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With the Arizona Preservation Foundation, Public Ally Alesha Adolph finds personal and professional growth
June 22, 2023 — As a Tucson native, Alesha Adolph spent much of her life being shaped by the city. Now, as a Public Ally, she plays a unique part in shaping the future of her hometown.
“I went to the University of Arizona for sustainable built environments, and that’s where I discovered my passion for historic preservation,” Alesha says. “I took a class called ‘Geography of the Southwest Borderlands,’ where we discussed the history of the land here and what makes it so special. That’s when everything clicked.”
Public Allies Arizona, a program of the ASU Lodestar Center, placed Alesha in an internship with the Arizona Preservation Foundation, where she has the opportunity to engage in her passion every day. The 10-month AmeriCorps program puts dedicated individuals like Alesha in nonprofit internships across Maricopa and Pima counties.
Being a Public Ally has enabled Alesha to make contributions in the field of historic preservation in Tucson, safeguarding the city’s landmarks and history.
“Most people think of preservation as preserving buildings, but it's much more than that,” says Arizona Preservation Foundation Treasurer Donna Reiner. “It’s buildings, landscapes… and archeological sites— what we call ‘pre-history sites.’”
While from day to day, much of Alesha’s work as a Public Ally involves managing the Arizona Preservation Foundation’s online presence, she has also played an active role in the preservation of historic sites in the Tucson area.
“Everyone always says that Tucson is a bigger city with a small-town vibe, and I think that's kind of true. But at the same time, I have seen buildings that were important to me be taken down. And I think it's also part of what fuels the want to keep going,” she says.
The Old Vail Post Office, for example, has sat south of Tucson for over 100 years, acting as one of the few remnants of the city of Vail’s storied history, according to the Arizona Memory Project. Alesha’s work has been instrumental in planning the building’s future.
“They're looking to reuse the building. The adobe building has been slowly falling apart, and they would like to fix it. I've been able to help create an accessibility plan for what that future building would look like, making sure to be as accessible as possible,” Alesha says.
Given the Arizona Preservation Foundation’s fully remote model, Alesha’s work both in Tucson and online has been indispensable, according to the organization’s treasurer.
“With the assistance of Alesha, we have had webinars, and we started those after COVID canceled our 2020 conference,” Reiner says. “Having webinars has really expanded our ability to service not only state people, but people outside the state.”
Despite the limitations of working from a distance, the Arizona Preservation Foundation has had a vast impact on historic preservation in Arizona. The group has gone as far as collaborating with the State Historic Preservation Office in addition to their work with fellow nonprofit organizations. According to Alesha, this experience has motivated her to consider pursuing a career in local government in the future.
Although her time as a Public Ally will be drawing to a close this year after two terms of service, she reflects fondly on her experience.
"I've made friends that I will be close with forever. I've learned so much about myself, about my community, and how to be a better ally. I guess a lot of growth too— a lot of personal and professional growth,” Alesha says.
The program’s benefits have been twofold, affecting the Arizona Preservation Foundation itself as much as it has affected Alesha. To all future Public Ally hosts, Reiner emphasizes the value of flexibility in making full use of a Public Ally’s unique potential.
“When you are applying for the program, and you set out what you envision you're going to have this Public Ally do, it doesn't always work that way,” Reiner says. “You may discover that this person has a particular skill that you're going, ‘Oh, whoa, you know, we could really use that.’ You kind of make left-hand turns and right-hand turns, or U-turns. It's really to be flexible and to play off the skills of that Public Ally, as well as strengthening the skills that they are going to come away with because you've given them some new opportunity.”
Story by Lillian Finley, ASU Lodestar Center.
Photo: Alesha at the Vail Post Office south of Tucson.
Build your organization's leadership pipeline with Public Allies Arizona
Public Allies Arizona is changing the face and practice of leadership throughout Phoenix and Tucson communities by demonstrating our conviction that everyone can lead, and that lasting change results when citizens of all backgrounds step up, take responsibility and work together. Public Allies is a 10-month AmeriCorps program that places emerging leaders in full-time, paid nonprofit internships with partner organizations in the community.