Alumni Profile : Gerri Stiffarm

I thought it would be fun to reach out to some of our Campus Corps alumni to find out where they are now, and to hear what they had to say about their Campus Corps experience a few years down the line. I was able to track down former 2-term member, Gerri Stiffarm who had some great things to say about her experience with the program. Thanks for sharing Gerri!

Gerri (left) with current Campus Corps Leader
at Aaniiih Nakoda College, Ali Graham

Alumni Profile:

Name: Gerri Lynn Stiffarm 

Year(s)that you served your term: 2005 - 2006 & 2006 - 2007 

College that you served at: Montana State University - Northern

# of Campus Corps terms served: 2 as official Campus Corps member

Service Site(s):

2005 - 06: Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line working with America Reads and America Counts Program

2006 - 07: HRDC IV with the Mentoring for Tomorrow Program mentoring students in 4th through 8th grade.

Reflections on her Campus Corps Experience:

"My time with Montana Campus Corps was an exciting experience for me.  I have always enjoyed helping other people and these experiences just heightened my sense of compassion and service to my community. So when I found out about volunteer opportunities with MTCC, I was excited to apply.  My favorite experiences volunteering were the ELF (Everyone Loves Firemen) food drives. These annual events were a collaboration of the Havre Food Bank and the local Fire Department. I enjoyed helping coordinate the volunteers at the beginning of the drive and send them off to the neighborhoods with the ambulance and firefighters leading the way.  Yet, others of us would stay behind and get ready for the tons of food to come in and be sorted.  These events really showed the community spirit as there were volunteers from different organizations, church youth groups, community members, and college students helping make it happen.

Montana Campus Corps has been an excellent experience for me and I am grateful for all I was able to do for others while learning more about myself. I now work as the Success Center Coordinator at Aaniiih Nakoda College where I help students earn their GED diplomas, sign up for college, get tutoring help, and find ways for them to succeed.  I have worked this summer 2012 as the site supervisor through the Jump Start Academy and have enjoyed seeing our students serve their community and create new relationships. It has been a wonderful experience to share my past experiences and the spirit of service with them."