Adventure awaits: Three Georgia Southern graduates join AmeriCorps, head to Montana for careers in the outdoors

Though his academic journey had ups and downs, Englert kept his goals and the lifestyle he dreamed of at the forefront of his mind to stay motivated during his undergraduate career.  

“The ultimate goal for my career would be to educate as many people as possible on the wonders and importance of our recreational, natural and cultural resources,” he said. “Many times, when politicians or cities need funding, they are quick to cut out recreational, environmental and cultural spending. These however are central to the maintenance of our society, as they are all the ways that we as people de-stress. 

“Without recreational resources, we would have no way to counteract those stressors we all feel in our daily lives,” he continued. “I know we all felt this overwhelming stress during the initial stages of COVID when the lockdowns were in place. People couldn’t go outside much, and cabin fever ran wild. If I had one goal for my career, it would be to change this mindset of neglect for recreation and its subsidiaries, so as to foster a happier, healthier America.” 

When Englert learned of AmeriCorps, he saw it as an opportunity to lead a life of adventure and service while reaching his goals. 

“Joining AmeriCorps is a chance to see and experience an entirely new kind of life, in a place completely foreign to me, and do tons of new and fascinating things,” he said. “Of course, it will be a bit hard to not know anyone, but making new friends is just another part of this grand adventure that I am on.”

He is excited about the skills he will learn and the career experience he will gain while working with AmeriCorps. 

“I would also love to gain more certifications, as they look great on a resumé and are just overall very useful,” he said. “However, I would say what I most want to gain is a better understanding of the world around me.” 

“He was on the Georgia Southern website and as I’m crying to him on the phone, he said ‘What about outdoor recreation?’ And through my sniffles, I asked ‘what’s that?’ so we explored it, I contacted my advisor and declared my major the first week of my freshman year,” she said. 

Since then, Masino jumped into her major without hesitation and soon discovered the perfect complement to her academics — Southern Adventures,  the University community’s resource for adventure programming. She took advantage of the various services offered at Southern Adventures and worked there as a student.

“In class, I’m getting a sneak peek into what it’s going to look like working in my field,” she said. “I’m in class with my co-workers, so we walk to work together after class and I’m learning how to build on my teamwork skills and group project skills. It’s really cool to see how it all connects and how it’s giving me a mini-preview on what the rest of my life is going to look like professionally. That really excites me.” 

Her experiences with Southern Adventures reinforced her decision to pursue a career in the outdoors.

“My first overnight trip with Southern Adventures was to Cape Canaveral and I had the chance to go bioluminescent kayaking,” she said. “I was able to spend time with the trip director and learn from her wisdom as she had been leading trips for a long time. And that night, looking around our campsite at everyone eating together, laughing and sitting back relaxing was really special. Something that we always say is, ‘I can’t believe we’re getting paid to do this.’ It almost doesn’t feel real that I get paid to go on these trips and plan them and learn. And I mean, it’s such hard work, but the payback is priceless.” 

Masino, who has overcome challenges associated with ADHD,  also appreciates the tight-knit community within the program. Being in a small program where she knew all of her peers and had personal interactions with her professors helped her overcome fears.

“In high school, I did not want to go to college. I was scared that I was going to fail because I struggled so much getting here that I was burnt out,” Masino said. “But as soon as I got into my recreation classes and I got to know my professors, I was just on fire for learning and wanted to know as much as I could. It was a huge shift for me.”

She credits John Peden, Ph.D., for instilling in her a passion for learning and desire to seek experiences like AmeriCorps.

“He cares so deeply about us as students and is willing to sit and talk with us about anything,” she said. “He is so wise and knowledgeable in so many areas, not just recreation. That’s why a lot of us want to go out west. He’s done so many cool things, he inspires us to do the same.” 

With such a passion for learning and the outdoors, it’s no surprise that AmeriCorps was the perfect fit to begin her career. 

“I love this country and I feel so blessed to be born in the United States, so what better way to show my gratitude than to serve this country somewhere like Montana with a service like AmeriCorps and all that they do for the citizens and for the community,” she said. “I’m excited to be able to expand my knowledge and my experience in life working with AmeriCorps. I know it’s going to be something I’m going to be proud of for the rest of my life.”

Masino will complete her internship at Lone Pine State Park, which is near Glacier, Montana. She’ll work with local schools to help educate students about what is going on at the park, work on trail maintenance and community outreach projects, which she is most excited about. 

“I’m excited to build relationships with the people of the community and get to know them more and work with them,” she said. “As I’m doing outreach, I’ll be recruiting them to come volunteer at the park and explain why they should get involved in their community and serve state parks. I’m excited to work alongside Montana locals and learn their wisdom.”

“I feel like Georgia Southern has prepared very well for my career by heavily utilizing experiential learning,” he said. 

As Richardson neared the completion of his degree, the chance to join AmeriCorps presented itself. He found a personal connection to the organization, which prompted him to explore its wide range of service opportunities.

“I chose AmeriCorps because their values — passion, people-diverse and commitment — are similar to the values that I try to uphold every day,” he said. “AmeriCorps also allows me to learn from people who have been working in the field, and that was a very important part for me.” 

Beginning in January, Richardson will be based in Missoula, Montana, with AmeriCorps where he will work in the Hellgate district of state parks. There he will help to improve parklands, expand educational and interpretive programs, increase volunteer capacity by organizing volunteer events, and enhance outreach and awareness of the Montana State Park system. 

Through his internship, Richardson hopes to learn valuable skills and abilities from mentors in his field as he pursues his career in outdoor recreation. 

“My ultimate career goal is to have a positive impact on the community by preserving and teaching them the importance of wild areas,” he said.