Life on the Mississippi

I think of myself as a Memphian. After all, I spent the first 18 years of my life in this city. I went ice skating at the Mall of Memphis, ate my weight in Danver’s cheeseburgers, and still refer to the flagship university as “Memphis State.” But after spending 18 subsequent years living elsewhere, I realize that much has changed in the city I still think of as home.

For the past seven years, I have been living and working in the rural Arkansas Delta. I started there as a public school teacher, then transitioned into a program director role at the county chamber of commerce three years ago. Over the course of my time in the Delta, I developed a love for working in the public and nonprofit sectors. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had found my calling- at least vocationally. At the same time, I also felt the pull to return to the place I was born and raised.

Almost a year ago, over a long New Year’s Day lunch with friends, I made a single resolution: to move back to Memphis before the end of the year. My reasons for doing so were numerous, but at the top of the list was the visible growth and progress that Memphis has made over the past decade. As I began plotting the course for my move back, I was both pleasantly surprised and a bit intimidated by the expanse of the nonprofit landscape that had evolved since I left in the 90s.

Since I would be looking for a new job to go along with this move, I reached out to my friends and family for help connecting with philanthropically-minded Memphians who might be able to point me in the right direction. After a couple of fruitful meetings, one name and organization emerged as the consistent refrain from all of these people: Sarah Petschonek, Volunteer Odyssey.

After meeting with the Volunteer Odyssey team, I was convinced that the Job Seeker program was an experience I could not pass up. I am eager to learn more about a handful of the dynamic organizations currently driving positive change in Memphis, and I’m excited about the variety of experiences I will have. More importantly, I welcome the opportunity to contribute something positive to benefit others during the otherwise typically self-centered process that is job seeking.

Ultimately, I am hoping to rediscover the city I once thought I knew so well and to acquaint myself with the people who call it home.