Profiles in Service-Learning: Lana Peterson

Lana Peterson, an NYLC Americorps Promise Fellow who is working with NYLC’s Generator School Network this year, has a passion for service-learning that runs deep and gets refueled daily as she helps other AmeriCorps members and teachers get steeped in high-quality service-learning.

While her initial exposure to service-learning came through her training in elementary education at the University of Minn., Duluth, it deepened in her first year of Americorps service as Duluth’s service-learning coordinator. She credits Americorps with leading her to NYLC because “ When finding materials for trainings I would always end up on NYLC’s site because of the resources NYLC offers.”

Her passion for service-learning was further cemented at the Annual National Service-Learning Conference held in San Jose last spring. As she says, “The conference was inspiring because I realized I wasn’t alone! . . . It broadened my horizon of thinking, and helped me discover the many different professions that make up the service-learning world.”

“The plenary sessions were incredible, I met other young professionals who were extremely welcoming, had deep conversations about youth contributions and service in general, and was blown away by the youth performers, the Project Ignition winners, and the creativity and leadership youth bring wherever they go.”

“On the way back to Minnesota I felt overwhelmed, excited, and hooked. I knew from that day on that being a service-learning leader is my life’s dream.”

Now, she has a clearer sense of both the opportunities and needs of the movement. Working with teachers across the country who participate in the online community aspect of the Generator School Network, she says that she is increasingly perplexed by why some educators don’t use it. As she says: “It makes students more engaged in school; it promotes collaboration between educators; and it unifies communities. Since service-learning is a methodology — not an add-on — you can teach any curriculum area or topic. So, not only is it beneficial, but you also fulfill your content standard requirements. To me, that’s a no-brainer.”

As she takes this message to her trainings on- and off-line this year, she remains excited about the work ahead, furthering her knowledge of service-learning, the achievement gap, and developing quality professional development.

And, she says, “While I am learning all this from my time at NYLC, I am also excited to give all I have in my year of service to NYLC to build capacity and make our programming stronger.”