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I decided to serve with ��ɫ��Ƶ Milwaukee��because it was something that I wanted to do while taking a gap year from college.��When I first heard of ��ɫ��Ƶ, I found it as an ad on Facebook.��Since it��continued��to pop up,��I��decided to look at the website and see what it was all about.��After learning more about the work ��ɫ��Ƶ did,��I applied, and started my service year as an AmeriCorps member at Bay View High School,��in November of 2018.��

I felt like City Year was a great��steppingstone��of��helping me decide��if I wanted to work with children.��In��the past,��I went��back and forth on whether working with children fit into my career plan,��and��if it did, then��I wondered how.��When I first started service with ��ɫ��Ƶ,��there was��nothing specifically��that��inspired me to serve.��However, as I showed up to service��every��day,��my students��quickly��became my inspiration.

When I first started at Bay View High School, I was nervous about how the students would react to me and if they would even like me, but��I quickly started��to create long lasting relationships with my students by relating to them and helping them in the best way that I could.����

Helping my students,��and being there to support them, continues to��motivate me every day to serve. I love being able to be a support system for them and��just being able to connect with them every day. I feel the same way in my second year of service with my students at South Division��High School. Even though I am in a new role this year��as a Team Leader, I still wanted to be able to connect with students and help them as much as possible. I have made connections with students this year who make it worth coming to service every day. My students are what remind me of why I serve��even on the hardest days.����

Are you interested in applying to do a year of service, like��Shontrice? Learn more about the benefits of completing a year of service, and how it’s much more than a gap year, here.

About the author: Shontrice��Cross is a proud ��ɫ��Ƶ Milwaukee Team Leader serving at��South Division��High Schoo.��When asked why she serves,��Shontrice��said, “I serve because I want to give back to the very community that I grew up in. I’ve personally seen what my counterparts at MPS went through in high school and I want to help change that for the next generation. I serve because there is so much potential in today’s younger people that should not go wasted. I want them to know that someone��is in their corner at all times. I serve for the young black children who are told that they are a “bad” student, but they really need more attention than the average student.”��