AmeriCorps Alumni Profile

Kate Wolfe is a freshman Sewanee student from Knoxville, Tennessee. She is planning to major in Anthropology with a concentration in Archaeology and minor in Medieval Studies and Music. A fun fact about her is that her favorite recent book is To Calais, In Ordinary Time by James Meek. This spring, she has begun serving as an Elementary Music Coordinator at Monteagle Elementary school, where she accompanies and helps teach the Top of the Rock Choir. Kate plays piano, baritone, cello and is a singer. She got into service as a longtime Girl Scout and finds meaning in going hands-on work to help communities she is a part of, spurring her to choose the SCP AmeriCorps program. 

Betsy Baker is a freshman Sewanee Student from Los Angeles, California passionate about community justice, interfaith work and pursuing law. She has begun serving as a Community Support Member with the Mack Prichard Foundation through the Friends of South Cumberland State Park. This includes working on archival transcriptions, intellectual property research, website maintenance and creating newsletter materials. Betsy says, “I chose AmeriCorps because I feel it represents America at its best.”

Analiese grew up in Collierville, Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a degree in Audiology and Speech Pathology. She is a huge fan of Taylor Swift and Jeni’s ice cream. Analiese currently serves at Mountain T.O.P. in Coalmont, a community ministry program for youth and adults centered around leadership and affordable housing repair. Her year-long project focuses on recruiting new volunteers and staff members as well as disseminating resources and information to Mountain T.O.P.’s volunteer base about the complexities of poverty.  

About her service, Analiese says: “The Cumberland Plateau possesses a rich and beautiful history and I am honored to pour into this community with the work of Mountain T.O.P. I can't think of anything better than to be in Grundy County!”

William Cunningham graduated from the University of the South in 2019 with a degree in English. Originally from the Nashville suburbs, he has lived on the mountain ever since his graduation and has taken up carpentry, woodwork, gardening and tree trimming. Last year he served with Housing Sewanee through the SCP AmeriCorps program, helping provide energy-efficient housing for families in need. Currently, Will is working with the Cumberland Forest School as a preschool teacher, providing outdoor hands-on education to young children. He is honored to be a part of fostering this next generation!

Allie is a recent graduate of Ohio State University from Columbus, Ohio. She has a degree in Visual Communication Design with a minor in Psychology, and has begun serving with Mountain T.O.P. as a Volunteer Management & Communications Coordinator. She has been involved with Mountain T.O.P. for several years as both a camper and a summer staff member, and will return as a directing staff member over the summer. She recognized the opportunity to serve at Mountain T.O.P. with AmeriCorps as an opportunity to combine her degree and passion for the organization. About her experience, she says, “I am so passionate about the work that we do and the community that we get to be a part of. I have met some of my best friends here and I am so excited to be able to live and serve here for the next several months.”

Pete Haight is majoring in music at Sewanee and has been playing shows with his band between there and Nashville.  Both his parents have taught at The University of the South, and he has lived in Sewanee ever since he was a child. In a family of mathematicians, he separates himself as an artist through his passions for music, story telling, and performance. He heard about the AmeriCorps program from a friend and recognized it as a unique chance to take part in a community that he has been part of since his earliest days. Since September, he has been serving as an Elementary Music Coordinator at Monteagle Elementary School, helping run an afterschool music program and the Top of the Rock Choir for local students in grades 5-8. 

Ellanna is a sophomore Sewanee student from New Milford, NJ. She is majoring in music and minoring in theater, and is hoping to pursue voice performance and choral directing. During the past school year, she has served as an Elementary Music Coordinator with Monteagle Elementary school, after her voice teacher recommended the AmeriCorps program. This includes directing the Top of the Rock Choir with two fellow AmeriCorps members, facilitating an afterschool music program for kids in grades 5-8. Ellanna greatly enjoys sharing music through teaching and being able to connect with local kids. About her experience with MES, she says, “it makes my heart grow to find music and bring music to other people”. A fun fact about her is that she has been a freelance harpist for many years. 

Haley Simpson is a freshman at Sewanee from El Dorado, AR. Since last fall, she has been working with Grundy Safe Communities Coalition as their Youth Outreach and Media Coordinator. I create newsletters, articles, and infographics for their Website and Facebook page. She also helps plan lessons for Youth Coalitions at Grundy High School and at Tracy City Elementary School. Haley says, “I love working with children and with the community. I think working with kids is refreshing and you also get to shape the future positively!”

Jennifer Percy is a Tracy City Resident who has recently joined the program as a Community Support Member. She previously served as a Community Service Development VISTA with the South Cumberland Community Fund, making her the last member of the SCP VISTA Program. She first got involved in service at the Grundy County Food Bank, and has enjoyed making community connections through volunteerism. In the coming year, she will be assisting with various collaborative community projects, such as the South Cumberland Summer Meal Program, a local partnership working to alleviate child hunger during the summer months. 

William Shinn is a 2023 graduate of Sewanee from Monteagle, Tennessee. He studied history and has chosen to serve in Sewanee to stay connected with and help out in the community. He is currently serving as a Community Support Member with the Summer Meal Program and South Cumberland State Park. One of his main projects is preserving archival documents for the state park visitor center for future educators and visitors to be able to enjoy. He says, “What drives me to do this is that I don't want this history to be forgotten.”

Elena Hamann is a senior student at Sewanee from Vienna, Virginia. She is a Global Studies major who enjoys listening to music, sewing and going on hikes with friends. Elena first got involved in service at Sewanee as a member of the Bonner and Canale Internship program, joining fellow students in supporting organizations on and around the plateau for positive social change. After graduating this May, she will serve as a full time Communications and Program Coordinator AmeriCorps member for the Office of Civic Engagement over the summer, helping liaison between the university and community partners as well as supporting the OCE’s diverse initiatives. 

Sharon Turner is a lifelong resident of Tracy City where she lives with Travis, my husband of forty three years and their daughter Sara Beth. She currently serves as an Early Childhood Education Assistance Teacher at the Discover Together Learning Co-op in Tracy City, providing a safe place for young children, birth to five years old, to share in learning. The Co-op also gives families an opportunity to connect and support one another, coming together to show their children the meaning and importance of community. This is her second term working with AmeriCorps, and some of her previous careers before service included working with the Grundy County Truancy Officer and at First National Bank. She says, “I love working with the AmeriCorps program and feel that I am giving back to my community.”

Pam Taylor is a retired Pre-K teacher and VISTA alum who is serving as a Coordinator for the Summer Meal Program. Having lived in Nevada and the Midwest, she recently relocated to the area two years ago with her husband. She enjoys spending time with her family, including three grandkids and two dogs. In her previous VISTA role in Nevada, she was tasked with building infrastructure for nine food banks and an animal shelter. This experience helped her to see the need for service and the importance of pushing back against food insecurity. About her service with AmeriCorps in Tennessee, she says, “I love helping children, I was a teacher!”

Georgia Fleming is a senior student at Sewanee: The University of the South from Nashville studying Economics. This year she has served as the Economic Mobility Coordinator AmeriCorps Member for BetterFi, helping offer financial coaching and affordable loans to the local community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cat and being involved in her sorority, Kappa Omega. After graduating, she will be working with the University’s Conference Services before pursuing a higher degree.