MDCCC AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer to Help

Launch Initiative for UDC’s Military/Veteran Students

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“As a veteran student, I understand the transitions to being both a civilian again as well as being a college student and want to help make those transitions a lot easier.  I’m excited about this upcoming year of service and showing that UDC is the best choice for prospective veteran students!”

(Allison Mulligan, UDC student, veteran, and AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer)

November 17, Washington, DC – The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is pleased to announce that Ms. Allison Mulligan will serve as the volunteer coordinator for the “Training & Serving the ‘Whole Veteran’ Initiative,” which will be directed by the Office of Military and Veteran Student Services (OMVSS), under the Office of Student Development & Success (OSDS).  This project is the result of an ongoing partnership between UDC and the Maryland-DC Campus Compact (MDCCC) AmeriCorps VISTA program; the prior initiative was focused on financial literacy.  Ms. Mulligan, coincidentally a UDC student, will help Ms. Sequoyah Adebayo, Director of the OVA, and Dr. William Latham, Chief of OSDS, continue the development and implementation of the initiative, with the primary goal of building a strong and sustainable culture of care and support for military and veteran students who already or may eventually attend the University of the District of Columbia.  The project will conduct outreach to veteran students and veterans in the community at large to help inform and build a network of responsive training, services and supports that strengthen the recruitment, persistence and graduation of veterans.

Allison Mulligan, from Dayton, Ohio, is a sophomore in the Nutrition and Dietetics program, in UDC’s College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES).  She served four years in the U.S. Navy as a rated Boatswain’s Mate onboard the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD-52) and the USS Decatur (DDG-73), both based in San Diego, California.  While on active duty, she deployed three times, conducting counter-piracy operations, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance.  After being honorably discharged from the Navy, Allison enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of California, San Diego, with a focus on Baking and Pastry.  After receiving her associate’s degree, she made the move back east to expand her horizons in agriculture and nutrition.  Looking for a way to jump into her new endeavors, she participated in the Veteran Farmer Reserve Program at Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food and Agriculture, where she gained knowledge and trained to start a business in agriculture.  She still supports this program by cooking for the new class of Veteran Farmers every month.  While enrolled full-time at the University, she is chapter president for MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Science).  Off-campus, she is serving her community as a Platoon Leader through The Mission Continues, a national, nonprofit organization that empowers veterans to serve in their communities through mission-focused service and support projects.  Having recently taken on the role of Platoon Leader, Allison’s mission is youth health and wellness.

Ms. Adebayo says, “Allison is a bright and passionate individual… the first to volunteer or encourage others to volunteer their time.  She is a problem solver, quick thinker, independent worker and extremely reliable.  Additionally, Allison is community oriented and passionate about using her platform to help others and should make an indelible contribution to this initiative.”

For more information, please contact:  Sequoyah Adebayo, Director, Office of Military and Veteran Student Services (OMVSS), UDC, sequoyah.adebayo@udc.edu or 202.274.6221.

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The University of the District of Columbia (www.udc.edu) supports a broad mission of education, research and community service across its colleges and schools: the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences; the School of Business and Public Administration; School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; the Community College; and the David A. Clarke School of Law.  The University has been designated as an 1862 federal land-grant institution and a Historically Black College and University.

The Maryland-District of Columbia Campus Compact (MDCCC) is a membership association of public, private, 2- and 4-year colleges and universities.  MDCCC provides leadership to colleges and universities in MD and Washington, DC, by advocating, supporting, and encouraging institutional participation in academic and co-curricular based public service and civic engagement programs.  MDCCC strengthens the capacity of member institutions to enhance student learning and to meaningfully engage with communities.   MDCCC: https://www.mdccc.org/

VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) is a national service program created by President John F. Kennedy in 1965 for the sole purpose of fighting poverty in America. In 1993, President Bill Clinton incorporated VISTA into the AmeriCorps network of programs. The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) provides the volunteer with a small allowance for the year-long assignment, and UDC supplies other resources needed to develop and implement the program.  The project is largely supported by both Maryland-DC Campus Compact and AmeriCorps VISTA.  AmeriCorps VISTA: http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-vista