From AmeriCorps to the Classroom: Abby Hope’s Path to Purposeful Leadership

A tough job market taught Abby Hope, then a new business administration graduate, an early lesson: a bachelor’s degree alone wasn’t always enough. She quickly found herself overqualified for some jobs yet underqualified for others.

Then, she heard about AmeriCorps, an independent federal agency that connects Americans with local organizations. Wanting to serve her community, Abby spent two years with AmeriCorps in Laurens County. Her primary job was running the county’s free tax program. When it wasn’t tax season, she helped people connect to food, housing and employment opportunities. The experience had a dual purpose: it helped her pay off student loans while also gaining job experience.

That AmeriCorps term came with a bonus that would matter even more years later: the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. AmeriCorps members who complete a term of service are eligible to use the award to pay future education costs at qualified institutions of higher education. Before she could use the award, though, Abby had a career to build.

After finishing her AmeriCorps term, she applied to be the assistant for the program she was in. She was then promoted to coordinator, leading professional and leadership development training for her team. From there, she became director of both their AmeriCorps programs and the board development program. These roles involved more strategy and less interaction with her team, which she missed. However, as she looked at more training and development roles that fit her passion, she realized that these required a master’s degree, which she did not have.

Furman’s M.S. in Innovation and Leadership program turned out to be the answer. Furman’s status as an AmeriCorps School of National Service, which offers a tuition match for the Segal Education Award, made the program especially appealing. She began researching it initially as a resource for the benefit of her team members, but as she learned more, she realized it was something she wanted to do herself. Her own research into leadership topics had already sparked her curiosity, and the MSIL program felt like the natural next step. Her interest in leadership had become personal.

Abby was part of the first cohort of the MSIL program. She enjoyed her courses, especially Creativity and Innovation. The course was foundational for her as she learned design thinking, which made her investigate a problem without trying to solve it initially. Working alongside a diverse group of students, she discovered new ways of thinking about creativity. Looking back, Abby says the impact went beyond the classroom.

“I think it changed the way that all of us thought. We’re all better leaders and innovators because of it,” Abby said.

The MSIL program offered more than just creative thinking. She knew she would learn the principles of leadership, from history to what makes a good or bad leader. What she didn’t anticipate, though, was coming up with outcomes and projects that are still applicable and useful in her life today.

“It was everything I expected and then a lot more,” Abby recalled.

Abby was able to get back to her passion of teaching and training. She is now working as the training and technical assistance manager at the AmeriCorps South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service. Abby also recently taught the Implicit Bias and Community Engagement course with Furman’s M.S. in Community Engaged Medicine program. For both experiences, she used principles she learned in the MSIL program, including having confidence in her own expertise.

“If you want to be a better leader, be more creative, look at a problem differently and be more reflective, then do the MSIL program,” Abby said. “You will learn a lot about yourself.”

It’s the kind of lesson she now passes on to every person she trains.