You can come to our library, get a bag of books, and maybe a bag of groceries. As the LFNC fellow in Granville County, I recently had the exciting and rewarding project of creating a new food security program for our county library system. The word “Library” does not often …
Every morning, I pass the flagpoles in front of our courthouse. Every morning, at least it seems, the flags are at half-mast. It’s been that way as long as I can remember. Everything is so heavy these days. For many years, we’ve sat in classrooms, constantly inundated with the seemingly …
Sometimes, tunnel vision is needed when seeking success. Each fellow within the LFNC program enters with the impression that their work will truly impact the community they serve–and they do. Each fellow becomes successful when they can highlight not only the need but also the assets of their community and …
I am fairly used to be the youngest in the room, but I’ve found that being one of the youngest in the workplace a bit more challenging. There are many stereotypes about young people in the workforce – some may have truth to them, others do not. Recently, I was …
Capacity building is a key pillar of the LFNC program. Coming into the fellowship, we discussed capacity building regularly in our training sessions, highlighting the urgency of decreasing capacity at the local government level and the importance of preparing a future generation of local public servants. But while it is …
This March, my team wrapped up our Job Shadow Program for our Wilson Youth Council students. This program offered 28 of our student volunteers the chance to learn about potential careers by connecting them to local businesses and organizations. After the students completed their applications where they stated their career …
While serving in Hyde County, North Carolina, I have had the opportunity to work with the Ocracoke Waterways Commission, as well as the Ocracoke Planning Advisory Board. Once a month, I commute via ferry to the island of Ocracoke, situated 35 miles offshore from the mainland of Hyde County. Although …
The town of Liberty is on the brink of drastic change. A new Toyota manufacturing plant is being built just miles outside the city limits and is estimated to have ~2,100 employees by 2025 (compared to Liberty’s population of 2,657). The property tax value of the town has increased by …
With a little over two months left of my fellowship, I began to reflect on what aspects assisted me most as I navigated this experience. Leaving your hometown is never easy, especially when adjusting to a completely new place with its own community and dynamics. For those who also have …
I’d like to offer special thanks to all the individuals that took time out of their schedules to allow me to interview them. I was able to complete this with their willingness to share their expertise and experiences. They are leaders shaping their communities’ future to ensure sustainable and responsible …
The Lead for NC fellowship has led me many places that I wouldn’t have predicted. My hometown, for one. Like many other recent college graduates, I was determined to go anywhere but back home. But life is unpredictable and appears to have a sense of humor. So of course, the …
Six months and fifteen days ago: my tassel was in my hand, falling to the left side of the graduation cap adorning my head. At that moment, the world before me felt hopeful and ready to take me in. Shortly after, the Lead for North Carolina program informed me of …
So far, my time in Boiling Springs, North Carolina has been amazing. I have deeply enjoyed getting to know this rural, single stoplight town of about 4,500 residents in the foothills of Western North Carolina. It is your quintessential small, southern community where everyone knows everyone, and you never fail …
COVID. Like many graduates of the 2021 class, the last year felt strange. Even though we were allowed back on campus, the experience was very different from previous years. Classes were still virtual and the days until we were to be thrust into the “real world” were dwindling. In addition …
Trust is likely the most important facet of any relationship regardless of its nature. Nowhere can this be seen more clearly than a government and its people; as trust erodes so too does the foundation of a democracy. Once a government has lost the trust of its citizens, there’s …
My first County Commissioners Meeting Hello, nice of you to stop by. My name is Keegan Rapp and I am the 2022-2023 Lead for North Carolina AmeriCorps Fellow (or LFNC fellow) for Granville County North Carolina where I work in the County Administration office. I have been here in the …
I recently watched Robert Eggers’ new film, The Northman, which narrates Prince Amleth’s epic quest to avenge the murder of his father. Twenty years later, a now fully grown Prince Amleth still burns with desire for vengeance. The Viking culture of the time mandated that Amleth forever carry the vendetta …
