HPU Supports 16 VISTAs in Serving the Local Community
High Point University welcomed 16 recent college graduates as AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) who will dedicate a year of service in the city of High Point. Pictured in the front row from left are Gabriela Merlos, Jasmine Brown, Cash’e Chapman, Lauren Riley, Zaira Arfeen, Mikaela Chin, Marie Kuhl and Kathryn Shumaker. In the second row from left are David Hicklin, Hassan Allah, Terris Burton II, Christina Wiggins, Lovelle McMichaels, Nyila Johnson, Terry Dixon Jr., Kyle Smith and Joshua Cameron.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 5, 2024 – High Point University welcomed 16 recent college graduates as AmeriCorps VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) who will dedicate a year of service in the city of High Point. This is the second consecutive year with 16 VISTAs, matching the largest group in HPU’s 12 years of hosting VISTAs to provide thousands of hours of service to community organizations.
Last year’s cohort nearly doubled in number, growing from nine to 16. Each VISTA works with a nonprofit in the city to build sustainable programs to address needs, such as food insecurity or education. The VISTAs will serve as a vital part of the HPU Center for Community Engagement, connecting students and faculty to service opportunities in the city. Since the program began at HPU, a total of 49 VISTAs have served throughout the city.
HPU invests nearly $370,000 annually to provide housing, meals and access to student volunteers to carry out projects with their partner agencies, said Kimberly Drye-Dancy, director of HPU Center for Community Engagement. Organizations the VISTAs work with include World Relief of the Triad, the Greater High Point Food Alliance, Growing High Point, Macedonia Family Resource Center, the city of High Point Neighborhood and Community Development Division, the Nido and Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum, High Point School Partnerships, Communities in Schools, Resilience High Point, YWCA High Point, Community Writing Center and Carl Chavis Memorial Branch YMCA.
Lovelle McMichael, assistant director of HPU Center for Community Engagement, began his third year of working with VISTAs.
“I am so pleased to announce that after a competitive process, we nominated 16 VISTAs from across the United States,” said McMichael. “We are also excited that 11 of them are HPU alumni. Whether recent graduates or coming back to HPU, we see a vested interest from our students to serve within the local High Point community.”
This year’s VISTAs are:
Kyle Smith, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and a Class of 2023 Wake Forest University graduate, serves as a VISTA at HPU Center for Community Engagement.
“I am excited to return as a VISTA Leader to facilitate the training, development and management of the 14 VISTAs working at various nonprofits in the High Point community,” said Smith. “Seeing the progress we accomplished last year has inspired me to continue serving and dedicating my time to AmeriCorps.”
Kathryn Shumaker, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and a Class of 2023 graduate from the University of Iowa, serves as a VISTA at HPU Center for Community Engagement.
“I am excited to be returning to the HPU AmeriCorps VISTA program for another year as a VISTA Leader,” said Shumaker. “In this role, I will have the privilege of leading, mentoring and advocating for the 2024-25 HPU VISTA cohort. I am eager to build upon my previous service as a VISTA by supporting meaningful service efforts while also advancing my career in higher education through further developing my leadership and professional skills.”
Christina Wiggins, a native of Charlotte, North Carolina, and a Class of 2024 HPU graduate with a B.A. in psychology, serves as a neighborhood engagement VISTA at Macedonia Family Resource Center.
“I have always had a deep-rooted passion for serving and nurturing others, whether that be kids, adults or my peers,” said Wiggins. “My role is to help build capacity for the High Point community, which means giving the community the tools to help fight poverty rather than doing direct service for them. I do this by developing new youth and family programming using data collection as well as developing tutoring and mentoring children and assisting with food insecurity and illiteracy, which are some of the most crucial issues in the area.”
Nyila Johnson, a native of Washington, D.C., and a Class of 2024 graduate of HPU with a B.S.B.A. in entrepreneurship, serves as a VISTA at D-Up, Inc., a local nonprofit and afterschool program that teaches children to live healthier lives.
“I wanted to be an AmeriCorps VISTA because I wanted to continue to make a difference in the High Point community,” said Johnson. “I’m very passionate about community building and providing resources to those in need, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to take advantage of.”
Terry Dixon Jr., a native of Concord, North Carolina, and a Class of 2024 graduate of HPU with a B.S.B.A. in accounting, serves as a VISTA at the Center for Community Engagement.
