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Theki Change served as an ACM with City Year from 2022-2023. Theki is now a Solutions Analyst at Deloitte and, since his time with us, has learned how to transform his passion for service into a meaningful career. Check out this blog post to learn how he used his time at City Year to build critical skills that helped him land a premier job with one of the top consulting firms in the country and what advice he would give to someone considering a year of service with City Year in the Bay Area.

Q: Why did you initially sign up for City Year?
A: I initially signed up for City Year because I knew I wanted to help underserved communities. As a sophomore in college, I served as a California Justice Corps intern at the Pasadena Courthouse Self Help Center which is where my passion for service developed. After college, when a recruiter from City Year reached out to me and informed me of the opportunity to serve others in a different capacity, I was intrigued and decided to send in an application.

Q: What is your most memorable moment (or moments) with City Year?
A: My most memorable moment during City Year was when our site team visited an escape room. At the escape room, our team was able to escape right on time thanks to the contributions of everyone on the team. This experienced taught me that I could learn a lot from my fellow site members and it compelled me to observe and adopt many of the skills my coworkers excelled at.

Q: What did you learn about yourself during your experience?
A: During my time with City Year my passion for service continued to grow but I realized that my role in serving the community would not be through education. This realization led me to look for opportunities to serve others in a different capacity.

Q: Did your time at City Year influence or prepare you for your career? If so, how?
A: Yes, my time at City Year taught me many of the skills critical to a career in consulting. This included the ability to work with multiple stakeholders, the ability to receive and implement feedback, and the ability to synthesize and explain difficult concepts in a clear manner.

Q: Can you tell us about your life / career now? What are you proud of?
A: I now work as a Government and Public Services Consultant at Deloitte which I was only able to attain through the City Year-Deloitte Career Catalyzer Program that offered me a non-traditional path to Deloitte. As a Deloitte Consultant, I am proud of the work I have done to continue supporting City Year as the co-site lead of the San Jose Deloitte-City Year relationship. I am also proud of the work I have done to support millions of people through important projects for multiple State, Federal, and Municipal agencies.

Q: What advice would you give to someone considering a year of service with City Year?
What makes City Year so amazing, in my opinion, is the fact that it is one of the few remaining avenues that provide a second chance to people in America. When I was graduating college, I knew I wanted to serve my community, but I was lost on how I would accomplish this goal. Out of the many different organizations I applied to, City Year was the one place that gave me a chance. Through my experience with City Year, I able to serve the ����ӰԺ in my local community. Today, I am able to serve millions of people across this country as a Deloitte consultant because City Year gave me a shot. Furthermore, City Year continues to offer opportunities to ����ӰԺ in underserved communities by providing them with the resources they need to succeed. A year of service with City Year will not be easy but if you want to be part of an organization that continues to provide a path for Americans to seek a second chance at success, I strongly recommend you join me in embarking upon this rewarding journey.