Vanessa Luna, a University of California, Berkeley alum, is a former American Connection Corps AmeriCorps Member with the city of Santa Paula, California. She can be reached at vanessanicoleluna@gmail.com.

Throughout my life, I’ve always had one constant: Whatever path my future would take, it would be rooted in service. And like many civic-minded folks, I couldn’t help but turn toward Ron Swanson, the director of the fictional Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department, when determining what to do after college.

“You’ll get a lot of job offers in your life, but you only have one hometown,” the famed curmudgeon and secret saxophonist told Leslie Knope, his intensely optimistic and mission-driven subordinate.

Spoiler alert: Much like me, Knope merged her desire to serve and better her community together for the best possible outcome. I just finished a year of service in my hometown of Santa Paula, California, with the American Connection Corps (ACC) as an AmeriCorps Member.

ACC is an AmeriCorps program of Lead for America. The organization empowers tight-knit, often underserved communities like mine through capacity-building services.

My “dream job” changed as I grew up, but I soon realized I wanted to give back to Santa Paula or a similar community. I knew my first step was to earn my degree, but then what? I struggled to find a job that was perfect for a fresh college graduate, green in the world of work. I found opportunities working on literacy or with youth — positions that would take me to other parts of the country. But I couldn’t find anything that inspired me here in California, where I was rooted and wanted to stay.

That all changed when ACC gave me an opportunity to serve right here in the town where I grew up. Santa Paula is in Southern California with a population of about 30,000 that is working diligently to reinvigorate itself. The city has a rich cultural history and is always looking for ways to improve itself for the betterment of the community.

I was one of nearly 100 members serving all over our country, each working on a range of economic development, digital equity, climate action, and natural resource conservation initiatives. Although they serve at the local level, ACC members build connections with and learn from a national cohort of peers doing similar work in their hometowns. ACC gathers our cohort four times per year for orientation, training, conferences, and a celebratory week of graduation activities in Washington D.C.

I reported to Santa Paula City Hall as one of three ACC Members serving with the city. My role was unique and allowed me to wear many hats. I worked as a public information liaison, so whenever the city posted on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter), or Nextdoor — that was me behind the scenes. I also assisted with an initiative called Santa Paula Speaks, a community engagement survey that gathered residents’ input on citywide issues like street repairing and retaining local businesses.

The city sees the value of investing in its young leaders and has been an avid supporter and host of Lead for America since 2021. Word about the program spread over the past three years, leading the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce and downtown Property Business Improvement District to embrace the program as well.

Members here in Santa Paula have created some other incredible things too. One alum, Lyzette Cornejo, spearheaded cultural arts initiatives and a local business roundtable forum. Miguel Perez, now a full-time city employee, implemented a Spanish interpretation program for meetings previously only held in English. Nicole Mayes, Santa Paula’s first ACC Member, revamped the downtown holiday banner program and a military banner program that honors and supports service members from Santa Paula.

One of my peers this year, Mirka Vargas, created the Future Leaders Academy, a program that introduces residents to the inner-working processes of city government over 10 weeks. Esteban Herrera coordinated an Americans with Disabilities Act workshop to educate local businesses on updated laws impacting their operations.

This is just the tip of what we accomplished in the over 9,000 combined hours of service at city hall through ACC. We all studied in college so that we could directly serve our communities. For us, what higher honor is there than to serve the community that raised us? Many of the Santa Paula ACC Members — past and present — were raised right here in Ventura County, with most born and raised in beautiful Santa Paula itself.

This experience blessed me with an inside look at a city I thought I knew like the back of my hand. It is an honor to be on a first-name basis with some of the council members I voted for and to learn how my tax dollars are used. It exposed all of us to possible career paths in local government and allowed me to see the transformational impact our service had on ourselves and our community.

There are many opportunities waiting out there for us after this year of service. But we will always remember that we have one amazing hometown.

To learn more about how your community can host a member like me, visit www.americanconnectioncorps.org.