Team Leader Alumni Spotlight: Jay MacFadgen Meet Jay MacFadgen from Malden, Massachusetts. Jay studied Hearing/Deafness & American Sign Language at Emerson College. Jay was a Class 15 Corps Member in the then Badger 6 team. As a Badger, Jay’s team traveled all across the Atlantic Region and to New Orleans. While in New Orleans Jay served with several project sponsors including Rebuilding Together and even got to meet Mr. Anderson Cooper! At the Class 15 Awards Banquet Jay won the most awards of any Member that year for his service and leadership. As class 15 came to a close Jay reflects in his blog: “My National Civilian Community Corps experience came to an end Friday, after a week of events and close-out that made up the final transition...Well, this was a bit different of a transition. We aren't eagerly awaiting news of our next project, we aren't planning what to pack, and there's no gearing up for a 2-day travel we would typically expect at the end of the week. We're closing out our year of service, and transitioning into life after AmeriCorps. So now I look back on a year of service, and I sit here not knowing where to begin and what to blog about. I’ve had what seems like a lifetime of experience in leadership, firefighting, teaching, construction, environmental conservation, volunteer management, among so many other things. Furthermore, I’ve experienced all of this with the same 8 people for the past year. They’ve been there for every moment, so they’ve seen me at both a personal and professional level. Knowing that it has come to an end is something far beyond bittersweet, if there was even a term for it. The satisfaction of having gotten things done for communities around the country and seeing the difference that was made in others’ lives made it worth every challenge we faced this year. You get one of the best feelings by getting involved in direct service. Through it, I’ve got to meet those I’m serving and see the impact, ranging from the smile on someone’s face to the goal number of rebuilt homes reached. I’ve had these moments all year, and fortunately, I’ve got another year beginning in January as I continue my journey as a Team Leader.”
As he writes, Jay returned for a second year with the Corps as the Class 16 Team Leader of Raven 4. One function of a Team Leader is to help develop leaders and Jay did just that during Class 16. Jay was the Team Leader to four Corps Members who became Class 17 Team Leaders—Laura Mack the Community Relations Support Team Leader, Christopher Quirk, the Operations Team Leader and Rod Swain, the Raven Unit Support Team Leader and Julian Cesner, Raven 7 Team Leader. Clearly Jay left a mark on
the campus and communities across the country. Team Leader applications for the Fall 2012 close on April 1 at 11:59 pm. Think about it. Apply today