This year, Trinity is grateful to host Hayley Uliana as a second-year AmeriCorps member. Serving primarily with TAP, Hayley also oversees the Bryant Late Start program at Trinity, and serves in the AVID classes at Jason Lee with her AmeriCorps peers. Hayley comes to us from Hawaii, by way of Azusa Pacific University, where she received a BA in Philosophy, with a minor in English. Read on to hear about her time with Trinity so far.
“Having a year under my belt with the TAP program has been a wonderful thing. I have learned more than I could ever have thought to from teachers, coworkers, supervisors, and the kiddos themselves. I am humbled to assist in classrooms at Jason Lee and Bryant Montessori, seeing the teachers go through lesson plans and interact with students so smoothly, facing each challenge with quick wit, compassion, adaptability, and tact. No one is perfect, but even in their mistakes I see these teachers offering grace to themselves and being willing to admit when they are wrong.
“Our students at TAP give me the chance to practice the values I witness; compassion, humility and adaptability. I’m glad they have patience with me too; they either have the grace of a saint or the memory of a goldfish because Lord knows I make mistakes I don’t expect to recover from. But the kiddos are there the next day; smiles beaming and mouths running on about how they were the fastest runner during kickball. There are so many things I have learned and even more that I still will learn while working here at TAP. I am grateful the past year and a half of opportunities; from playing pranks on Roderic with my partner in crime, Rachel, to reading an entire lesson with a student in our best Liza Minnelli impressions.“
From TAP Coordinator, Rachel Boisen:
“I have had the pleasure of working with Hayley for nearly 1.5 years, and could draft an encyclopedia of her merits. But, instead of that worthy venture, let me tell you one of the greatest differences she has made at TAP these last six months.
“By far, the greatest struggle TAP faced last year was finding sufficient volunteers to tutor with our students. Our program is structured with the intent that three days a week, each student benefits from one-on-one literacy tutoring. Last year, we couldn't manage it. Overzealous student recruitment, and the necessary departure of several faithful volunteers left us with an unfortunate imbalance in our programming. The remaining team bore the burden well, but we clearly were not operating under optimal conditions.
“When 2016-2017 program planning began, Hayley took up the cause. In the short weeks between beginning her second Service Year and the start of TAP, she recruited enough volunteers to meet our program needs and even expand to include additional children. As time has progressed, she continues to spearhead tutor recruitment and training to ensure our students receive the support they need.”
“All of our students are progressing admirably through the program, making impressive gains that would not have been possible without the individualized tutoring Hayley's recruitment allows for. It continues to be a privilege to have her on the team, filling important gaps and assisting in creating a more sustainable program.’
Thank you Hayley for being a part of the team! You support of the Trinity Outreach Programs, including the upcoming Outreach Auction, help us keep the incredible AmeriCorps staff on hand. We invite you to support this program and others, by registering for the Outreach Auction today!
