February 2021
Each month we recognize an AmeriCorps member serving in Utah for going above and beyond the pledge they took to “Get Things Done.” This month we are proud to recognize Ceanne Elliott who is serving at Dixie State University with the AmeriCorps Utah STEM Initiative (AUSI).
Members of the Utah STEM Initiative AmeriCorps Program engage underprivileged youth in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Through tutoring and mentoring activities, students increase their knowledge of the STEM field and experience a shift in attitude, awareness, engagement, behavior and skill. Students are also mentored by and have the opportunity to network with STEM professionals and education institutions.
“Max Rogers, the AUSI Program Director, submitted the following nomination describing Ceanne’s service. “Ceanne has truly gone above and beyond to make our DSU STEM program this year absolutely amazing for our program participants. She taught several after school programs this fall, one of which was “micro:bit Club” for elementary school students. Micro:bits can use drag and drop/block programming, but they can also be programmed with Python. Ceanne coordinated with the sponsoring faculty member to gain access to his Python course curriculum so she could teach herself the programming language during the winter break and be able to assist students in the spring. The students absolutely loved Ceanne’s classes!
In addition, Ceanne is teaching LEGO Robotics and Jr. STEM Academy. She is also developing two new series of ‘mom and me’ programs. The first consists of three classes in basic coding, robotics, and web page development. The second is an interdisciplinary program called ‘Mom and Me – Science in Motion’. Ceanne is working with a dance major to teach young students how movement, music, math, and science are connected. Ceanne is smart, creative, personable, and hard-working. We are constantly amazed at Ceanne’s positive attitude and willingness to do anything that’s needed to help out. We also admire Ceanne for her foresight and planning. She does not save things until the last minute. She hosts bi-weekly meetings for the Earth Day experience that she is spearheading and ensures the teams are moving forward. She also plans ahead for her personal development.”
Ceanne’s site supervisor, Cari Heizer, described how Ceanne is a dependable and hard-working AmeriCorps member. “Ceanne is not afraid of new challenges and has become someone I can count on to commit to long-term and complex projects. She is currently developing curriculum for two different summer camps on campus. The first is a brand-new forensics camp, ‘CSI Dixie’. Ceanne has led this project from its inception and has put together an interdisciplinary development team to create hands-on laboratory experiences which will be used to solve an escape-room style challenge. She is also working with our biology department to revamp our Gene Girls camp curriculum.
We extend our congratulations to Ceanne for being recognized as the UServeUtah AmeriCorps Member of the Month and thank her for her dedicated service to Utah communities.
What is AmeriCorps?
AmeriCorps is your moment to take the path less traveled, to break the status quo, to stop talking about the problem and be the solution. Join AmeriCorps and you can mentor and tutor kids, rebuild a community after disaster, help veterans, or work with local communities to alleviate poverty. There are thousands of opportunities to choose from, find the one that fits you.
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