primary goals of the high school division were to: assist students in accomplishing their 75- hour community service requirement for graduation, provide them with leadership opportunities and encourage civic responsibility. During my term of service, I began to see the perils, struggles, and successes of urban education.

This eye-opening experience caused me to change the direction of my graduate studies. Originally, it was my plan to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology but after working in the school system I noticed the disparities in education and therefore changed the direction of my professional career. Once my term of service was completed, I entered and graduated from Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University with my Masters of Science in Urban Policy Studies. Ten years later, I am still working on issues of educational equity for underrepresented students all because of exposure, skills, and knowledge I gained as an AmeriCorps member. It’s amazing how one decision I made to serve changed the entire trajectory of my life."

Click here to find Americorps opportunities to get involved in.