Welcome Your February Year-Long VISTAs!

Brittney, Caitlin, Diana, Madisen, and Timea will serve Fairbanks from February 16, 2021 - February 15, 2022. As full year VISTAs, they will  build capacity of their organization through indirect service. We're excited to welcome them to the team and see the impact they have in the coming year! 

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Brittney Harrison
​Foundation Health Partners 

Brittney relocated to Alaska to support the Foundation Health Partners' vision to provide excellent lifetime healthcare for the people in its community. As community owned and operated hospitals, health care teams identify priorities for meeting health needs of the community through needs assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIP). Brittney will be contributing her program management experience to develop projects with each of the CHIP teams: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); Healthy Behaviors; Mental Health; Homelessness; and Senior Care. She hopes to promote sustainable health care practices that will be a model for other communities, nationally, and globally, to adopt and adapt.

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Caitlin Rampy
​ Fairbanks Children's Museum 

A Texas native, Caitlin is joining the Fairbanks Children's Museum this year as a Community Outreach Coordinator. With a background in inclusive education, she recently served for 2.5 years in the Peace Corps as a Special Education volunteer in the beautiful balkan country of N. Macedonia. She is excited to continue serving diverse communities through localized efforts which increase access to educational resources and programming for young children. She loves film photography, eastern European history, and collecting weird items from thrift stores.

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Diana Sevier
​ Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center 

​Diana was born and raised in Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. She graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2020 with a B.S. in Biology and minor in Anthropology. Since graduating, she has been a Seasonal Interpretive Ranger at two Tennessee State Parks. Now, she takes on a position as the Project Development VISTA at the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center, which focuses on cultivating and expanding community partnerships and cultural programming. Diana hopes this year will be filled with meaningful connections and service, as well as getting to explore the wonderful activities and nature of Alaska. 

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Madisen Huffmann
Fairbanks Youth Advocates: The Door 

Madisen is a fourth year college student at the University of Iowa, just finishing up her bachelor’s degree in Social Justice concentrated in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Spanish. Most recently she worked with Muslim refugees in the north of Spain, and then with refugees from Central and South America in Iowa City, Iowa. She will spend her VISTA year working with Fairbanks Youth Advocates, developing a transitional program for homeless and underserved youth in the city. Madisen has never been to Alaska, and is excited to have the opportunity to live in the Last Frontier while developing professional tools and gaining real world experiences. She loves her cat, coffee, and Taylor Swift.

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Timea Renfrow
​United Way of Tanana Valley  

Timea was born and raised along the East coast and is excited to be bringing the spirit of the Mid-Atlantic to the Last Frontier. Although her permanent address is located outside of D.C., for the last decade, Timea’s free-spirit moved her to Spain for a couple of years after college graduation to teach English and travel. From a very young age, she has always been dedicated to volunteer work whether it was through Girl Scouts or school-led honor societies. She will be serving as the VISTA for United Way to further develop their Volunteer Action Center as well as facilitate outreach programs to mobilize the community and enhance engagement in local initiatives. Timea is a person of varying interests from music and art to video games and outdoor activities (specifically sports like softball and field hockey). ​