������Ƶ

What motivates a young person to choose a year of service? And what does that decision look like from the perspectives of both the young adult and the parent, including that of a mother who has spent decades in service herself?

For Alexandra Allen, City Year is more than a workplace—it’s been a calling for 30 years. For her daughter, Delaney, it was something else entirely: ever-present, familiar and for a long time, something she never imagined choosing.

Their conversation offers a candid look at how one young adult came to embrace a year of service on her own terms—and why the space to figure things out may be one of the most powerful, and often overlooked, benefits of serving with City Year.

Explore our first Meet City Year story, where we highlighted City Year New York student success coach Nina Prakash.

Alex Allen, City Year senior vice president of product management

I was thinking about the fact that I’m finishing my 30th year at City Year. So I am here with my daughter, and what I want to share with you is that I think this story of Delaney deciding to do City Year is both sort of a typical and atypical situation.

Because I’ve been at City Year so long, Delaney was raised by City Year—mostly City Year New Hampshire. Her whole life she’s been exposed to service, national service as a concept. I’m also married to a City Year alum, so she gets it on both sides. We are very much a City Year family.

And we’re also just a typical family—raising kids, sending them to college, navigating all the questions about what comes next.

When Delaney got into high school, I talked a lot with her about doing City Year—and she was not at all interested. At some point, I stopped talking about it. I didn’t want to push it. It’s her life, her journey.

But then something changed.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2025, when Delaney was a junior in college, we were at a service project with City Year New Hampshire. And Delaney started talking about City Year again—on her own.

So, I let her lead.

When she decided to apply, we talked about where she might serve and how far from home she wanted to be. I asked her questions about why she wanted to do it. I helped her think through her interview—just doing what any parent would do when their child is considering their next step.

But this was her decision.

I’ll hand it over to Delaney to share more about how she got there.

Delaney Allen, incoming City Year Greater Boston AmeriCorps student sucess coach

Thanks, Mom.

I think it’s important to start by saying that, like my mom said, I grew up with City Year. I went to service days. I even went to preschool in the same building as City Year New Hampshire. I was always around it.

And because of that, I never wanted to do it—like, ever. It just didn’t cross my mind. It felt like my mom’s thing.

But then I went to college at UMass Amherst, and I had an amazing experience. And one day—on MLK Day—I reconnected with City Year in a new way.

Then later, City Year showed up at a campus career fair, and I had a long conversation with a recruiter about what it’s actually like to be a corps member. That was something I hadn’t really understood before. I’d seen the staff side, but not the AmeriCorps experience.

That’s when I got hooked.

I graduated with my bachelor’s in psychology and education, along with a certificate in social work and social justice. I know I want to work with kids—maybe in child psychology, counseling or social work.

City Year felt like it aligned perfectly with that. I’m able to work with kids, which is exactly what I want to do.

But at the same time, I also don’t really know exactly what I want to do long-term—and I think that’s true for a lot of people my age. We’re still figuring it out.

That’s a huge reason why I chose City Year. It gives me the ability to explore what working with kids really looks like—and to figure out what path feels right.

I also love the mission. “Service to a cause greater than oneself” has always been important to me. It’s kind of been ingrained in my brain since I was born. When I finally came around to the idea, it just felt right.

And now I’m part of the 2026–2027 City Year Greater Boston corps—and I’m very excited.

Alex

Can I say one more thing?

Because of my work in product management at City Year, I spend a lot of time thinking about the motivations of young people today—and what they need from experiences like this.

What’s so interesting to me about Delaney’s journey is that you might assume she chose City Year because of how deeply connected she already was. But in the end, that’s not what brought her here.

There’s a huge part of the service experience that’s about something else entirely.

It’s about giving young people—whether after high school or after college—a year to think. A year to pause. A year to try new things and spend time figuring things out.

Our student success coaches are getting that space. And in the bigger picture, I think that can actually be one of the primary motivations for choosing City Year—even if it’s not always talked about that way.

Delaney made this decision for her own reasons. She recognized that this is an important moment in her life.

And what I’ve learned is that so many young people are looking for exactly this—they want time and space to consider their options and try new things. They’re worried. They don’t know what they want to do yet.

City Year is an exceptional place to come and take that time—to gain skills, build relationships, and prepare for what comes next.

Sometimes, a year of service isn’t just about giving back. It’s about giving yourself the space to become who you’re meant to be.

Apply now!

Alexandra Allen is City Year’s senior vice president of product management, and she’s worked at the nonprofit for three decades, holding various leadership roles.

Her daughter Delaney Allen, 22, just graduated from UMASS Amherst and decided to serve with City Year Greater Boston starting this fall.