Amy Echstenkamper
Name: Amy Echstenkamper (yes, that’s my last name…)
Hometown: Durham, NC
College: UNC-Chapel Hill (‘09)
Degree: BA Psychology
What brought you to the Fellows Program?
I decided to do the Fellows Program in Kinston because I was really at a loss as to what I was going to do with this next year of my life. After talking to the Perry’s, I realized that being here would probably provide me with a lot of clarity in that sense, and give me experiences that I wouldn’t have had as much in-depth access to in other places. I also wanted to have the space and time to reassess certain aspects of my faith. On top of all of that I just felt that it was time to move out of my comfort zone and do something different… so here I am 
What type of work do you do in the Fellows Program?
I have been interested in getting my Masters in Social Work for awhile, so I’ve been working part-time in two different places that would give me experiences similar to what I would be doing in social work. One of the places is a community center called the GATE. I work here as a youth mentor for at-risk or underprivileged youth. The rest of my hours I spend at a low-income elementary school working with the school counselor and the media specialist. Both of these jobs have given me lots of interactions with kids from some really difficult situations and have opened my eyes to a lot of things.
What have you enjoyed the most about the program?
In light of this, I think one of the biggest things I’ve learned since being here is that I don’t know nearly as much as I thought I did. The things I’ve seen working with these kids have been so sobering to me, but have also really reinforced my desire to work with people in a similar capacity in the future. The work has been hard, and a lot of times hasn’t exhibited straightforward results, but in a strange way, this has been the most rewarding part of being here. I don’t think anything could replace the relationships that I’ve been able to build with the kids that I work with, and that to me, is what I will remember most from this program.