In the season 3 finale, Micah is joined by three current Americorps and City Year New Hampshire Service Leaders - Abby Watson, Elinor Bragaw, and Kailey Johnson.
Abbey Watson is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. There she attended school and graduated with a Master’s of Social Work degree. After studying in El Salvador and Guatemala, she realized that she wanted to explore educational systems outside of her own experiences. Abbey was introduced to City Year at a job fair and realized the organization would give her that opportunity. During her first year of service, she fell in love with the Manchester community and decided to return to serve another year. She credits this to the amazing students and teachers that she served alongside. The relationships she built and the energy, passion, empathy, and laughter shared by the students made her realize that she did not want her time in Manchester to be over so quickly.
Elinor Bragaw is from Crozet, Virginia, a little town between Charlottesville and the Blue Ridge mountains. She lived in the same house all her life with her parents and three younger siblings up until she moved away to college in Washington, D.C. College was a rollercoaster. She took time off in the middle, worked as a camp counselor out in California, applied to transfer to other schools, and changed her major a few times, but she made it to the other side and graduated from American University in December 2019 with a degree in art history and a minor in political science. When she considered her next steps after college, she chose to serve with City Year, and her experience last year taught her that she is an educator. Her eyes were opened to the realities of the public education system and she believes it is a calling to dedicate her time to helping children have the best shot they can.
Kailey Johnson grew up in Londonderry, New Hampshire. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 2020 and majored in psychology and justice studies. She also spent a very formative semester completing an internship through The Washington Center. During college, Kailey was also involved with the Kappa Delta sorority where they supported the philanthropies Prevent Child Abuse America and the Girl Scouts of America. The work of these organizations inspired her to advocate for children to have happy and healthy childhoods. This belief led her to join City Year after graduation. She was inspired by City Year’s model of supporting kids through tutoring, and building communities within their schools. Kailey chose to serve in Manchester because it gave her the opportunity to learn and grow in a community that had been next door to her throughout her whole life. She decided to return for another year because she truly believes in the impact City Year can have on students and the community.
To read more about their ongoing journeys, check out this post.
In this episode, Micah is joined by a childhood friend, Byron Abrigg. Byron is the cofounder, CCO, and COO of Mission Control, a community platform that organizes recreational esports. Byron started his career in venture capital and accelerators, serving as the Accelerator Coordinator at Stadia Ventures, an early-stage sports tech and esports VC and accelerator program in St. Louis, MO. In addition to his current work at Mission Control, Byron is also an Adjunct Professor at Saint Louis University where he graduated in 2017.
Our stories are tied to those who came before us. In this special episode, Micah is joined by his grandmother, Inez Tatebe. While growing up in Kapaau, Hawaii life changed very quickly for her and her family when World War II found its way to American borders on December 7th, 1941 with the attacks on Pearl Harbor. Inez and her family were whisked away, like so many other Japanese-Americans, to internment camps in various locations throughout the United States. After the war, Inez moved to California with her sister and brother-in-law where she met her late husband, Hiroshi Tatebe. She now lives in Oceanside, California, and is a proud mother to four boys, eight grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. This is her and her family’s story
What are you passionate about? In this episode, Micah is joined by one of his oldest friends, Juliana Vazquez. Julie loves to work-out, bake, and play soccer. In high school, Julie was a standout student-athlete at Cardinal Mooney (OH), recording over 135 goals and 100 assists. She was named an All-American her senior year by leading the state in scoring. Additionally, she was named to the ODP Region 1 team where she represented the United States in international competition. Julie attributes her hard work and discipline to her older brother, Nick. Nick was drafted by the Colorado Rockies out of high school. However, he decided to attend the University of Pittsburgh on a full baseball scholarship. After college, Nick played for the Kansas City Royals and the Miami Marlins. Julie followed in his footsteps and also attended the University of Pittsburgh on an athletic scholarship. There, she became a 2-year captain, was awarded the David Sandberg Champion’s Award, and achieved All-ACC team accolades. Julie graduated with honors in both her Bachelors and (Health information management, ‘19) and Masters degrees (health informatics, ‘20). After graduation she signed a professional contract with Puerto Rico Sol FC; however, her season was cut short because of COVID-19. Julie currently lives in Youngstown, Ohio with her parents where she runs a small home baking business specializing in sugar cookie decorating. Ultimately, she plans to return to professional soccer overseas when the pandemic subsides. For up to date information on current and future episodes, follow our Instagram page.
Where did you come from? You’ll be surprised to hear what most people say. In this episode of Unpacked, Micah is joined by an old friend, Rob Anderson. Rob recently moved back to his hometown of Stow, OH, and is currently seeking a career within his field of study, criminal justice.
Growing up, Rob’s wonderful adoptive parents and adopted brother, Colin, supported him throughout his love for video games and competitive sports. However, every year one thing seemed to remain the same: something was missing. Being adopted from the Philippines, Rob always felt a desire to know who his biological family was. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati in 2018 with degrees in Criminal Justice and Psychology, Rob finds what he was looking for, more specifically, Rob finds who he was looking for.
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In this episode, Micah is joined by one of his closest friends, Ryan Seidewitz. Ryan and his wife, Brooklyn, currently reside in Huntington, WV. There, he works for St. Mary’s Medical Center as a Nurse Extern and for Cabell County Emergency Medical Services as an EMT. Ryan also is involved with Young Life at Marshall University, where he is a leader.
Ryan grew up in a small town in northern West Virginia on his family’s farm with his brother, Arkady. Ryan spent the majority of his childhood engulfed in his love for sports, music, and the great outdoors. He attended the former Wheeling Jesuit University, where he graduated in 2018 with a degree in Athletic Training. After graduation, a season of heartbreak, disappointment, and isolation ensued. In conversation with Micah, Ryan joyfully reflects on where he was and more importantly, who that helped him become. Plagued by an identity crisis, Ryan attempts to answer one of life’s toughest questions, “Who am I?”.
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