Alumni Profile: Gina Poirier, MPA '09

Some people are just born givers. Gina Poirier is one of those people.

Her first major philanthropic event was the summer between her sophomore and junior year at the University of Washington when she went to help the population of North Philadelphia. The experience was so enjoyable, the following summer she went again, and that's when she discovered two loves: volunteering and her future husband, Marc.

Since both of them were dedicated to their volunteer efforts, they decided to do it together. That brought them to Alaska where Gina took a position as program director with HOPE worldwide's Alaska chapter where her task was to coordinate volunteer opportunities and network within the community to provide services to Alaska's poor and needy.

In fall 2009, HOPE worldwide staff and volunteers started working after school at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in Anchorage, launching the TEAM-WORKS curriculum. They started with a bare bones after-school program offering some mentor opportunities for the kids.  Then they were able to hire some part-time staff with an AmeriCorps grant and the program is growing. The mission of TEAM-WORKS is to build strong minds, strong bodies and strong character in Native American youth.

In the summer of 2009, HOPE worldwide staff and volunteers from Anchorage ventured out into the far corners of Alaska. Gina and Marc spent a week in Barrow. Gina says Barrow is hard to describe if you haven't been there. "It is very small, everybody knows everybody. It is a very extreme place to be; at the summer solstice the sun doesn't go down at all. And it was great to see how the community was so happy to have us there."

About 100 kids came from eight other schools in the North Slope school districts. The kids played sports and experienced some arts, music and entertainment. There was also a leadership development section along with lots of cultural events. There were about 20 volunteers from Anchorage and another 10 from the Lower 48 who came to help out. Because of the success of that first year, the plan is to make the event annual.

While Gina was in Alaska, she made time to attend UAA's Master of Public Administration (MPA) program. She says she loved the MPA program because it is made up of such a varied group of people. "There were some my age and some that were in the professional world for 20+ years. We got to know each other pretty well through group projects; it's a small department. My graduating class only had about 10 people in it. It's designed for those working full time. I enjoyed being able to network with all the people whose experience ranges from non-profit to the state to the business sector."

For the MPA capstone project, they are required to find an agency and do a report and analysis for them. Gina chose the Boys and Girls Club and did an analysis of their volunteering program. She says she learned a lot from that experience that she was able to apply to her full-time job.

Another feature of the MPA program that Gina really enjoyed was the many experienced professionals engaged in the program. Since the program only has two full-time professors, students get the benefit of learning from many adjunct professors and guest speakers connected in the community. "So much of this work rests on being able to network and work with different people. It would have been so different if it was online."

She says, "I got to meet one of the signers of the Alaska Constitution and learned a lot about the way Alaska operated-which I think is very different from other states because of the oil industry. I wouldn't have gotten such a thorough understanding otherwise."

Gina and Marc now have a little boy and have recently moved to Bloomington, Illinois to be closer to Marc's family. So right now her main focus is her family, but she is still dabbling in the business and volunteering sectors. She is also doing some freelance writing to keep her skills sharp and is still working with HOPE worldwide's Alaska chapter writing grants as needed.

There is a small, budding HOPE chapter where she's at now that is run completely by volunteers. She signed up with its advisory board and is working with the Bloomington Housing Authority to help fix up some of the housing in the area.

She says, "I will always be involved with volunteering. The more I do, the more I enjoy it."