Et cetera : NCCC Corps Class 21 Team Leader Spotlight: Eric Baker

Eric Baker from Overland Park, Kansas is serving on team Cedar 7 in AmeriCorps NCCC Corps Class 21. He arrived in Vinton in January of 2015 to start his 11-month service term with the program. Cedar 7 is made up of nine people from across the country who serve together around the Midwest.

Before his term of service, Eric graduated from Boston University with a degree in News Editorial Journalism in December 2012. Since then, he has worked for various news sources around the country both in and out of college. Most recently, he moved to Los Angeles to help with the original content creation and blog curation of a news aggregation start up. Eric has a long history of working with individuals from all over the world and socio-economic spectrum to create projects and events that allow people, primarily students, to explore and show off their passions. He possesses strong writing, editing, reporting, and multimedia skills as well.

Eric talks about why he joined NCCC, “I believe that it is of the utmost importance for one born into the opportunities that America affords them, to give back to their communities, both local and beyond. It is giving your time and heart to something larger than yourself that creates a sense of perspective and empathy for the world beyond one's comfort zone. To not take advantage of such an enriching experience, regardless of future ambition, is to let oneself be unfulfilled in their ultimate potential as an American and a human being.”

Cedar 7 served on their first project serving with the Louisa County Conservation Board in Wapello, Iowa conducting prescribed burning anytime the conditions were right such as light winds, stable atmospheric pressure, and no extreme heat temperatures. Their second priority was invasive species removal such as cedar trees and prairie grasses, land management, environmental education programming.

They are currently on their second project in Halsey, Nebraska serving with the Nebraska 4-H Foundation handling building maintenance, which includes painting, and building shed-storage for equipment. The team is aiding with environmental education by facilitating and planning programs such as nature hikes, canoeing, and astronomy activities. Additionally, they are creating environmental education kits and posters for campers to use.

After completing the program in November, he plans on going back to the news world to follow his ambition of being a foreign correspondent using the skills and experiences AmeriCorps has afforded him to report stories that have gone unheard or are often clouded by political bias around the world.

Some fun facts about Eric:

Q: What is your favorite TV show and why? Last Week Tonight because it is clever, smart, fun, and is creative with skits

Q: What song best describes you? Next Year by Two Door Cinema Club

Q: If you could have a superpower what would it be and why? Time and Space manipulation

Q: What is the most challenging and/or exciting thing you have done? Leaving all my friends and family in Kansas to attend Boston University where I didn’t know anyone and knew little about city life

Q: What is one thing you can’t live without? Barbeque and sense of humor

Q: What is one thing you would like to try but have not had the chance? Gliding in a flying squirrel suit so that I would have the freedom to soar and maneuver through the sky