Monthly Archives: August 2016


From Start Till End

Last Thursday I completed my final day at The Village at Rockville (TVAR), packed my bags and traveled back to the Midwest. As hard as it was to leave Washington DC, I had always known there would be an end to this summer opportunity. In my short stint of twenty-one years of life, it seems as though there is always a beginning and an end. Within a year I will finish my undergraduate degree at Valparaiso University and take part in an entire new beginning. When I reflect on my summer experience, my time at TVAR was not defined by the beginning or the end but rather by continuous movement of time between those two points. My time at TVAR was like a train, whatever I tried to do, time was always moving towards the finish line. My summer was defined by many small successes and failures that compose my […]


The Power of Collaboration

In the rise of technology firms and innovation in Silicon Valley, there is one thing that consistently drives these companies. These companies want to change the world with their product, but they want to make money, through differentiation. What appears different and innovative about us that would make you spend the extra money. While there may have been problems with connectivity, networking at the turn of the century, the solutions were brought upon by competitively driven businesses. Blackberry was nearly put out of business by the likes of Apple. While the effort was to change the way business is done, success and making money was the driving force, and therefore Blackberry was left in the dust.   In my last couple weeks at United Way of LaPorte County, I was exposed to the opposite of that. While on the surface, it’s easy to understand the difference between for-profits and non-profits, […]


Any Experience is a Good Experience

Working at Forest Manor Multi-Service Center this summer has taught me so much and definitely affirmed the idea that every experience is a good one in that it can teach you something. And as leaders, servants and even human beings, if we’re not constantly learning then what’s the point? Through my time there, I learned that although parents paid a weekly fee for their child to attend camp, these fees did not cover all the many activities that the kids were involved in. So the organization applied for grants as well as had an entire host of donors to help supplement daily costs. Seeing all the good that an organization like this does, it was easy to see that they deserve as much funding as possible. So I one day hope to be involved in efforts that somehow helps non-profits to a greater degree in extending their outreach, whether this […]


An Open Letter to the Children of Horton’s Kids

To the Children of Horton’s Kids,   You have changed my life.   Every day you inspire me, you humble me, you frustrate me, you confound me, you encourage me, you challenge me, and you change me.  I will only be around for a season in your lifetime, but you will be an entire chapter in mine and I am grateful to know that the times I have had with you will be things I carry for the rest of my life. The first day I met you all, I was terrified.  You try meeting some fifty some kids all at once– it’s terrifying.  In the following few weeks, as I got to know you better, I wondered if my place truly was among you all.  How could I meet you where you were at and provide you with anything?  The inadequacy I felt was stifling.  You all were so […]


Reflections on Mentorship

My time interning with the CFA Society Chicago has come to an end as of last Friday. As I traveled back to Valparaiso,IN on an hour and a half long ride bus, I thought back to the experiences from this summer. My mind kept coming back to the theme of mentorship. Of course, it is important to expand your knowledge in any topic by communicating with someone that has “been there, done that.” If you read my first blog post, you know that I interviewed numerous CFA Charterholders whom are outperformers in various areas of finance. I noticed a common theme in all of these interviews that I did not expect, mentors. All of these Charterholders mentioned someone that impacted their career decision, inspired them, or advised them in a direction that has lead them to where they are today; passionate about their roles and willing to extend a helping […]


6 Lessons Learned by a Rebel

Growing up, I was one of those rebellious kids, you know, the kind who didn’t listen to any advice and needed to personally try, fall down, and get back up in order to learn. In just the last couple months, there have been countless lessons in which I tripped, fell down, and ultimately learned from. The lessons I am sharing are ones that I wish I hadn’t needed to fall down to know:       Never be on time – always be early. I learned this one the hard way. Now when I look back on my college experience, there are many things I could have done differently – not being late was one of them.  Among friends is okay sometimes, but I didn’t realize being late could become a serious habit until now. Some bosses might be okay with this, and some places are very flexible, but being on time […]


They are all Nuestros Pequeño Hermanos 1 comment

Just yesterday marked the end of my CAPS Fellowship at NPH USA as we hosted the 2016 Football Legends Classic at the Biltmore Country Club in Barrington, IL. Our staff was joined by 28 former NFL players, many of whom are in the Hall of Fame, to raise money for our children in Matamoros, Mexico. It was amazing to see how many families and friends came out to golf with these NFL Pros in support of our organization. We had over 150 guests join us on the course; the most attendees we’ve ever had. And just like that, all the hard work, time and dedication came to life. It’s an amazing feeling to see how all the pieces fit together and worked like a well oiled machine. The day was filled with energy and excitement as we saw the results unravel before us. As part of our dinner program, we video […]


Reflecting In

In an instant, the summer adventure I began 9 weeks ago, came to an end. Having an internship in Chicago has given me a lot of opportunities and experiences, that has no doubt changed me for the better. As far as vocation goes, in these short 9 weeks, I have reaffirmed my passion for working in an international relations/service field. At the beginning of my internship, I didn’t know what to expect as I first entered into Heartland’s doors. I was excited to work with and help people from all over the world  but I was also anxious, as this was my first internship experience. I was able to help serve a population I had so little knowledge about beforehand and was able to grow more culturally competent while working with a population that most Americans do not come into contact with on a daily basis. Working with refugees and […]


