Life After AmeriCorps – Charlotte built trust and confidence in herself
- Katie Sylvis
- Jun 13
- 2 min read
Charlotte Judkin completed a 6-month term with AmeriCorps at Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity. She quickly adapted to her construction role, gaining skills throughout her service. Discover more about Charlotte’s AmeriCorps experience in her own words below. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
“When I started my service terms with AmeriCorps in December for 2024, I’d already decided construction work wasn’t in my future. Since moving out of my small town to Des Moines, I had taken a variety of landscaping and horticulture focused jobs that aligned with my love of the outdoors and with feeling strongly that I had worked hard with heart when the day was over. But as winter rolled around, I was no
t able to continue in landscaping and decided a change of pace would be good for my overall confidence.
I knew that serving a term with Habitat for Humanity would build trust in myself that I could be capable of different types of manual work. I set small goals early on in my service that allowed me to focus not on my career goals, but on building self-sufficiency through acquired building and social skills. Primarily, I put emphasis on jumping on the opportunity to fail and better learn about myself.
Within the first few months, my goals of picking up power tools and building techniques were almost fully realized, which is when I started to feel a change in me that I hadn't expected. I found myself inspired by watching the construction staff navigate their positions, and that got me thinking about the type of leader I’d want to be in my field.
By collaborating with volunteers, I was pushed to imagine the type of service-minded neighbor I wanted to be in my community. I got to experience the joy of teaching something I never thought I could do myself. I gained deep respect for people working in the trades and local non-profits, and I wondered how I might be able to contribute to that movement of service. As summer approaches and my term comes to an end, I am filled with deep appreciation for the knowledge I gained by putting myself in a mode of observation and commitment to trying out a field I was curious about. I know that my vocation is to be in landscaping, but it’s obvious that my time studying construction and humanitarian work through AmeriCorps will propel me into a deeper life satisfaction as I get back to doing the work I enjoy so much. The greatest lesson of my experience is that being personally motivated is a great reason for trying out something you never thought you could do, and that the fulfillment you’ll find prioritizing that instinct doesn’t always have to fit on a resume. And that’s okay too!
If you are interested in serving as an AmeriCorps member yourself, visit www.iowahabitat.org/apply-americorps .
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