Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC Class 19 Team Leader Spotlight: Jess Tyler

Jess Tyler, from Moore, Montana, is the Team Leader for Maple 3 in NCCC’s Class 19. He arrived in Vinton on January 8, 2013, to start his 11-month service term leading a team of people between the ages of 18 and 24. Maple 3 is made up of 11 people from across the country, and they will serve together in a number of service projects across the North Central Region.

Prior to joining NCCC, Jess had just finished serving in the Montana Conservation Corps (MCC). He joined MCC with a desire to help his state, and it was there he learned about NCCC. “I felt my experience with the Montana Conservation Corps was very rewarding,” Jess says. “Then I heard about NCCC and thought it would be a great way to further my community service experience.”

Jess’ previous experiences give him a lot of useful skills for his year as a Team Leader. He is knowledgeable about the National Park Service and US Forest Service specifications for creating new foot trail construction and maintenance. He has experience in various hand tools, including a shovel, McLeod, Pulaski, log tongs, single/double jack, lauper, and hoedad. He has effective written and oral skills, as well as experience with Microsoft Office programs.

Jess graduated from Moore High School in 2008. He graduated from Montana State University-Bozeman in May of 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with Religions Studies Option. After NCCC, he would like to work with a nonprofit that addresses hunger or housing issues in communities.

Maple 3’s first project runs from March 11 to April 25 with Lauritzen Gardens in Omaha, Nebraska. The team is restoring areas of the garden that have been damaged due to the city of Omaha routing sewage lines through the garden. Some of the specific tasks of the team are controlling erosion by shoring up the garden hillside, removing invasive plant species and replanting native plants.

Some fun facts about Jess:

Q: What was your first job? I worked summers on my parents’ farm.

Q: What is your favorite movie? Bladerunner

Q: What will be your first words of advice for your team members? “We’re here to represent service in America; start thinking about your actions that way.”

Q: What is one place in the world that you really, really wish you could visit? Paris

Q: What is your favorite candy? Milky Way

Q: If you could come back as an animal which animal would it be and why? I’d be an elephant for the trunk and not being afraid of being eaten.

Q: Are there any sayings your parents repeated over and over that you can still remember clearly? “Clean your plate!”

Q: What do you like to do in your free time? Write, draw, juzzle

Q: Could you give us one reason to join AmeriCorps NCCC? To give my time to America!