IRC San Jose and Sacramento Welcome Three New AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteers
The San Jose and Sacramento Offices would like to welcome Jennifer Babaie, Micah Smith and Sean Connolly as this year’s AmeriCorps*VISTA Volunteers
Jennifer Babaie/Volunteer Coordinator San Jose: A familiar face in San Jose, Jenn has been with the IRC since January, serving as a Job Development Intern. Jenn graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Political Science with a focus in International Law. She has studied in Greece and Washington D.C., working closely on advocacy campaigns for the Assyrian refugee community in both places. Jennifer has also volunteered with several student organizations at Santa Clara University and serves as a leader within the Bay Area Assyrian community, specifically with the Assyrian Universal Alliance where she is in charge of fundraising, event planning, and community outreach.
Micah Smith/Employment VISTA Sacramento: Micah is a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz in Language Studies and Linguistics with international study abroad experience in France. For over four years, she has served as a camp counselor and mentor for disadvantaged youth at Camp Jack Hazard in Northern California. While at UC Santa Cruz, Micah has served in leadership roles in a student-run Food Cooperative, working with local farmers markets. She has also served as a tutor at a child care center for low-income families.
Sean Connolly/Volunteer Coordinator Sacramento: Sean has a B.A. in Anthropology from Ithaca College in New York and is originally from Chicago, Illinois. Sean has studied in Ghana and has participated in service learning trips where he led elementary and middle-school aged children at an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. For the past four years, Sean has volunteered for a local radio station, promoting socially conscious art and responding to concerns raised by local community members. He has also served as a library assistant and prepared educational materials for a distance- learning program for prisoners with the Durland Alternatives Library/Prisoner Express Program in Ithaca.
