Alumni spotlight: Jena Brasil

Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference
Jul 28
3 min read

Updated: Aug 1

During her high school years, Jena Brasil was an active youth participant with Hands4Hope on-campus Clubs, after-school Committees, and other activities. She also took on leadership roles within those activities, despite being shy and doubting her leadership abilities at first. She found that she excelled in these roles, and it's now easy to find a connection between her experiences in Hands4Hope, her career thus far, and her future plans.

What was your experience with Hands4Hope - Youth Making A Difference as a youth participant?

When I first began participating in Hands4Hope I was 14 years old, and I was involved until I graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 2020. The program I started with was Project Birthday. I vividly remember my mom telling me that they needed someone to lead it, and thinking that I definitely was not qualified to do it. I met with Yoko and decided to go for it anyway, and over time I really fell in love with the project and ended up being in charge of it for all 4 years of high school. During that time I also got to lead KidsOasis, had the privilege of joining the Youth Board and the Executive Youth Board, was elected president of one of the Oak Ridge Hands4Hope Clubs, and helped with other annual events like the Fall Festival and Winter Boutique.

Tell us about where you are now.

I am currently an AmeriCorps member contracted to work with Placer County for 1 year on their Sustainability Plan. If you’re unfamiliar, AmeriCorps is a federal agency that engages Americans in national service to address critical needs in communities across the country. Before my current position I was an AmeriCorps member building houses for Habitat for Humanity Maui for a year, and before that I went to San Diego State to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science.

How have your experiences with Hands4Hope shaped you into the person you are today?

Hands4Hope shaped me in many ways. When I was asked to help with Project Birthday freshman year I was incredibly shy. I hated public speaking and I had no confidence that I could lead anything. In fact, I was pretty confident that I was not cut out to be a leader. Today (almost 10 years later), I do public speaking, meeting facilitation, and project management tasks on a regular basis with no issue. Hands4Hope started me on the career path that I continue on today. I chose to go into public service with AmeriCorps because Hands4Hope had put me in the service mindset, and it was also incredibly useful to have on my resume to show my experience with project management and volunteer engagement. I also maintain connections and friendships I made through Hands4Hope to this day.

What are some favorite memories from your time as a youth participant with Hands4Hope?

I always enjoyed the leadership camp, which was held in Coloma. I learned so much about myself and gained confidence in my abilities each year, and sometimes even did the ropes course blindfolded.

I also enjoyed working on large projects like the Fall Festival and Youth Board Benefit Dinner and seeing the culmination of weeks of work come together in one big event.

What are your current personal and professional goals in life?

When my AmeriCorps term is up I hope to continue in public service; either in the local government or nonprofit space. I hope to be able to also continue in environmentally related public service projects. I believe that Hands4Hope created a very strong foundation of skills to achieve these long term goals. Personally I hope to be able to strike a good work-life balance in order to spend time with my family while also serving my community.

In what way are you staying involved with Hands4Hope as an alumni?

I have participated in the occasional Hands4Hope alumni meeting when I get the chance, and I’m hoping to get more involved once I settle into a new job after my AmeriCorps term is over in August!

What activities do you enjoy in your free time?

Recently I’ve taken the first steps to get my private pilot license so I hope to be able to continue moving forward with that. I also enjoy playing music, going to the gym, and spending time with my boyfriend and family.