Completing one AmeriCorps VISTA service year just wasn’t enough for Jordyn Wagner. After her first AmeriCorps term serving veterans, she decided to enroll in a graduate program at University of Pittsburgh with hopes of becoming an intelligence officer in the Navy. Throughout her first year in the graduate program, Jordyn realized that she really missed serving others, especially veterans.
“Not having that source of meaningful work and service definitely left me feeling like something was missing, which is something I think many veterans feel after their military service is over and they make the transition back into civilian life,” Jordyn said. “My current role at Habitat Snohomish allows me to have the fulfillment of serving the veteran and military community, while also helping them find a new way to continue serving in their own community.”
Through some searching for opportunities that would lead her to serve veterans and their families, she found a Veteran Build Development AmeriCorps position at Habitat for Humanity of Snohomish County and applied. Jordyn moved from Pittsburgh to Washington because she was so passionate about serving veterans and active military members.
While continuing work on her master’s degree, Jordyn serves at Snohomish County Habitat to create a home ownership program specifically for veterans and their families.
“I get to work with local veterans’ organizations, the staff here at the affiliate and corporate groups to create a place for veterans to help other veterans obtain affordable housing,” Jordyn said.
At the end of her AmeriCorps year, Jordyn will move back to Pittsburgh to complete her master’s degree in public and international affairs with a focus in international security and intelligence. She hopes to pursue a career in the Navy and then return to serving veterans one day.