I have spent most of my life living in a small rural town in central North Carolina. Growing up, I enjoyed living in a close-knit community. In many ways, I feel like I grew up in the stereotypical idea of a small town: I knew a lot of people, and …
As someone who grew up in the outskirts of Raleigh and went to undergrad in Asheville, I never expected myself to live amongst cow pastures in my early 20s–but it has turned out to be exactly what I’ve needed. Here are just a few of the lessons I’ve learned from …
Caption: The Foothills Regional Commission is Region C. Before Lead for North Carolina, my understanding of local government was limited to municipalities and counties. To my surprise, there are distinct regional entities that exist between state and local government known as councils of governments, or COGs. North Carolina is comprised …
One of the most interesting aspects about my fellowship is that it allows me to work for the county that I was raised in. Growing up, I attended sports camps at the local recreation center, attended the local public schools, and visited local fairs and festivals. Seeing this community from …
In most towns, there are few requirements for someone to be eligible to run for a council member position. One might argue that these members could be under-qualified to make decisions for a town. However, this does not mean that those who become council members are ill suited for the …
The only thing I’ve experienced recently that’s been more challenging than the first few months of my professional career has been figuring out how to express the extent of that challenge in this blog post. The fact that the transition from college to adulthood is difficult may be a cliché, …
For the past few months, I have had the honor of serving the City of Hickory. As a fellow working in the Budget Office, I have worked closely with other departments but had had little interaction outside of official business. Much of my work is crucial to the daily, and …
Reflecting on my life in January of 2022, it is safe to say that I would have never anticipated I would be an ex-vegetarian, working in a local government, living in Hyde County, nor able to say I have harvested and eaten deer. At the beginning of the fellowship program, …
Life after college has been one of the biggest challenges I have encountered in the past four years. No one prepares you for the real world and all the changes you’ll face after graduation. I have come to learn that a job is nothing like college and everything you have …
Maintaining a work-life balance is a hot topic lately, but no one ever tells you how to establish one in the first place. Maybe that’s because it looks different for everyone. Nevertheless, learning how to take care of myself as a person while jumping into my service year as the …
My time in Wilson has been interesting thus far. Since I am serving under the Human Relations office, I have been involved in various community events and have met several Wilson residents and stakeholders. For example, on my second day of service, the office held their annual National Night Out …
Serving the Town of Apex has provided me invaluable experiences – the impacts of our program can be seen in the field, and I have had the privilege of seeing them firsthand. As a Housing and Community Programs Specialist, I work closely with the rest of the Town’s first affordable …
Over the past few months, I have been administering a grant for urgent housing repairs to low-income households in Hyde County. I took over the project in late August from the previous grant administrator, who left the county before I began my fellowship. When she left, virtually all internal …
Recently I took a look back at my time as a Fellow up to now, first realizing that it’s already been 8 months since I started with Ashe County, and second, realizing how much the world has continued to change as this fellowship has progressed. COVID, seemingly, is on …
This past year in Tier 1 County has often felt like an exercise in discomfort. Moving to a new community, adjusting to a new culture, and taking on large projects have been some of the many (but by no means only) sources of anxiety that I have faced during …
Realization #1: I am more involved in my current community than I ever was in my hometown. In Burlington I attend every concert in the park, holiday event in downtown, and know every park and community center in the city limits and you will be shocked to learn how …
Below is a copy of the application to enter the Stateville Neighborhood Yard Contest! Working with the South side Initiative task force, I created the logo and application for the very exciting new contest. The task force is a program that was created to focus on the revitalization of neighborhoods …
