Tatiyanna and her co-worker
My name is Tatiyanna Wells and I am a senior Sociology major. I have had the awesome opportunity to be the Community Inclusion Fellow for the fall semester at Valley Residential Services. Valley Residential Services is a community based non-profit organization whose work is geared towards equity through supported living assistance, transitional housing and family support opportunities. A day of work at Valley Residential Services is always different day by day. I typically work closely with the Executive Director Nancy Riggle, who has become a mentor and showed me the ropes. However, everyday is different which is why the work that I have done with this organization has taught me so much more than I could’ve asked for. Some days include meeting staff and clients and getting a sense of the operations of the organization. Other days look like tagging along in a meeting with a family gaining insight on the framework that VRS employs to help families build cohesion and resilience. Other times I am going house to house to meet with staff and clients to come to a better understanding of the needs VRS community. Other days I am in the office behind my laptop coming up with ideas to engage VRS in the community based on the insights I have learned from the people that make up this wonderful organization.
Through the work that I have done with VRS, I learned just how unrecognized the work of VRS is within the greater WW community. I have worked to create a plan to think about meaningful ways in which VRS can connect with the community and take advantage of the resources that are available to clients. I created a calender of events, resources and volunteer opportunities booklet to hand out to client and staff to bring more awareness to what is going on in the surrounding areas, through interviews I have gained an understanding of the challenges, support and future events that VRS can address in aiding community inclusion, as well as working towards building community partners through advocating the work of this organization and urge them to become a support network. For the holidays I was able to connect eight VRS families with a Christmas drive through my connection with a fellow peer. This drive gives gifts to families in need and being apart of that process has been exciting and rewarding.
I recognized quickly the need for visibility in the community for this organization, I am currently working on creating pamphlets to display in the community that highlights the important work that VRS does in serving underrepresented communities. Through insights I have gathered from clients and staff, I have introduced ideas to build on in terms of community events that VRS could host and activities that the VRS community would like to be apart of in the future. I have introduced new ideas as far as social media connections, revamping the VRS website and creating an instagram account that works to showcase the work that VRS does and bring more awareness and community support to the organization.
I fall so my work at VRS seems to have been cut short. I believe that despite the short time frame, I have left VRS with some foundation to build on community inclusion efforts and further connections within the community. The work I have done with VRS has truly been an amazing experience, not only have I been able to hone my leadership skills I have also gained insight into what my passions truly are. My experience working as a Community Inclusion Fellow will follow me throughout my career, helping to bring awareness to the needs of the community. Fighting for equity and inclusion, has always been at the forefront of what I have dreamt my work life to be and my experience at VRS has helped me cultivate the skills to further that vision.
Experiences like Tatiyanna’s are made possible by the Whitman Community Fellow Program, which allows organizations of the Walla Walla Valley region to apply for the opportunity to create an unpaid, part-time fellowship addressing some of the area’s social, economic and cultural challenges. To learn how you could become involved, contact us at ccec_info@whitman.edu.