Et cetera : NCCC Corps Class 21 Spotlight: Brandy Meador

By: Marilyn Ponce

Name: Brandy Meador

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia

Brandy Meador from Richmond, Virginia is serving on team Oak 3 in AmeriCorps NCCC Corps Class 21. She arrived in Vinton in February of 2015 to start her 10-month service term with the program. Oak 3 is made up of eight people from across the country who serve together around the Midwest.

Before her term of service, Brandy attended John Tyler Community College for three years working towards her general studies degree. Afterwards, she joined AmeriCorps NCCC in her first term of service in Class 19 as corps member here in the North Central region. After her term of service, Brandy went back to school and worked part time. Thanks to her NCCC experience, she became a lead supervisor in the Virginia State Parks Youth Conservation Corps during the summer, which turned out to be one of the most rewarding and educational summers of her life.

Brandy says, “I had such a challenging but wonderful corps member experience I wanted to return to help give new comers the same sense of accomplishment that pushed me during my last service year.”

Oak 3 served with Pretty Lake Camp in Mattawan, Michigan on their first project and helped to construct simple structures, a shed, and irrigation lines for the farm and programming space for the youth farm programs. In addition, they built new trails, planted crops, and prepared for the summer camp by cleaning and reorganizing educational spaces.

For the first part of their second round, the team served with the Greater Des Moines Habitat for Habitat by building the interiors and exteriors of new homes and landscaping the properties. They also served during the Rock the Block event, an effort to improve interior weatherization in existing homes with the help of many volunteers. In addition to these services, the team cleaned and repaired the tools and supplies for neighborhood revitalization.

The team is currently on their second project with the Department of Natural Resources helping create a fire line east of Vinton using fallen timber and debris. They are cutting and piling the downed trees to create a wildlife habitat approximately 20 feet from the edge of the constructed fire line. In addition, the team is assisting in the improvement of the unit headquarters in Swisher by cleaning and painting the shop and constructing parking lot barriers on multiple public use areas.

Brandy is excited about her latest project saying, “It’s great to serve the Vinton community in a new capacity by helping restore the only public hunting grounds, which were previously closed because of the damage caused by the windstorm a few years ago.”

After completing the program in November, she plans on transferring to Virginia Tech to pursue a degree in Natural Sciences.

Some fun facts about Brandy Meador:

Q: What is your favorite TV show and why? Park and Rec because the show has a lot of dry humor.

Q: What song best describes you? I Was Here by Beyoncé because I think it’s important to always strive to make an impact on the world around you.

Q: If you could have a superpower what would it be and why? To fly! I could get anywhere I wanted to go and get there faster.

Q: What is the most challenging and/or exciting thing you have done? Camp Counselor because I had no experience working in a leadership capacity. Afterwards, I felt way more confident in myself and the YMCA staff was very supportive.

Q: What is one thing you can’t live without? My NutriBullet

Q: What is one thing you would like to try but have not had the chance? Cross country road trip