We’re harnessing the power of our greatest asset — the 40 million people who call California home. We need your help to tackle COVID-19, natural disasters, climate change, poverty, homelessness and other issues we may face in California.
We’re harnessing the power of our greatest asset — the 40 million people who call California home. We need your help to tackle COVID-19, natural disasters, climate change, poverty, homelessness and other issues we may face in California.
Sylvia O, PASS (Promoting Achievement and Student Success) AmeriCorps
Aspiring Social Worker Serves to Destigmatize Mental Health in San Diego County
A daughter of Korean immigrants, Sylvia O’s service as a Student Success Coach with Promoting Achievement and Student Success (PASS) AmeriCorps program helped her discover a personal passion and professional goal to help students with mental health needs. Wrapping up her second term with AmeriCorps California, Sylvia provides targeted support through mentorship, academic assistance and leadership development to students in grades 3 -12 from 32 schools throughout San Diego County. After completing service, Syliva plans to pursue a master’s degree in social welfare at UC Berkeley and will be the first in her family to pursue graduate studies.
What life experiences inspired you to serve as an AmeriCorps California member?
What inspired me to serve as an AmeriCorps California member was my volunteer experience with a suicide hotline right after graduating from UC San Diego. I was shocked to see so many calls coming from students in grade school, colleges and universities throughout the county. In addition, my own mental health journey motivated me to serve students with mental health needs and was my fuel to help create a sense of belonging at school as a Student Success Coach with PASS AmeriCorps.
How has your experience in service impacted you and the community you are serving?
Serving San Diego deepened my love for the San Diego community. Through my service experience, my perception of cultural competency changed. I used to think that cultural competency is limited to shared lived experiences, but I learned that cultural competency also includes providing a safe space that embraces and is inclusive of a person’s culture. I believe social justice means empowering people to exist on their terms and challenging spaces that exclude them.
What is something you’ve done during your service that makes you feel proud?
I am very proud of my students for their incredible resilience despite adversities outside of their control. I am so grateful that my students allowed me to push them toward their potential and to overcome their fear of success and failure. My mentorship helped to shape their school year into a positive experience.
How has your AmeriCorps California experience inspired you for next steps in your career or education?
My experience serving as a PASS AmeriCorps mentor helped me define and affirm my career goal to serve at-promise students as a school social worker. I have learned so many relevant skills like case management, crisis intervention and restorative practice.
What are your plans after service? What are your overall career/educational goals (“dream” job)?
This fall, I will return to school and start my journey to complete a master’s degree in social welfare at UC Berkeley. I am planning to learn how to provide individual therapy to underserved students in the Bay Area as part of my field practicum. I’m very grateful for my experience with PASS AmeriCorps for empowering me to pursue social work and excited to continue serving underserved students with mental health needs.
Identify and explain one professional or personal development skill that you’ve honed during your term of service. How do you plan to use this skill following your service term?
My favorite aspect of my PASS AmeriCorps experience was learning how to collaborate as a part of an interdisciplinary team with a common goal to improve students’ academic performance and experience. While I learned so much sociological theory and data in college, I learned trauma-informed practical skills through supporting families impacted by poverty, generational traumas and other adversities. I look forward to continuing strengthening these crucial skills.
