Current AmeriCorps Cohort

Adianna Garcia was born and raised in the San Luis Valley and has dedicated her career to working with young students at Marsh Elementary. She began as a paraprofessional in the 3-year-old classroom before transitioning to a Special Education paraprofessional role and, mostly recently, serving as kindergarten paraprofessional. Through these experiences, she has developed a passion for supporting students and helping them grow.

Outside of her work, Adianna is a wife and mother of three children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, shopping, and watching movies.

Brooke is from Monte Vista, CO and has lived in the San Luis Valley almost all of her life. She currently is the Librarian/Computer teacher at Bill Metz Elementary and will begin her 9th year with the Monte Vista School District. This year also marks an exciting new chapter for her as she begins the ERR program through AmeriCorps. She has a compassion for supporting students, encouraging a love of learning, and helping create a welcoming environment where every student can thrive.

A mom of two boys, Brooke stays busy with their school activities. Football, baseball, and basketball keep her engaged throughout the year and she enjoys spending quality time with her boys and her husband Warren.

Crystal (she/her/hers) is from the San Luis Valley and she also lived in Denver, she also lived in Europe several summers studying abroad in college. She enjoys spending time with my family, extended family and friends. She is excited to be serving as an AmeriCorps member. She has a passion for working with kids and using what knowledge she has to serve others. She enjoys traveling, going to comic-cons, concerts and working on my classic cars. She has worked with BOCES for six years at North Conejos classroom that works with middle school and high school students. She has worked with people with disabilities for 14 years now including her time with San Luis Valley BOCES. She encourages a positive learning environment in which students can achieve daily goals and learn to be independent in general education classes. Crystal grew up near the Conejos River which combines to make the Rio Grande. She loves being near the Rocky Mountains and the beautiful scenery in Colorado and New Mexico.

Felicia is a lifelong resident of Salida, Colorado, where she continues to live and serve her community. As a mother of four and a proud grandmother, she values family and enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, camping, and four-wheeling. After deciding to pursue a new career, she returned to college and is currently working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Education. She is also completing special needs certifications with the goal of becoming an early childhood special education teacher. Felicia is passionate about helping young children learn, grow, and reach their full potential. She looks forward to serving through the AmeriCorps program and making a positive difference in the lives of children and families.

With a Bachelors of Fine Art from CSU-Pueblo and over 40 years of love for her home state, Colorado native Joyce brings a unique creative energy to her community. She is entering her second year of AmeriCorps service with the Alpine Achievers Initiative and her fourth year at Mountain View Core Knowledge School as a Special Education Paraprofessional. Joyce supports K-8 students with mild to moderate special needs, focusing on making education a joyful, manageable adventure that prepares them to conquer future academic hurdles. When she isn’t helping students thrive, Joyce can be found enjoying time with her son and daughter in law, the mountains, listening to music, her animals, and admiring art across all mediums.

Kate is originally from Vermont, but now calls Canon City home. She is close to finishing her associate’s degree in mental health and social work and plans to continue to finish her bachelor’s. Kate is a paraprofessional and instructional assistant at a local elementary school where she realized her passion is helping kids feel valued and inspired. Spending time adventuring and exploring with her three kids, writing, painting, and getting lost in a good book are among Kate’s favorite things. Kate is excited to participate in the ERR program as a member of AAI and AmeriCorps. Kate feels the alignment of her personal values matches the mission of these programs and will help her be of even greater service to her community.

Kelci has been working as a paraprofessional at CCHS since September of 2025 where she has the opportunity to support and assist youth. She graduated from Pueblo Community College in the spring of 2024 with an Associate of Arts degree. Kelci enjoys a good latte, spicy Thai or Indian food, a quiet morning home, her nieces and nephews, exploring a new place, time to read a book, summiting a mountain, and conversing about topics with friends. She hopes her time with AmeriCorps will help her grow personally and aid her in better serving and supporting youth in the challenges they face.

Lacey is a 37 year old Colorado native. She is  a proud wife and mom of six amazing kids. Her family is at the center of everything she does, and loves spending time together outdoors, whether its exploring nature, camping, or simply enjoying the fresh air.

