The VISTA Project

Kemi served as a TMA VISTA Leader from 2018 to 2019, supporting over 30 VISTA members placed at regional campuses and organizations. Having previously served as a VISTA for Strong City and navigating personal trials with youth homelessness, Kemi brought deep-seated empathy and firsthand knowledge of structural hardships to her leadership role.

The Challenge
Managing a scattered, diverse cohort required balanced attention between macro-level event planning and micro-level administrative tracking. Kemi navigated a demanding 40-hour weekly workload that included keeping tabs on recurring federal deadlines, reviewing regular member reflections, and compiling high-stakes monthly and quarterly progress reports for national administration. Her mid-term review highlighted that managing the heavy volume of detailed documentation—such as tracking missing quarterly reports, proofreading written site notes, and formatting database files—posed an operational hurdle that required high-level focus and strict time-management under pressure.

The Solution
Kemi directly confronted these developmental challenges by leaning into her strengths as a vocal communicator and an assertive coordinator. When complex issues arose, she actively consulted with her supervisor or reached out to former VISTA leaders to clarify priorities and find efficient resource templates. She took on extensive event coordination, managing four professional development workshops and structured member trainings. To help lagging members meet critical requirements, Kemi implemented a hands-on approach—conducting focused on-site visits and one-on-one progress meetings to provide peer-to-peer accountability.

The Legacy
Kemi’s term was anchored by her signature achievement: planning and executing the network’s annual December Workshop. Given complete creative independence by her supervisor, Kemi worked directly with host members and fellow leaders to successfully coordinate the regional training event. While her mid-term evaluation noted room for growth in fine-tuning detailed documentation and maintaining consistent professional pacing during stressful weeks, her proactive stance on delegation, member outreach, and recruitment left a clear operational framework for the incoming cohort.

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Life After VISTA

Following her leadership term, Kemi dedicated a year to direct civic action as an AmeriCorps Service Fellow for UMBC's CHOICE Program, providing youth advocacy, resource connection, and holistic case management across Maryland's communities.

Driven by her journey from overcoming homelessness to becoming an agent of community change, Kemi has built a relentless career path centered on helping others. Her commitment to systemic care has led her to work across multiple non-profits simultaneously—previously establishing her own organization, balancing full-time and part-time service roles, and pursuing a nursing degree to expand her clinical capabilities.

In 2024, Kemi transitioned into her current role as a full-time Service Coordinator for Service Coordination Inc. Today, she operates as a collaborative public service professional, leveraging the critical communication, strategic reporting, and administrative infrastructure skills honed during her VISTA leader term to coordinate essential community resources and advocate for impactful, long-term civic change.