On my application to Wake Forest (go deacs!) five and a half years ago, I was prompted to write a “top ten list.” In 2016, my list was the top ten monuments/buildings I’ve been to the top of. In 2022, my new list is the top ten pieces …
Coming into this fellowship I was very excited at the notion of spearheading a project, any project, something that would have lasting meaning and fill a need in the community. I’m not sure why, but the fact that it had to be something tangible was a goal of mine and …
Yesterday was my twenty-fourth birthday. Early in the day, one of the other fellows in my cohort reached out to me to say, “happy birthday ily i am so grateful to have you in my life!! Your friendship makes this fellowship worth it.” Living and working in rural areas …
Throughout my time in Elizabeth City, something has become quite clear to me; downtown is an area that Black people do not frequent. For a city that is 50% Black, I hardly ever see Black people in the downtown area. This subject of conversation came up during my Listening Tour …
As a first generation college graduate, much of my professional and personal path has consisted of forging a path forward in uncharted territory. I have also found that this is also true post-college. Oftentimes, this reality is anxiety inducing. I find myself pausing in real time wondering if I am …
The Learning Curve I did not know what to expect when I started my fellowship at the Wake County Manager’s office. Was I intimidated to represent the program at the largest county in North Carolina? Yes, yes I was. Was I, like how many of my cohort and friends have …
On my first day of work in Hyde County, I learned of the annual fig festival held on Ocracoke, an island in the Outer Banks within the jurisdiction. Later that week, the county manager brought figs to share in the office and fixed a dish of warm figs, goat cheese, …
One of the largest and fastest growing concerns in America’s municipalities is that of affordable housing. While it has become increasingly clear that housing costs have outpaced wages across the US, and that there is a general shortage of affordable housing in many areas across the nation, much of the …
The first few months of my fellowship have been exciting and fulfilling. I am serving the Town of Apex and make up the Town’s first affordable housing staff. The Town adopted its first Affordable Housing Plan in February of 2021, and in my role, I work to execute the primary …
As a part of my work scope as a fellow for Edgecombe County, I’ve been asked to strategize ways to increase the county’s overall vaccination rate. Currently, the vaccination rate in Edgecombe County is less than 45%. Although the number of COVID – 19 cases in Edgecombe County remains relatively …
I am now three months into my fellowship with the Lead for NC program. Unlike many of my colleagues I have not followed a straight path to arrive at this point. In my pursuit of a career that allows me to engage in good trouble I have watched my path …
Brushing our teeth, turning on the tap, or watching the rain wash away; when we need resources, we expect them to just—work; we might even take it for granted. But the City of Statesville Public Works Department never presumes the responsibility of ensuring things just work for our residents. Led …
In theory, the goal of every great non-profit/community organization is to support the success of the most vulnerable community members. The question is, can this be achieved in the most effective way when organizations refrain from collaboration? It is impossible to ignore the tremendous impact that nonprofits currently have on …
The transition is hard, and it is something that can’t be prepared for because it’s life. Somedays will be harder than others. One day it feels like the world is at your disposal and you’re at top of the mountain skying downhill. Then, BAM suddenly you hit a rock and …
On my first day, working for the Town of Norwood, I toured around the town hall and downtown block. I was brought up to speed with the Town Revitalization plans and was introduced to, what felt like, every person in the town. Every new person I spoke to expressed their …
A Stroad is a terrible word for an appropriately named, terrible thing. The Stroad is a combination of a ‘Road’ and a ‘Street’ and is not successful at preforming the role of either. I take my research and the following definitions from the US Department of Transportation and from the …
Burlington, North Carolina is not unlike most mid-sized cities in this state. It has a slightly busy downtown, lots of places to shop, and a decent spread of mom-and-pop diners. However, a quality that sets Burlington apart from other municipalities is that its population of around 50,000 is nearly 50% …
