Habitat Iowa captures a glimpse into the lives of our members through spotlight questions! Alyssa served with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity during the summer of 2020 before returning to college for the fall. No picture of Alyssa available at this time.
1. What inspired you to serve?
I was inspired to serve after learning about Habitat from an upper classmen during the morning lecture. I was excited to be able to be hands on and learning about how to look at interior design from a construction standpoint. I decided that I wanted to serve for my internship instead of a traditional firm and be a part of a volunteer community rather than a firm working on a computer.
2. What does a typical day look like for you?
A day for me usually starts with meeting everyone in the morning and loading and unloading trailers for the day. I meet the volunteers on site and help them get their safety gear. We get divided up and start working on tasks for the day, I usually do a lot of the cutting and leading volunteers with jobs that I am comfortable with. The biggest part of the day is learning. Every site manager has a different background so there are always new tricks and ways to do things.
3. What did you enjoy most about serving?
I really enjoy working with the construction team and the family that they have created. It makes learning and building more fun. I also really enjoy working with new volunteers and the regulars that we have on site from Core Crew. I also enjoy stepping back during a water break and seeing all the progress that everyone has made turning some lumber into a home that someone will really get to enjoy for a long time.
4. What do you love most about Habitat for Humanity?
I like that it involves a lot of volunteer work because I like learning with and teaching people how to use some of the tools that we use regularly. It is awesome to see how excited they get being able to be a part of something but also learning too. Several people want pictures of them using some of the power tools to show friends and family and that is pretty cool.
5. What is one thing you learned in the last month?
I have learned so much over the course of my term, especially the last month but honestly I think the biggest thing that I have learned is communicating to people and be able to have confidence in leading smaller groups of people on tasks to keep the team going.
6. What’s something about you a fun fact that people may not know?
Someday I want to own a potbelly pig as a house pet.
7. If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Pork chops and cheesy potatoes
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