Name: Carissa Groccia (she/her)

Where is home to you? Cranston, RI

Placement Site: The Swearer Center at Brown University 

Education: B.A. Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Loyola University Maryland

Biography: Carissa is the AmeriCorps VISTA Leader with the Swearer Center. This is her second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA, previously serving as a Social Sustainability Resource Coordinator with the Delaware Division of Libraries. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, Carissa graduated from Loyola University Maryland with her Bachelor of Arts in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. During her time at Loyola, she was an avid member of the Environmental Action Club on campus and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. She also studied abroad in Bangkok, Thailand where she took courses in Thai Civilization and Environmental Science. In her spare time, Carissa enjoys reading, drinking iced coffee, and walking her dog, Molly. 

Why I Serve: I serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA member because of the unique opportunity to be involved with capacity building efforts and community engagement. I am interested in strengthening current public service initiatives and working collaboratively with community partner organizations in a variety of sectors, such as education, health, and/or environmental justice. I chose to serve for an additional year as a VISTA because it is a great opportunity to gain life experience as well as professional development skills. 

Why Brown University AmeriCorps VISTA Fellowship? I chose the Brown University AmeriCorps VISTA Fellowship because I wanted to reconnect with my local Rhode Island community. Providence is a vibrant, diverse city with a lot of opportunities for community action. I highly value the mission of The Swearer Center, which aims to create a community of scholars, students, practitioners, and community members that work together to build on community strengths and address community opportunities.