Austin Schilling, Stewardship Coordinator, AmeriCorps
Austin took a long and winding path to AmeriCorps, where he now serves at the Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute. Born in 1997 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley he began his lifelong passion for building and repairing. From humble beginnings building tree houses to pursuing a civil engineering degree at the University of Idaho, Austin has always been driven by the thirst for knowledge. However, it was when he became a permanent resident of the Palouse that he found where his talents could be used to their greatest potential. In 2019, Austin began working at a quail farm as a seasonal worker while finishing his degree. Through his dedication and tenacity, he became operations manager shepherding a flock of nearly 30,000 quail. During his tenure, he and his wife put roots down and started a family. Their daughter, Adelaide, had a thirst for knowledge that reminded Austin of himself at her age. So, he made it his mission: wherever kids can learn, and have fun doing it, he would be there to lend a helping hand. Austin began volunteering with the Palouse Science Discovery Center and then at the PCEI fixing and helping whenever he could. Not long after he found a position as AmeriCorps Stewardship Coordinator at PCEI and will continue to help kids have a space to learn and grow there over the next year.