Chase Crosby, an AmeriCorps member and dedicated Social Emotional Learning (SEL) coach at ASA Hilliard, brings a unique blend of passion and purpose to his role. With a background in psychology and aspirations to specialize in Clinical Psychology with a focus on children, Chase saw AmeriCorps as the perfect opportunity to gain hands-on experience while making a meaningful impact.

Learn more about Chase’s AmeriCorps journey below!

Why did you join a AmeriCorps?

I originally joined AmeriCorps because I was looking for an internship and that was related to psychology so when I was over in Italy I was looking at all the different options and came across social emotional learning and I thought it would fit in with my background especially with my future in Clinical Psychology with a focus on children it all just made sense the money was sufficient for what I needed this year and it really just all worked out and I think it’s going to be a big help in the future as well and it looks really good you know on a resume and gives me some great experience this going to take me a long way.

What do you like most about working with your students?

I think for me the most rewarding part is when the students faces light up when things start to click for them and I also enjoy like when the kids look for me and I know that I make their day better just by being there when i’m able to turn like a really bad situation and a child is going through a bad day and I’m able to flip that around and send them back to class or they leave me or I leave their room and there mode is just went from zero back to 100. I really enjoyed that being able to make a day-to-day difference in the lives of these children.

What do you hope to gain from this experience?

I hope to continue to gain knowledge of course, I hope to network and meet new people as well. I hope to also learn background on children and seeing them in a school setting. I think that it’s going to be able to help me out in the future when I’m having like therapy sessions with children seeing them all like in different aspects you know seeing how children act at school versus how they act at home versus in therapy I think it’ll all just be a full circle thing. I think being a part of AmeriCorps is really special and a great opportunity for anybody so I’m excited that I got on.

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

Five years from now I will still be in grad school. I don’t think I’ll graduate til I’m 27 or 28. but I’ll still be in grad school probably in an internship by then. Something like this but maybe even bigger scale. Outside of a school setting, maybe in a hospital setting or something. Somewhere working with kids still changing lives.

When you’re not mentoring or tutoring what do you like to do for fun?

Outside of all of this I enjoy going out with my friends, I also like to read. I’m also an artist so I draw some, paint some, as well as write poetry.

What do you love about the Atl?

I love how Atlanta is its own little island I always say that that it’s like a 10-mile island of its own that’s like nowhere else everybody’s on their own time in here. I enjoy how you can go one mile down the street and it’s like completely different Vibes but it all somehow comes together and make sense. Good time good people, good food good time!!!!!