Despite ranking as one of the geographically largest counties in the state at 754.28 square miles, Wilkes County experiences one of North Carolina’s most extreme housing shortages. This election year, affordable housing, alongside attracting industry and town-sharing agreements emerged as top speaking points for North Wilkesboro’s mayoral and commissioner candidates. …
After college I had the mindset that graduate school was the next step, which is until I started thinking about my personal statement. I really could not decide what my focus should be. Then there was this program I heard about, Lead for North Carolina (LFNC) and changed my plans. …
Transitioning from college to the “real world” has been one of the hardest transitions of my life, and for someone who has moved from to the US at age 12 from another country that says a lot. I feel like the expectations we set for ourselves after graduating college are …
In my first three months in Elizabeth City, I have seen so much. I came into this fellowship with limited knowledge about the inner workings of local government and now in this third month, I feel like I have seen it all. From Black Lives Matter Mural re-dedications to Technical …
Why the physical environment is crucial to your downtown and small steps to make it shine A crack in the sidewalk. A few scraps of litter. Unkempt trees. Barren, empty planters. These are all minor afflictions for our streetscapes, but in combination, present a picture that is less than welcoming. …
At the beginning of the fellowship, I cannot even lie I was very nervous because I didn’t really have any experience involving government work besides working with CMPD. My first day at my host site was very calm and it gave me a chance to meet everyone and get a …
Starting off my fellowship in a new place with no connections and almost no foreknowledge of what I was about to encounter was daunting. Yet as fellows, we’re expected to not only come into these situations, but work to build the capacity that our host sites have called us to …
The release of the 2020 Census came with great surprise to many public administrators. 51 of North Carolina’s 100 counties experienced a decline in population from 2010 to 2020, and while the general trend was not a shock to most, the magnitude of population loss was unnerving to many. In …
Have you ever thought much about trash? Probably not, but maybe if you work in local government. During my first few weeks as the Lead for North Carolina fellow in Rockingham County, I went on various “field trips” to nearby government institutions, including to the landfill. Here, the Engineering Director …
There’s a John Denver song called “Looking for Space” that I have had on repeat since arriving in Goldsboro. The song feels particularly relatable to me at this point in my life. A time that can best be described as “a period of transition.” While I could quote the whole …
By Allison Marshall (LFNC Fellow – Shallotte) April 1, 2021 It’s hard to believe two years ago I was waiting to find out if I was selected as an inaugural Lead for North Carolina Fellow. I was a senior in college, unsure of where my future would take me. I’ve …
By Shelby Holmes (LFNC Fellow – Shelby) and Nina Worth (LFNC Fellow – Rockingham County) Lead for North Carolina’s model matches each fellow with a community “facing considerable challenges, [with] significant need for young talent and innovative thinking.” It’s based around the idea that, as young post-grads, we often think …
In “Race and Social Equity” Susan T. Gooden discusses why race and social equity prove to be a “nervous” area of government By Nina Worth (LFNC Fellow – Rockingham County) Days after America inaugurated its first woman of color as Vice President, I finished “Race and Social Equity: A Nervous …
By Magnolia Long (LFNC Fellow – Rutherfordton) During the first week of my fellowship, I had the opportunity to spend one day with each town department just to learn about the basic operations and their goals for service. I did ride-alongs with police officers, explored the brand-new public works building, …
By Taylor Norton (LFNC Fellow – Mid East Commission) September 1, 2020 It is safe to say that when I entered my senior year at NC State, I had no idea the world would be completely different by March of 2020. The strange feeling of the year you have been …
By Elizabeth Mitchell (LFNC Fellow – Martin County) August 31, 2020 In my undergraduate classes at UNC Chapel Hill, I learned about the mass migration of people from rural communities to urban hubs. Our fellowship is meant to bring young people back to local governments in areas experiencing population decline. …
By Drew Finely (LFNC Fellow – Hendersonville) August 31, 2020 Those who have read the New York Times bestselling book Just Mercy are familiar with civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s harrowing account of being racially profiled when he was practicing law in his twenties in Atlanta. One night, Stevenson was …