She also enjoys trying new recipes and experimenting in the kitchen. She loves learning new things and finding creative ways to bring people together with shared experiences.

Lacey is excited to be part of AmeriCorps and look forward to growing both personally and professionally while making a positive impact in her community!

Leroy Blair is a San Luis Valley native, born and mostly raised in Alamosa. He is a silly creature who enjoys his strange and unusual family, music, art, board/card games, Lego, puppetry, poking dead things with sticks and teaching/caring for children in a variety of needed areas.

Leroy has currently been seen as a paraprofessional for over a year now with middle school students through the SLV BOCES program. He is known to enjoy the class he is part of; he is too laidback, has too much patience and a lack of gross-out intelligence. This was harvested from ten years as a preschool assistant teacher and seventeen years as master of the custodial arts in both K-12 and college/university servitude. Leroy has also been a teacher at Sunday school classes with elementary children for over twenty years. He prefers the brutal honesty of children as opposed to the sugar-coated niceties of most adults. He strongly believes that only boring people get bored. There are always interesting things to do or learn in this vastly interesting world. That said, he is now joining the ranks of AmeriCorps and Alpine Achievers to learn new and interesting stuff.

Lori Torres lives in Colorado, she has been a resident of the Valley for most of her life. She is a devoted mother of six children, three girls and three boys. She values time spent with her family, pets, and friends. Outside of work, she also enjoys outdoor activities including camping and fishing, as well as relaxing and connecting with those close to her.She has nearly 20 years of professional experience supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has worked in preschools,homevisits, in a group-home setting for approximately 10 years and spent the past five years with BOCES. She works with young adults ages 18 to 21, supporting their development of practical life skills and helping prepare them for greater independence, employment, and their next steps in life. She is dedicated to creating a positive and encouraging environment in which each student can build confidence and work toward their personal goals.

Michaelynn Clifton lives in Canon City, Colorado, where she works as a paraprofessional supporting students with mild to moderate special education needs. She has a heart for helping others and enjoys making a positive difference in her students’ lives every day. Outside of work, she is an adventurous, outgoing social butterfly who loves trying new things, playing card games, and spending quality time with family and friends. As a devoted wife and proud mom of two boys, she cherishes making memories with the people she loves most and values laughter, connection, and living life to the fullest.

Porter Shawcroft was born in 2006 in Alamosa, Colorado. He grew up in the valley and really enjoys the majestic mountains that the area offers. Recently, he started working as a paraprofessional at Monte Vista Middle School, and he is excited about the opportunity to meet and support students on their journeys. Porter hopes to advance his career and eventually become a teacher. When he isn’t working, he enjoys outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, riding horses, and shed hunting.

Samantha is from Alamosa, Colorado, born and raised there. Born in 1998, she has always wanted to work with kids and has always been inspired to grow as a person. Samantha works as a travel occupational therapy para and will have done this for two years in December. She loves learning new things and growing her knowledge. Her dream is to one day be a teacher or a special needs teacher. In her free time, she loves to go fishing, camping, and hiking with her fiancé/soon to be husband and her dog named Velvet. She also loves art, she loves to draw and paint, and is very artistic. Another fun fact is when she was 14, she worked for AmeriCorps at the Southwest Conservation Corps and she loved it.

Tammy is originally from Arizona and worked in Education there for 20 years before moving to Colorado. She is entering her 5th year at Canon City Middle School. Tammy enjoys working with students and helping them achieve and learn new things.  She works in the ATS room now and guides students to learn better ways to express themselves.

Tanya is from Monte Vista, Colorado and serves as a Behavior Interventionist at Marsh Elementary School, where she has dedicated the past four years to supporting students and creating a positive learning environment. Tanya is passionate about building strong connections making a meaningful difference in the lives of students, co-workers and families through encouragement, compassion, and understanding.

Known for her fun loving personality, dedication, and caring spirit Tanya enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling internationally,gardening, and attending sporting events. She loves cheering on her favorite teams, including the Denver Broncos and Denver Nuggets. Tanya also loves creating lasting memories with her family. Being family oriented is a very important part of who she is, as she believes family brings positive energy, compassion, and happiness into life.