Mike Tobias is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at Sea Mar’s Tacoma Managed Care office. Born and raised in the Tacoma area, he’s happy to be living and working once again in the City of Destiny. He graduated from Central Washington University with a degree in Political Science. Following his graduation in 2013, Mike knew that he wanted to begin his career working with national and community service. After spending a year in an AmeriCorps program tutoring middle school students in Federal Way, he decided to continue his national service with a focus on public health. Operating on the belief that all people deserve fair and affordable health care, Mike hopes to use his time at Sea Mar to enable low-income patients to establish sustainable care patterns and have access to the resources necessary to live healthy and beneficial lives.
After serving with AmeriCorps, Mike plans on pursuing a career in civil service by working either with state government agencies or in non-profit management. To do this, he will most likely pursue a Master’s in Public Administration using his education award. In his free time, Mike enjoys reading, practicing Buddhist meditation, volunteering with animals, board games, and cooking vegetarian cuisine. He’s also an avid fan of the Vancouver Canucks.
AmeriCorps VISTA, Christine Dodson, brings more than two decades of practical experience to her VISTA service with Sea Mar Project Connect. Her resume is filled with experiences that allowed her to see people’s difficulties while making an impact on their lives. From childcare director to housing specialist to nurse to long-term care ombudsman, Christine has shaped a career from her passion for helping others. As a single mother, Christine had obtained many vocational certificate courses needed to keep ahead of the job market throughout the years, although she always knew that she would return to school when her son was grown. After putting her own dreams on hold for too long, Christine finally returned to school in July 2009.
Christine completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology summa cum laude from Ashford University in May of 2013. Christine’s academic performance provided her the opportunity to complete several graduate level classes for dual credit while still completing her Bachelor’s degree. With this head start, Christine was accepted into the Master of Public Administration program at Ashford and completed her MPA in May of 2014.
Christine was drawn to the AmeriCorps VISTA program for several reasons. Primarily, her values, service orientation, and desire to alleviate poverty are well-aligned with VISTA. Additionally, strong selling points for her acceptance of service included the ability to serve as a VISTA for 5 years; the opportunity to grow as a professional; the chance to make a measurable impact on her community; and the potential financial benefits afforded via the student loan forgiveness program.
After service, Christine plans to begin her own non-profit organization in Pierce County helping low-income, working and student families. In her free time Christine loves spending time with her 4 year old granddaughter, Veda Jane.
Sea Mar CHC Community HealthCorps Blog 