By Valerie Keys (LFNC Fellow – Pembroke) July 23, 2020 As a recent college graduate and a young woman at the ripe age of 22, the world is constantly reminding me that I am not a “real adult.” Not to age my beloved grandmother, but she always makes a point …
By Drew Finley (LFNC Fellow – Hendersonville) February 18, 2020 While working on a project one afternoon in my office, I came across the following phrase: “Water and sewer lines are the arteries that nourish growth in a community.” This sentence serves as the preface to the City of Greensboro’s …
By Allison Marshall (LFNC Fellow – Shallotte) February 13, 2020 Last week, I attended the N.C. State College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS) career fair with our Executive Director, Dylan Russell. However, this time I was attending my alma mater’s event as a recruiter rather than as a student, …
By Walker Harrison (LFNC Fellow – Spindale) February 12, 2020 To a future LFNC applicant, Let me take you back to New Year’s Eve 2018. It’s 10:30 pm and my LFNC application is due at midnight. My apartment is pulsing with music and laughter as I, in the midst of …
By Liam Brailey (LFNC Fellow, Anson County) February 12, 2020 I will be the first to admit that I joined the inaugural class of LFNC for mostly selfish reasons. As a recent college graduate hoping to pursue a career in local government this program seemed like the most efficient …
Inspired to Serve With college in the rear view and the rest of life ahead, this in-between spot can be a bit overwhelming. It’s the perfect breeding ground for post grad depression. I know, it isn’t the most beautiful introduction you’ve ever read. But the truth is, so many recent …
By Allison Marshall (LFNC Fellow, Shallotte) November 18, 2019 I have tried to sit down and write this blog post several times over the past few months. I am not sure if it is just writer’s block, but I cannot seem to find the exact words to express how much …
By Saoirse Scott (LFNC Fellow, Edenton) November 5, 2019 The last four months have felt pretty surreal. It’s wild that at the end of May I had no idea what my future held and now here I am, a month and a half into my fellowship. It’s been a little …
By Walker Harrison (LFNC Fellow, Spindale) November 4, 2019 In a UNC Planning class during my senior year, our professor tasked each student with the same mission: redesign an existing intersection and street in Chapel Hill to prioritize all users, not just cars. To brainstorm ideas, my group went and …
By India Mackinson (LFNC Fellow, North Topsail) October 31, 2019 The flood of beach goers on Topsail Island slows after Labor Day weekend. As the sun steadily sets earlier and earlier and the nights grow cooler, a new type of visitor takes their place — saltwater anglers. It’s officially …
The Power of “Kitchen Table and Street Corner Democracy” Local Governments, Citizens, and Communities of Possibility By Drew Finley (LFNC Fellow, Hendersonville) October 18, 2019 When I sit down in the Police Department Roll Call Room at City Hall for the first meeting of the City of Hendersonville Book Club, …
By Berekia Divanga October 15, 2019 Imagine being in an action movie. There is a mission that needs to be accomplished, and you volunteer to do the job because you are passionate about the purpose of this mission. As part of your training, you get to meet with people who …
By Camryn Locklear October 8, 2019 Picture this: a burnt-out and overwhelmed soon-to-be college graduate in desperate need of a post-graduate job. I was struggling to decide if I wanted to be an accountant or a lawyer – two career paths that couldn’t be further on both ends of …
North Topsail Beach is a far cry from the college town of Chapel Hill that I made home the past four years. While in Chapel Hill you mainly come across college students from North Carolina, in NTB there’s people from all walks of life: marines, tourists, retirees, a surprising amount …
The door catches and doesn’t fully close behind you as you enter the world for the day. Again. When will you learn? The sunny, blue sky day waits temptingly as you sigh, turn around, grab the door handle, and put your whole body into pulling it all the way closed. …
Dante Pittman, the only LFNC fellow unable to attend the D.C. summit, didn’t know what he was walking into. Before going to the School of Government kick-off picnic, he met us for the first time, stumbling into an organized chaos of line dancing, talking, and laughing. It was clear to …
Clinton, North Carolina is both familiar and uncharted territory. I was born at Sampson Regional Medical Center — minutes away from my current office, but I grew up 45 minutes east in Beulaville. I thought that I knew Clinton, but coming into work 4 weeks ago proved that I did …