A Different Kind of Community

  My time at Douglas Land Conservancy has come to an end, and with it, the summer of 2016.  As I now prepare to return to Valpo for my senior year, I have been thinking a lot about community.  When you are in college, it can at times appear fairly easy to find a community.  After all, you are living with your closest friends, and surrounded by students nearly every day.  You find those with like minded interests, and a community forms.  A consistent cautionary tale that I have heard echoed by nearly every graduate from Valpo over the past few years is that I cannot take for granted that community because when you move on from college, finding a community can be more challenging.  I have taken this advice to heart, and plan on maximizing every opportunity in front of me this upcoming school year.  My time at DLC, […]


Sadness Is the End of a Summer Internship 2 comments

I received an email this week with the subject “Sadness is the end of a summer internship.” Well Paul, you hit the nail right on the head. Sadness. That’s exactly what I’m feeling as this internship comes to an end. I’m sad that I have to leave Austin, TX. I was just getting to know this place and everything it has to offer and it really is a fun place to live. I’ve loved learning about and serving at some of the many non-profits around town, running through the golf course down the street, biking along the river, and going to Shrek the Musical for free. Little by little, it started to feel like somewhere I could call home. I’m sad that I have to leave my fellow interns (or rather, that they have already left me). Even though we were never working on the same projects, the four of […]


Where Do I Go From Here?

At this point, my fellowship has been over for a couple of weeks. Afterwards, I spent a week in Washington DC staying with other fellows and exploring a new city. During this time and even now, I have had some unique opportunities to reflect on the experience as a whole and what it taught me about being a professional, working in law, and working with non profits. But even deeper than that, I have asked myself what I learned about being a leader, being of service, and about my calling and purpose. Calling and purpose have been a tricky thing for me to try to unpack- this summer and throughout the course of my life. A lot of different paths and options interest me, and there are several things that I think I would be happy doing with my life. Research, law, and work in government are only a few […]


This Post is Far Too Long (I’m Sorry) 2 comments

I hate to be stared at. But in Haiti, white people stand out like cupcakes in a salad bar, so my internship advisor Dr. Blood, my co-worker Jacob, and I all drew stares everywhere we went. It almost seemed we were the only white people in all of La Victore (and actually, it may not be very unlikely). To close up our summer internship, aqUV took a trip to do some work in Haiti. If you didn’t already know about it, go check out @jyager’s post (You may be impressed by his mosquito bite count—it is true, he had a lot more mosquito bites than I did, but for the record, mine swelled to a far more impressive size and looked far worse). To be honest, I learned more because of this summer internship and through the ending trip to Haiti than I can say in one sitting. I even find myself […]


Ice cream breaks and Weekend stories

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I get the feeling that not many work environments take ice cream breaks together. Nor do they always wait for everyone in the office to be there before they share their stories from the weekend. If you haven’t done either in your workplace, give it a try. Seriously. You’re never too old or too busy for a nice walk in the summer sun to get some ice cream. There is also no reason to exclude someone from the excitement of hearing and telling a story for the first time. These are the priorities in life. These are the things you should make time for. At the beginning of the summer my friend asked me “What do you hope to learn this summer?” I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t think that far ahead nor imagine what I would learn from my placement. Now […]


Hard Goodbyes

At the beginning of this summer I remember being so nervous that I wasn’t fully prepared to take on an internship yet. And as much as I tried to be prepared, that start date approached much more quickly than I could have anticipated. I quickly learned that even when you aren’t ready, life keeps moving. And that’s what I did this summer, I learned. Working at Exodus has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. It started with the simpler things. I learned how to enter data, refine my kitschy marketing language, and I even discovered some organizational skills I thought were nowhere in my genetics. About a month in another intern and I were asked to start mentoring a new refugee family twice a week. At first I was thinking “I just learned how to use a copier, do you guys really think I’m ready?” But as […]


Swords to Plowshares

With my internship ending last week and me moving back to Valpo next Tuesday I’ve spent some time thinking about what I want to do after graduation. I was blessed to be exposed to the world of entrepreneurship. I think being able to reflect on the past is one of the best ways to grow and move forward. This summer was full of new experiences, places, and people. The CAPS fellows here in Chicago were great people to share the summer with. So many of us had the same questions about life and purpose. I also had the opportunity to go with Cindy to an MBA tour to look at grad schools. It seems weird to be looking at grad schools already when I still have two years at Valpo, but looking at options and new possibilities is always exciting. However, looking to the more immediate future, I had the […]


Home and the Yellow Man 1 comment

I have never been a fan of change. Until college, I lived in the same house my entire life. I’ve gone to the same church since I was a toddler. I attended the same school from preschool to eighth grade. And my taste in food hasn’t changed since I was eight (corn dogs continue to be a staple in my diet). So when I had to move (a whopping two hours away) to Valpo, you can probably imagine my feelings on the topic. You know that Yellow Man on Google Street-View Maps that you drag and drop to different places? Have you ever noticed how much that Yellow Man squirms when you move him? That’s how I felt about college. Squirmy. Going to Valpo meant removing myself from a safely content life of friends and family and faith, and dropping into a Street View I didn’t recognize and didn’t particularly […]