This month AFS-USA is pleased to spotlight Nathan Dyer of the Dirigo Maine team. Nathan has been a volunteer since 2014 and is a returnee from Germany. Last summer he helped manage the day-to-day operations of the AFS BP Global STEM Academy at the University of Houston. Congratulations Nathan!
How did you learn about AFS and what prompted you to get involved?
At my high school, Hampden Academy, AFS was strongly represented every year with students hosted in our community and has maintained a longstanding relationship that continues to grow. Hearing about their meaningful experiences and gaining a surface level understanding of how AFS had affected them at the time, is what inspired me to step outside of the familiar and go abroad to Germany. Admittedly, I was a bit of a staller, in terms of waiting to get involved until later in my undergraduate years. Despite my desire to give back, I wasn’t sure how, the timing never seemed right, maybe it was some form of imposter syndrome that made me feel initially that my talents were unneeded. Looking back, I regret not being proactive sooner. The impetus behind getting involved was Maryanne Marr, the DeRuyter Area Team Chair who called me just as I was walking out of office after two-long weeks of responding to a number of local floods to strike up a conversation about upcoming events and different ways to contribute as a returnee after a few long weeks of responding to local floods. Thank you, Maryanne, and here’s to many more years.
What keeps you coming back to volunteer each year?
The students, volunteers, educators, and staff across the AFS Network who enable our organization to grow and evolve to address modern global challenges that implicate our mission. The evidence of impact, whether it be scholarships awarded, or personal stories and experiences shared by our people drives me; but it’s our collective potential that motivates me to get others with shared values on board to advance.
What have you learned or how have you been personally affected from your experience with AFS?
As an AFS Returnee from Germany, I can speak for hours about the profound impact that my intercultural exchange has had on my personal life, perspective, and educational/professional endeavors. Every day is a continuation of my AFS experience because I apply learned skills daily to better understand other global perspectives and naturally build strong relationships with people from diverse backgrounds by appreciating our similarities and differences.
Please share the best thing or funniest thing that’s happened to you while volunteering with AFS?
Gosh, this is an incredibly difficult question, because I have so many memories that I cherish. I’d have to say, helping transition and manage the day-to-day operations of the AFS BP Global STEM Academy last summer at the University of Houston. It was an incredibly enlightening experience that reignited my sense of purpose and meaning behind our world-class programs.
What do you want to say to people who might be interested in volunteering with AFS?
Enter with an open mind, the opportunities to get involved are limitless and based on your personal interests. The initial stages of my involvement as a returnee involved serving as a liaison for one of our students from Germany, and later launching a CBYX Selection Committee in Upstate NY. To date, I have been involved in some capacity whether it be sending, hosting, scholarships, orientations, or program operations. None of this would have been possible without the support, dedication, and mentor-ship from volunteers of the DeRuyter, Pine Tree and Dirigo Area Teams. There is no other intercultural education or study abroad organization out there that achieves what we do or invests in volunteer development to ensure everyone feels prepared. Sure, you may feel like you have stepped out of your comfort zone initially, but think of it as an element of “culture shock” while undertaking your own domestic study abroad experience where you will be supported by local volunteers to make it a positive one. The best part is, it all begins with a conversation to get yourself and others started on their own journey as an AFS volunteer.
What’s one thing AFS volunteers and staff don’t know about you?
Outside of my involvement with AFS, you can often find me programming new applications and web technologies for startups and social ventures. I’m in the process of creating a specialized program to directly support the growing refugee population in central and southern Maine. One of my new found hobbies is attending coding competitions and hackathons to quickly create prototype solutions that address current issues and future challenges in society and education.