Service Star: Elba Valerio '05

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” The words of Mohandas Gandhi came to life for Elba Valerio ’05 through a commitment to the national youth service organization City Year.

After receiving her Bentley degree in management, Valerio put her career search on hold. She applied for a one-year stint at City Year. “When my application was approved,” she says, “I cried.”

It was the first of many moving experiences.

Valerio joined a team charged with improving literacy among second-graders in Boston Public Schools. “Being in school with the children touches your heart. Even on a bad day, you know they’re looking forward to seeing you,” she says. “Serving as a mentor was an amazing experience.”

Her work helped to boost student test scores – and offered a personal primer on collaboration. Members of her City Year team represented diverse ethnicities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and educational levels.

“At first, it was difficult to work together, but then something clicked,” she explains. “We realized each other’s strengths and focused on the students. My teammates became my extended family.”

The City Year program included a Monday morning regimen of physical and intellectual exercises. Sporting the organization’s signature red jacket, Valerio joined hundreds of other volunteers for the rain-or-shine sessions in Boston’s Copley Square. The discipline and fellowship were inspiring.

Valerio was so impressed that she signed on for another year, but in the more administrative role of senior corps member. As she puts it: “I wanted to be a part of the organizational strategy and be a mentor for the incoming City Year Boston corps.”

Through responsibilities that included promoting events and building corporate sponsorship, she gained valuable skills in customer service and marketing. Valerio also discovered a passion for event planning. The latter would lead her back to Bentley in 2007, for a position as operations and student coordinator at the school’s Conference Center. She has since relocated to Maine, where her commitment to service through organizations such as City Year, the Peace Corps, and Habitat for Humanity remains strong.  

“Doing good deeds for others benefits everyone, by improving test scores through mentorship, generating cleaner and safer communities, and providing homes for low income families,” says Valerio, who conducts social justice workshops for middle-school students, through the City Year Young Heroes program. “Getting involved helps you realize the importance of volunteering.”