My name is Bryan Jonke, and I am very excited to serve with National Health Corps Chicago this year! I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2015 with a business degree focusing on marketing. My experience in the business school was invaluable, but I knew that I wanted to focus on serving communities instead of businesses.
Last year, I served with a different AmeriCorps program, National Civilian Community Corps FEMA Corps (I recognize this is quite the mouthful!). Through FEMA Corps, I was given the opportunity to live and work with a diverse team of 8 young adults on 5 disaster relief projects in the southern region of the U.S. I got a taste of national service and I knew I wanted more! I've chosen to serve another term with AmeriCorps closer to home in Illinois.
Growing up in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, it was often easy for me to feel separated and secluded from the city. I visited the city for special occasions, but at the end of the day I returned to the ‘burbs. I'm really looking forward to becoming a Chicagoan and gaining an understanding of the community I'm serving at my host site: Erie Family Health Clinic at Lakeview High School. I would love to lay roots in Chicago and continue to serve the city's youth after I'm done with the program. I hope to learn about specific issues these young adults face in order to help meet their needs in the future. One of my favorite things to do in my own time is explore new places and experience arts and creativity. I'm excited that serving with National Health Corps will give me the chance to adventure in a great city that is mostly new to me, while serving the community that makes it great.
This blog post was written by NHC Chicago 2016-17 member Bryan Jonke.
