Member Feature - Jessi Wightman

Meet your fellow AmeriCorps members and the programs they serve with in our monthly member spotlight! This month’s member spotlight is on Jessi Wightman, an Academic Coach serving with the City of Lakes AmeriCorps program.

What program do you serve with?

I serve with City of Lakes AmeriCorps at Seward Montessori School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

What do you do in your position?

City of Lakes serves middle school students who are in the English Language Learning (ELL) program. I spend my day supporting ELL students in their math and language arts classes, working directly with them in ELL classes, and supporting them in their overall academic growth.

What interested you in serving with AmeriCorps and with your specific program?

AmeriCorps interested me because of the opportunity I would have to experience professional opportunities that I felt were unavailable to me otherwise. I chose City of Lakes as a program because I think that it fills a really unique role for students. Middle schoolers have huge expectations being put on them every day to both progress academically and mature emotionally. Through City of Lakes, I get to see both of those things happen simultaneously through mentoring and being able to see students in multiple different settings throughout the day which is incredibly rewarding. Also, I think middle schoolers are absolutely hilarious so it's a wonderful way to spend my days goofing with some pretty cool kids!

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I like to read, do puzzles, experiment with baking sweet breads, and dance with my roommates.