Last updated: March 15, 2023
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Intern Spotlight: Nia Crawford and Baylee Bales-Woods
Meet Community Volunteer Ambassador interns Nia Crawford, at National Mall and Memorial Parks and Baylee Bales-Woods at War in the Pacific National Historical Park. These interns serve through the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program, an AmeriCorps program managed in partnership between the National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks Program and Stewards Individual Placement Program of Conservation Legacy.
Nia Crawford
How did you find yourself at the National Park Service in a Community Volunteer Ambassador AmeriCorps position?
Since I can remember I’ve always realized the importance of historic stories, from listening to family legends to reading the various historical markers around DC, I was fascinated by the people and culture that came before me. Attending college at North Carolina Central University, I was unsure of exactly what I wanted to do so I majored in the programs I was most involved with throughout high school: Mass Communications and Women and Gender Studies. As time passed in college, I realized I was much more interested in the stories I learned of in my Women and Gender Studies courses. I learned of the many movements African American women orchestrated that helped influence the world we live in today. The more that I learned I couldn’t help but to share them with everyone I knew, they fascinated me and I figured if they could uplift me then they could do the same for others. After graduating college in the 2020 pandemic, I was worried I wouldn’t find a job that I was passionate about as the world was beginning to shut down. After a year into the pandemic and working for a call center, my mentor sent me the link for the Community Volunteer Ambassador program. As I read the description, I saw the responsibilities included leveraging African American sites across the National Mall and cultivating creative ways for visitors to learn the history of Sojourner Truth and Ida B. Wells. While applying to the program it felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest, I was worried for a long time if I would ever make it into the career field I genuinely cared about rather than what would make me money. The Community Volunteer Ambassador position fell right into my lap and I’m so grateful for the opportunities it has provided me!
What has been the highlight of your experience as a Community Volunteer Ambassador and AmeriCorps member with the National Park Service?
The highlight of my Community Volunteer Ambassador experience has been building a volunteer program with the African American Civil War Memorial Museum (AACWM) and working on a project that highlights the United States Colored Troops (USCT) at the various National Park Sites across the country. Working with the AACWM has been a great learning experience! Along with learning the history of the USCT and their families, I’ve learned the daily operations of a museum, how to retain volunteer engagement and the lack of attention that historically Black monuments receive. I’ve grown very close with the museum staff and gained an amazing mentor through this process. The highlight of this fellowship is to grow into the museum professional that I aspire to be, with each responsibility I am presented I can witness my own growth!
What projects have you been involved in so far?
The special part about working on the National Mall is the variety of historic sites that are a part of it! Outside of working with the AACWM, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Belmont- Paul Women’s Equality National Monument (BEPA) and Ford’s Theater Historic Site (FOTH). One of my favorite projects was working with Ranger Susan at BEPA on a curriculum for middle school students. Studying Women and Gender Studies in college, I was always a big admirer of the many women’s rights movements. An aspect of these movements that fascinated me was the divide between White and Black women, the causes were split into two movements although they were ultimately advocating for the same rights. A speech that highlighted this divide is Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I A Woman?” speech that was presented at the 1861 Women’s Rights Convention. Ranger Susan and I worked to portray the difference between the two records of the speech that were published over the years and asked students to think critically about which speech they believe is most accurate. Historical information can be misconstrued as time goes on and I think that is extremely important to teach to young children. We must be able to think about what we know to be true and form decisions for ourselves rather than to simply be taught that something is right, this is why I loved and am immensely proud of this project!
What have you learned that you will take forward in your career?
I’ve learned so much within my last year and a half of being a Community Volunteer Ambassador. I’ve learned one of the most important aspects of building community engagement is to be personable, individuals want to feel like they’re interacting with real people instead of businesses or organizations. Building relationships with the communities that you’d like to welcome into the park and/or museum is essential to keeping them engaged. Another important aspect I learned is that you must allow individuals to feel as though the park and/or museum is their home too, they should be able to feel responsible for the many projects that the park and/or museum produces. Once you give individuals leadership or authority within their position they will do their best to nurture and make the best of the organization they’re apart of!
Baylee Bales-Woods
How did you find yourself at the National Park Service in a Community Volunteer Ambassador AmeriCorps position?
I was finishing my last year of my bachelor’s program and looking for different internships that could assist me and my future career post-graduation. During the search, I had a friend send me a link to the application for the War in the Pacific National Historical Park’s Community Volunteer Ambassador AmeriCorps internship position. During the application process, I tried to keep my hopes and excitement at bay but that turned out to be very difficult for me. From a very young age, I have always known I wanted to be a member of the National Park Service and I knew this internship could be the beginning of my dream career. Since the very beginning of my position, it has been nothing but a great experience. Everything has moved so quickly, and sometimes it still shocks me - in the best way, that I have found myself here, working in such a great atmosphere with some of the best people I know.
What has been the highlight of your experience as a Community Volunteer Ambassador and AmeriCorps member with the National Park Service?
The highlight of my experience has been the opportunity and privilege to form new connections with the communities that surround the park. Being able to see the park not only represent the U.S. and Japanese military members who died on these lands during WWII but also see it represent the CHamoru people affected by WWII and the perseverance of their culture has been an extraordinary learning experience.
What projects have you been involved in so far?
I have had the privilege to start, be involved with, and assist with many different projects, but I would say there are two that I am especially proud of. The first being a program I started called “Friends of the Park” or “FOP” which is a reoccurring Volunteers-In-Parks program. This program allows flexibility and inclusion by allowing people to either participate in monthly group clean-ups or they can choose their own times to work at the park. The second program that I am very excited about is our park’s very first B.A.R.K. Ranger program. It is still in the very early planning process, but it is already gaining a lot interests. With Guam having a large ‘boonie’ (stray dog) problem, I am hoping this program can be a great tool in creating partnerships with various animal shelters. I believe with the help of other animal focused partners, we could educate people on the importance of proper dog ownership. I am nearly halfway through my term, and I have already gained so much experience in project planning and partnership building, and I am incredibly excited to see what other projects I will be able utilize these skills in.
What have you learned that you will take forward in your career?
This is such a complicated question because I feel as though I learn something that I can take forward in my career every single day. I would say one of the best things that I have learned is regarding what kind of leader I hope to be one day. I have been so incredibly lucky to have such a strong CHamoru female as my supervisor, she goes about every situation with wisdom and grace. I will think back at her guidance and strive to be a leader like her within my future career and as a person.
About the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program
As a fifty-week professional internship, the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program is managed in partnership between the National Park Service Volunteers-In-Parks Program and the Stewards Individual Placement Program of Conservation Legacy. Members are youth (ages 18-30 or 18-35 if veterans) from diverse backgrounds who aspire to future careers in service and conservation stewardship. In 2022, approximately 90 members will be placed in park sites throughout the country to provide capacity-building services focused on connecting communities to parks through engagement and volunteer activities.
