The VISTA Project

Serving with The Civic Circle, a Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit, Trevor worked as a Project Development Specialist to empower third- through fifth-grade students to understand and participate in democracy through music and the arts. His project focused heavily on early childhood civic education and service learning, establishing foundational operational systems to expand the organization’s overall capacity.

The Challenge
Connecting with school administrators, PTAs, and community partners in the wake of the pandemic posed massive outreach hurdles. Because schools were operating in hybrid or highly cautious environments, establishing consistent, hands-on programming was incredibly difficult. Additionally, Trevor needed to find a way to measure the qualitative impact of civic and artistic education on a young demographic that did not traditionally receive this kind of content.

The Solution
To break through these barriers, Trevor conducted relentless community networking, which successfully recruited a dozen volunteers, guest speakers, and teaching artists, while building vital pipelines with Montgomery College. He designed and refined comprehensive evaluation tools, including retrospective student pre-post surveys, a midyear student survey, and stakeholder feedback forms. These tools captured student interest in real time and proved to school partners that the program’s creative, performance-based curriculum was actively working. He also championed student-led service learning, helping youth launch their own initiatives like blanket-making for shelters and food drives.

The Legacy
Trevor’s capacity-building efforts ultimately doubled The Civic Circle’s program reach in less than a year, piloting crucial new programs in Title I schools and low-income housing communities. The rigorous evaluation systems he institutionalized continue to provide the data-driven foundation the organization needs to prove its impact and expand. He also brought the organization into the Coalition for Service-Learning and established lasting regional partnerships.

Life After VISTA

Following his service, Trevor took the skills he honed in capacity building and immediately began an incredible, rapid ascent in public service while completing his Master’s in Public Policy from George Washington University. He stepped into ServeDC – The Mayor's Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships as a Grants Management Specialist, managing complex federal funding portfolios and compliance across the district. Demonstrating exceptional leadership, Trevor quickly rose to become the National Service Director for ServeDC, where he now leads the district's entire strategic national service footprint. Alongside his major rise in city government, Trevor has continued his deep dedication to his VISTA host site; he was appointed to The Civic Circle's Board of Directors and now serves as the Board Chair, actively guiding the strategic future of the very organization that launched his career.