Denise Walker was physically exhausted after her first outing as a volunteer for the Agency for New Americans in Raleigh, North Carolina. Denise had a fairly good career going with various federal agencies after graduating with a degree in accounting. She decided to stay at home after she and her husband started a family. Now that their youngest was in high school, Denise decided she needed something more to do than manage the household. She decided on volunteer work and joined the Agency for New Americans.