From the banks of the Rappahannock River to the hallways of Northern Neck high schools, Stephanie Milligan's story of service has always been about one thing: showing up. Now in her second year of service as an AmeriCorps Advise VA member, Stephanie splits her time between Lancaster and Northumberland County High Schools. While her daily tasks involve navigating FAFSA forms and college applications, her philosophy is rooted in a deeper commitment to consistency. "Students need to know you're going to stick around," Stephanie says. "You have to be on the ground, working with them and alongside them."
A Path Built on Purpose
Stephanie's interest in volunteerism began in her own high school days in Fredericksburg. Whether she was preserving local heritage on history committees or wading into the Rappahannock River for environmental cleanups, she learned early on that community health requires active participation. After starting her career in marketing and management-where she honed a "customer-first" mindset-Stephanie felt a pull toward a more direct lane of impact. She experimented with substitute teaching at Freedom Middle School in Spotsylvania, but it was the AmeriCorps Advise VA program that finally bridged the gap between her professional skills and her passion for helping people.
Meeting Students Where They Are
In the rural communities of Lancaster and Northumberland counties, where transportation is a major hurdle and digital communication often goes ignored, Stephanie has learned that "presence" is her most effective tool. "Students don't really read their email," she laughs. "You have to have that personal face-to-face time. You have to be able to reach them in the hallway and make them feel seen."
That "hallway diplomacy" is paying off. This year at LCHS, Stephanie has achieved a remarkable milestone: individual meetings with 100 percent of the senior class. Her efforts are helping sustain a powerful trend-last year, nearly half of the graduating class transitioned to college, with a growing number of students pursuing high-demand trades at Rappahannock Community College (RCC).
The Next Chapter
As she balances her volunteer service with the completion of her master's degree in public history and museum studies, Stephanie is still weighing where her career will take her next. For Stephanie, her AmeriCorps service hasn't just been a career pivot-it's been a masterclass in the power of connection. By sticking around and working "on the ground," she isn't just preparing students for what's next; she's showing them how to navigate the rest of their lives.
Inspired by Stephanie's Story? As Stephanie points out, "There are lots of opportunities to commit to service, whether you decide to serve with AmeriCorps or in our own community. Technology has made it so much easier to find these opportunities-like the Volunteer River Counties website that has an accessible list of things students can do to get involved and develop some great skills they can take with them to college or the workforce."
· Check out other volunteer opportunities mentoring students at Lancaster County Public Schools or the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Northern Neck-as well as more than 150 other volunteer opportunities in the area!