“I chose to become a VISTA because I am interested in increasing the capacity of student-pedagogical services, especially mentoring and tutoring,” said Dixon. “My objective is to create and execute best practices and systems that prioritize children’s safety and well-being, ensuring they have the resources they need to excel academically and personally. By collaborating closely with the Volunteer Center, I hope to strengthen their community involvement activities and create a strong network of support for kids and their families. This work allows me to contribute significantly to the community while having a long-term influence on the lives of young learners.”
Marie Kuhl, a native of Kernersville, North Carolina, graduated from HPU with a B.A. in psychology and M.A. in business & communications leadership. She serves as a VISTA at Resilience High Point.
“I wanted to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA to assist my community with making connections and helping others in any capacity,” said Kuhl.
Hassan Allah, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, who graduated in 2021 from North Carolina A&T State University, serves as a VISTA at Mega Mission Ministries’ Community Writing Center.
“I wanted to be a VISTA because I wanted to do meaningful work and not just go through the motions,” said Allah.
Terris Burton II, a native of Hamilton, New Jersey, and Class of 2023 HPU graduate with a B.A. in sport management, serves as a mentorship VISTA at the Carl Chavis Memorial YMCA.
“My goal is to have my own trucking company where I employ former convicted felons and provide them with the proper benefits, and I believed that the VISTA program would be the perfect gateway into impacting my community through social entrepreneurship.
Lauren Riley, a High Point native and Class of 2023 HPU graduate with a B.A. in graphic design, serves for a second year as a VISTA at the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum.
“Serving as a VISTA member last year deepened my passion for giving back, which is why I’m thrilled to return to the Nido & Mariana Qubein Children’s Museum in this role,” said Riley. “I initially joined AmeriCorps VISTA because I recognized the critical need for growth and support within these programs, and I was eager to gain a meaningful, immersive experience in the High Point community.”
Joshua Cameron, a Greensboro native who graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021 with a B.A. in psychology, serves as a VISTA at YWCA High Point.
Cameron said he rejoined YWCA High Point’s Latino Family Center this year for another term because he is “committed to sowing seeds of strength, health and wellness within the High Point community.”
Gabriela Merlos, a native of Port Chester, New York, and Class of 2021 HPU graduate, serves as a VISTA at High Point Schools Partnership.
“I chose to become a VISTA due to my passion to serve our communities and ensure they have the proper tools and resources needed for success,” said Merlos. “My goal is to create lasting partnerships and engagement to enhance our schools and wider community to feel valued, seen and heard.”
Cash’e Chapman, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Class of 2024 graduate of North Carolina Central University, serves as a VISTA at Growing High Point, a nonprofit that encourages community gardens to promote food security.
“I wanted to become a VISTA to put my skills and passion together in one place while being of service to my community, as I grow in my career of service,” said Chapman.
David Hicklin, a native of Prince George’s County, Maryland, and a Class of 2024 HPU graduate who is pursuing his M.B.A. with a concentration in business analytics, is a VISTA at World Relief of the Triad.
“I want to be a VISTA because service is important to me and I’m passionate about helping those in need as well as serving in the community that I graduated from,” said Hicklin. “This is how I can be a part of the change I want to see.”
Zaira Arfeen, a native of Greensboro and a Class of 2024 HPU graduate with a B.S. in exercise science, is a food justice VISTA for the Greater High Point Food Alliance.
“I wanted to become a VISTA because I am passionate about improving food systems to ensure equal access to food,” said Arfeen. “I want to support local food pantries to assure that diverse cultural and health needs of the community are met.”
Mikaela Chin, a native of Germantown, Maryland, and Class of 2024 HPU graduate with a B.S. in exercise science with a minor in civic responsibility & social innovation. She is a VISTA at Communities in Schools High Point.
“I joined AmeriCorps VISTA because I wanted to continue the service I started from my time in the HPU Bonner Leader Program during my undergrad,” said Chin. “I recognized the need for continuous support of local nonprofits’ missions.”
Jasmine Brown, a native of Suffolk, Virginia, and Class of 2024 HPU graduate with B.A. degrees in criminal justice and psychology, serves as a food systems VISTA at the city of High Point.
“I joined AmeriCorps to continue pursuing my passion for service in the High Point community,” said Brown. “While serving the community as an undergrad, I realized the importance of continuing my service to ensure the security and well-being of the High Point community.”