Adventure awaits: Three Georgia Southern graduates join AmeriCorps, head to Montana for careers in the outdoors
Three 妻友社区 alumni will soon embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they head west to Montana to work in the great outdoors.
Jakob Richardson (’21), Anna Masino (’21) and Brody Englert (’21) are the most recent Georgia Southern graduates to join AmeriCorps, a federal agency that brings people together to tackle the country鈥檚 most pressing challenges through national service and volunteering.
Through the AmeriCorps program, the trio of Eagles will each complete a 1,700-hour full-time internship with Montana State Parks where they will be entrusted with accomplishing a variety of different tasks that will have a long-lasting impact on the stewardship of Montana鈥檚 state parks system.
Read on to learn more about each student, how they came to join AmeriCorps and learn about their passion for nature and the outdoors.
Brody Englert
A sea kayaking trip in Hawaii while on vacation with his family forever changed the trajectory of Brody Englert鈥檚 life.
鈥淚t turned out the guides who took us were from Georgia, and they had majored in recreation before moving to Hawaii for work, and I thought that was just the coolest way to live 鈥� taking people to cool places and doing cool things outside,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I immediately looked for colleges with that as a major. And the rest is history.鈥�
Englert began exploring colleges and universities that offered it as a major, and came upon Georgia Southern鈥檚 recreation and tourism management program. The Dacula, Georgia, native was excited about his new adventure but had a few hesitations.
鈥淚 will be honest, around the end of my freshman year I was thinking about switching majors; however, that changed when I had my first class with Dr. John Peden,鈥� Englert said. 鈥淗is teaching style is second to none, and his personality and attention to his students make you feel he genuinely cares about what he is doing. He is the person who really made me love the idea of a career in recreation, and I strive to do better and reach farther because of him.鈥�
Click here to read more of Brody’s story.
Anna Masino
Before Anna Masino even enrolled as a college student, she knew a typical office job was not in her future. Having worked in an accounting office while in high school, she enjoyed the mentorship but knew she wanted something different. And while she didn鈥檛 know exactly what she wanted to pursue as a career, she knew she wanted to be outdoors.
鈥淚 always told my parents 鈥榶ou don鈥檛 have to go to college to play outside for the rest of your life,鈥欌�� she said, laughing. 鈥淭hey of course told me that was not a wise decision. I liked the idea of being free and being outdoors and sharing that experience with others. I knew that鈥檚 what I wanted to do, but I didn鈥檛 know how to go about it, or what that career option would be.鈥�
She came to the University having not declared a major. Then one day during an emotional phone call with her dad, she recalled the moment she found her fit at Georgia Southern.
Click here to read more of Anna’s story.
Jakob Richardson
A career in the outdoors seemed like a natural fit for Richmond Hill native Jakob Richardson who grew up with a passion for being outside and appreciating nature.
So when he found Georgia Southern’s Recreation and Tourism Management program with an emphasis in outdoor recreation, he couldn鈥檛 wait to dig in and explore what it had to offer.
鈥淢y favorite thing about this field is that I鈥檒l rarely be in an office building filing paperwork and sitting behind a computer screen, and it allows me to have a career in what I love doing,鈥� Richardson said.
Now, with a degree under his belt from the only recreation degree program accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions in Georgia, Richardson feels ready for his next steps in this field.
Click here to read more of Jakob’s story.