Meet the Corps: Garret Wu says “I’m Glad I Took a Chance”
There’s no single way to describe a year with City Year — but for AmeriCorps member Garrett Wu, one word captures it best: adventure.
After graduating and searching for direction, Garrett joined the Bay Area corps looking for meaningful work, personal growth and a clearer sense of purpose. What he found was a year filled with early mornings, unexpected lessons, school spirit rallies, deep relationships and the kind of growth that only happens when you step outside your comfort zone.
In this conversation, Garrett reflects on the highs, the challenges and the moments that reminded him why serving students matters. For anyone considering a year of service, his advice is simple: take the chance.
Q: If you had to describe your year with City Year in one word, what would it be?
“Adventure. There’s never been an uneventful day working here.” From classroom support to schoolwide events, Garrett says every day brought something different — and often something unexpected.
Q: How did you first learn about City Year?
“I first learned about City Year after getting a referral from Teach For America. I was looking for work after graduation but didn’t know how to take the next step forward.”
Like many young adults navigating life after college, Garrett was searching for direction while also questioning whether his experience was “enough.”
“Even though I was worried that my work and academic histories had a lot of gaps, I accepted a position with the Bay Area corps and started my journey to become more independent.”
That decision ended up shaping far more than just his resume.
Q: What’s one challenge you faced this year — and how did you overcome it?
“One challenge I faced early on was calibrating my work-life balance.”
With a long commute to his partner school, Garrett quickly realized that the early mornings and bus rides were beginning to impact his mental health.
“In order to get some free time back into my day, I started taking driving lessons and ended up passing the road test in about a month.”
That experience became one of many examples of how a year of service can push corps members to grow both personally and professionally.
Q: What’s one thing you’d love people to better understand about schools and students?
“I’ll always remember the school spirit events City Year helped put on as part of our whole school support.”
And yes — that includes “getting hit by a pool noodle ‘sword’ in front of a crowd of cheering elementary schoolers.”
But beneath the fun, Garrett says those moments revealed something important about student success.
“School culture is such an underrated part of what makes a school great. When students feel like they have a place at school, it makes them more excited to learn.”
Q: What advice would you give yourself at the start of the year?
“I would tell myself that the kids are going to learn and grow a lot even if it doesn’t seem like things are working at first.”
Working with students taught Garrett the importance of patience, flexibility and persistence.
“It’s good to change up your approach sometimes — every kid has their own unique learning style, after all — but a little patience really does go a long way.”
Q: What’s next for you?
Before the school year officially wraps, Garrett will head to Dallas for a Care Force service trip — an opportunity he’s especially excited about.
“I’m looking forward to working on the service project and meeting up with friends in the area, but I’ll definitely miss the kids. I’m just glad I’ll have a chance to say goodbye to them on the last day of school.”
Q: For someone considering a year of service, what would you say to them?
“If you’re on the fence about a year of service, I want to tell you that your school team will make this year a memorable one if you let them.”
Garrett says the relationships built throughout the year became one of the most meaningful parts of his experience.
“When everyone’s struggling towards the same goal, you end up forming bonds that you might not expect. Embrace that feeling. Your relationships with those around you will set the tone for the rest of the year.”
And when reflecting on the decision that started it all, he keeps coming back to one simple truth: