Daily Archives: August 12, 2019

Becoming a Sponge by Claire Utzinger

In my first blog post, I explained that I didn’t really have a good idea of how I will start the search for my ideal career. I want to find a job that combines my love of the arts and working with people, but where does one find that after they graduate? One of the many opportunities with which Ingenuity has provided me is to sit down with the directors of each department to learn about their role in the non-profit and ask them any questions I have. The big takeaway for me was that each person had different pieces of equally valuable advice. So far, I have learned some important life skills from my time at Ingenuity:

  1. Always ask questions. This could include asking for help on something, asking why something was done a certain way, or even asking to be apart of a committee that you feel passionate about. Sometimes things will happen if you just ask.

  2. When applying for a job, figure out what you want to do and find the place that does it best. This will set you up for success in the field you are interested in. If you do this, you will know that you are going to make an impact on the community because the organization strives to do good work.
  3. Have a plan and then do it. When you choose a job, think about how it could help you get to where you want to be two jobs from now. Planning in advance can really propel you on the path to the career you want.
  4. Network, network, network. Everyone always says this, but it’s true. In order to know people who can help you at some point in the future you have to meet people, introduce yourself, and talk about your job for a little bit. Not too bad for the payoff that could come from just a simple business card exchange.
  5. Be a sponge. Take in everything. See what the people around you are doing and how communicating, situations, and tasks are handled. Learn from these things. Also, ask for an explanation if something doesn’t make sense.
  6. Funding is very important in the nonprofit world. Matching a donor’s passions to your organization’s needs is crucial. This, in turn, can be great advertising because your funders will be interested in talking to other people about what they have taken part in.
  7. Step up, or step out. Demonstrate visibility in the workplace and don’t be a wallflower. Make thoughtful and respectful contributions no matter what position you have. Show up fully present each day because if you are not here to work hard and get the job done, someone else will.
  8. Customer service skills can get you a long way. Knowing how to communicate and work with someone in a way that takes into consideration who they are and how they operate is very beneficial.
  9. Expertise is created by hard work and creativity requires risks. From the beginning of time, people have been testing ideas and passing down what they discover. Someone might have more experience in a certain field than you, but they only got good at what they do from trying something out, failing, and coming up with a new plan that could potentially work better than the one before. Then it did. Sticking with it and working hard is a better strategy than luck — although a little luck doesn’t hurt either. Everything in the world was created by someone no smarter than you are. “It’s supposed to be inspirational and terrifying.”
  10. Make sure that you are confident in the workplace. People who put you down are only projecting their insecurities onto you and it isn’t your job to carry their burden. If something is toxic, get out of there fast. 

You can see from this list that many different people took part in giving these pieces of advice. All of them are relevant in different ways, so I look forward to being able to look back on these ideas and connect them to my decisions, projects, and career goals in the future.

Going Home by Rachel Winkler

I am writing this while sitting at my small wood dining room table. My cat is curled up next to me and there is a soft light coming through the windows that face the street. It is weird to be home, to be back in St. Louis. I have had so many homes in the past three months. When I leave St. Louis to go back to Valpo, I say I am going back home. When I leave Valpo to go to St. Louis I also say I am going home. During CAPS my roommates and I would refer to our apartment as home. I even say I am going back home to see my family in Washington even though I have never lived there for a substantial amount of time. Over the summer I thought a lot about what really made a home a home. 

When I was younger I thought of home as an unwavering permanent place. I had grown up in the same city, only moving once when I was five so my house had always been my home. Many people say home is where the heart is and to some extent, I would agree. Valpo, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Washington all have pieces of my heart and have people I love there. Not all of these physical spaces always felt like home. It wasn’t until I felt safe, secured, and loved that I believed somewhere was home.

 When I first moved into my apartment this summer it did not feel like home. It was scary and new and weirdly quiet. I was also in a new city with two roommates I did not really know.  The same feelings were there the first night I spent at Valpo. These feelings shifted as I began to figure out the city and get closer to my roommates. I began to be able to then branch out and form connections, take risks, and enjoy my new found home with my new found friends. 

This summer I was placed at School on Wheels who provides one on one tutoring to children experiencing homelessness. School is hard for all kids in some aspect or another. It is a time of continuous growth, challenge, and change. It is so much harder when children do not have a place to call home. A safe, consistent place where they are able to perform and learn to their full potential. This summer I worked with some children who were transitioning from a space they might have considered to be home into a new space with new people. They might also be dealing with a violent or traumatic experience. They are going through all these major changes and now with the absence of a home and the school year is rapidly approaching.

This summer I learned that no one can remove all the obstacles that have been unfairly placed into these kids lives but one person can make somewhere feel a little more like home. Trying to understand what my role is as someone with privilege in spaces that are underprivileged has been something I have really struggled with. It was important for me to acknowledge it every day and be conscious of how much space I was taking up. This allowed me to step back and make sure the kids could show me all the amazing things they can do and be able to explore, create, and have fun. If I had not done this my experience this summer would have been far less impactful.

Going back home, to St. Louis was hard. It is weird to walk into the lives of these kids and know them and know their struggles and the just vanish out of their lives. I am still processing everything that I learned over the summer but one thing I have come to appreciate so much is community. Being invested and present in a community is so personal and forms a devotion and passion for others that cannot be replicated. Being a dedicated part of all the communities I am a part of is now something I strive to be.