Picture of a young woman with brown hair standing in front of a fountain giving the "thumbs up" symbol.

AmeriCorps VISTA

The UMW Center for Community Engagement works with Campus Compact to place an AmeriCorps VISTA on the UMW campus. In partnership with AmeriCorps, the Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Program seeks to activate higher education institutions and their partners to work together to make an impact on poverty in their local community. The Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA Program places AmeriCorps members for year-long terms of service at colleges and universities. The AmeriCorps members build capacity for their host sites, working behind-the-scenes to expand and improve programs that impact low-income people on college campuses and in communities—helping to fulfill the public purposes of higher education and lift individuals and communities out of poverty.

Hazel Hill Homework Club

UMW is hosting a new Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA member in the 2025-2026 school year who is serving the Hazel Hill Homework Club. The VISTA will assist in recruiting volunteers and strengthening the tutoring interventions for low-income K-12 students living in the Hazel Hill Apartments – working towards building capacity of both Hazel Hill and UMW. The VISTA has an office in the Center for Community Engagement in the Cedric Rucker University Center. Our VISTA for the 2025-2026 term is Melody Norton, a recent graduate from UMW with a degree in Sociology.

Student Amara Zavala standing in front of the Monroe foundation making the "thumbs up" sign.

Gwen Hale Resource Center

UMW is hosting a second AmeriCorps VISTA who works with the Gwen Hale Resource Center. This current VISTA for the 2025-2026 term is Amara Zavala, a 2025 graduate from UMW with a degree in Biology. Her main focus in on reducing food insecurity on the UMW Campus and in the Fredericksburg community. The VISTA has an office on the 2nd floor of Simpson Library.