Grace Clapper

I've been in my current position for about 4 weeks now, working with the TRiO Educational Talent Search Program. My primary role is identifying and assisting students from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education, providing them with academic, career, and financial counseling to encourage them to graduate from high school and continue on to post-secondary education. My typical days involve getting presentations prepared for students at the high school, and going between 3 high schools - Quincy High School, Portola, and Loyalton - where I do financial aid presentations as well as studying skills. I originally started in restoration and conservation, where I was really fond of being a steward of the land. I got an offer when I moved to Quincy for this position as I was volunteering at a high school library. I've always been someone who wanted to help others, and this is a great opportunity for me to do that. My most notable professional achievement so far was probably the conservation work - it was very rewarding. I was in that position for about a year and a half, but I was able to see the improvement of health and abundance in Coho salmon with the work that we were doing, and it was extremely rewarding.