Corps Training Institute

It was really hard to say goodbye to my family and friends at home, but by the first night on campus in Denver I knew that these people I was meeting were going to make a great family for me for the next 10 months.

Parts of CTI (Corps Training Institute) were a little grueling for all of us. I thought that I had finally escaped college and classes, just to find myself in a hot and crowded room once again. However, we learned a number of very important things, such as how to drive a 15-passenger van, how to perform CPR, how to set up shelters after a disaster, and tool safety. Most importantly, we learned a lot about each other.

I have never before been exposed to such a diverse group of people and I have never enjoyed any group of people more. To be honest, the most learning for me during CTI actually took place in my dorm room getting to know my roommate, a wonderful girl who happens to be more opposite of me than anybody I have ever encountered. The girls in my hall encompassed every walk of life and we now found ourselves all living under the same roof. In a situation like that it seems like conflicts and clashes are unavoidable; but, our differences just made us all the more intrigued in each other. I found myself drawn to everybody around me by our differences, wanting to know everything about them, wanting to know all about their lives at home, wanting to get a glimpse into worlds that I have never seen and that these people right in front of me had lived. I felt as though I was able to travel around the United States just in those first few days by hearing about everybody’s hometown and all their stories.

The month in Denver during CTI was more fun for me than I could have ever imagined, meeting people that I am looking forward to knowing the rest of my life, exploring downtown Denver and Boulder, and basically just learning life skills while I had the time of my life. I walked away from CTI heading off on our first SPIKE having already gotten more out of AmeriCorps than I ever hoped for.

~Katie