Ingenuity: The quality of being clever, original, and inventive. While I’d like to believe that I’ve always been clever, I can definitely say that my time so far working with Ingenuity Inc. has grown my skills in every definition of the word. 

Ingenuity is a nonprofit organization that connects arts partners with Chicago Public Schools, as well as collecting and providing data on inequality and disparities throughout the system. As an intern with the Partnership and Learning department, I have been working on forging the connection between partners and the ever changing requirements of CPS. This year, the annual event for new partners has been revamped to include two other organizations: Communities In Schools of Chicago and the Chicago Literacy Alliance. My role has been a smattering of different tasks: finding speakers, creating social media posts, writing scripts, organizing the gist of the conference, and getting out of my comfort zone.

Something that has been a big challenge for me is battling imposter syndrome. My coworkers, supervisors, and the other interns I’m working with often feel head and shoulders above me in both skill and experience. I’ve found myself feeling meek and choosing not to participate in meetings rather than share my voice. Everyone I work with has been great with encouraging and congratulating me for the work I’ve put in, but it’s taken a while to see it myself. Today I sent out a newsletter I had created to over 5,000 people. That was a moment that put things into perspective and made me realize the impact of the work I’ve been doing. Would anyone who got that email ever know it was written by an intern with an inferiority complex? No, but that’s the highlight of it. They’ll never know, but I will, and that’s something for me to be proud of. 

This summer has been filled with a lot of personal challenges. I can only hope that my next month of being a CAPS fellow wont continue that trend. While I’ve been feeling pretty heartbroken and alone, the kindness and flexibility of my supervisors has allowed me to take time for myself and grow in ways that, while not related to my work performance, are necessary for my own growth. I have been leaning on introspection and the importance of reflection that is constantly promoted by ILAS to pull my thoughts out of myself and back into my work.

I’ve picked up a job working weekends at the American Girl Place. It’s not a job that I would normally gravitate towards, but it has allowed me to work with so many kids and watch their eyes light up with the joy of a new toy or experience. These interactions have been so special for me. Ingenuity’s purpose is to provide children, especially those in underserved communities, with access to the arts so that they can experience the joy of discovering a new passion. My work with Ingenuity is not only fulfilling for my current self and future career goals, but for the kid in me, the terrible clarinet player, mediocre soprano, and aspiring poet who had so many giggles and proudest accomplishments spurred from the arts.

My first experience in Austin Texas was sleeping on top of my luggage at the Austin International Airport. After 5 long hours of flying and 4 hours of layover, I eventually made it to Texas where I soon realized nothing was open yet and I had to stay at the airport until 9 in the morning. Thankfully, I had my book and lots of delicious coffee to get me through it.

Checking into my apartment was fairly easy and went very smoothly. What I did not expect was a roommate. Do not get me wrong, I was happy to have a roommate; however, it would have been nice to know beforehand instead of thinking I walked into the wrong apartment room. All that considered, my roommate Dani is a really nice person who has helped me experience what it is like to live in Austin Texas.

On June 3rd, I had my first official day in the Water to Thrive office. I learned so much about my other coworkers and what it is like to work for this nonprofit as a CAPS fellow. I also learned more about the organization in general.

Water to Thrive is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that works directly with East Africa to supply clean water to the rural areas. This was interesting to me because it brought up so many questions that I did not know I had. For instance, I wondered about funding for the projects and the organization, how the wells are maintained, how well locations are decided on and what goes into the training for the implementation of these wells? Learning the answers to these questions is all a part of my projects this summer and I am very ecstatic that I get the privilege to work side-by-side with this wonderful group of people while experiencing the amazing city of Austin.

From the projects that I have been working on I have learned communication skills, how to create various kinds of graphics and posts, project plan proposals and what it takes to keep a nonprofit organization going. I have also learned and experienced what it is like to live in a different state essentially on my own. All of these skills and experiences are things that I want to continue working on because it will help benefit me in my future career as a healthcare leader. As well as help me find my place that I want to be a part of.

All things considered, I would not change the experiences I have had so far because all of them, even the challenging ones, have impacted who I am and who I want to become. I have had to adapt to a completely different city and figure out my own way to live here. As mentioned at the beginning, I may have had a bit of a rough start but in the end it has made me stronger and more confident in myself.