Author Archives: aaronmeihak

To Lead and Serve

One thing that has always drawn me to the non-profit world is just that: non-profit. I have always thought that there really would be no way that I could ever work at a for-profit company. When I thought of a for-profit company, the image of a large corporation simply there to make as much money as possible immediately came to mind, as well as any other related stereotypes that exist. That is why the idea of a non-profit organization sounded so appealing. In theory, such an organization exists to truly support and further whatever mission, goals, or vision that it holds. One can rest easier knowing that they are working for an organization that is trying to make the world a better place, in some way, shape, or form. But I have realized that even in a non-profit organization, the issue of money is still the most pressing issue in everyone’s mind. Instead of worrying about how performance affects profits, the concern becomes how performance reflects numbers, which in turn affects the funding that is received. At first, that upset me. But I realized that is simply the world we live in, and everyone must learn to work with that. Thus, a non-profit must learn to remain sustainable while also trying to stay true to the initial mission. This becomes even more difficult when the organization is directly linked to the ever-changing governmental rules and regulations. It can become disheartening, frustrating, and confusing. But what helps to combat this is people who are truly dedicated to the mission working within the organization

My supervisor at CWI is one of those people. Throughout the course of my internship, I have had the opportunity to work closely and directly with her. She is someone at CWI who wears many different hats, and similarly to me, likes to have “several irons in the fire.” We both like to believe that it increases our productivity. But among the many things that she does, she will often go above and beyond to help a person find a job, even when it seems that there is no hope of that person getting one. She is someone who truly is dedicated to the larger picture, and always keeps that in mind with everything that she does. Yet on top of that, she always remains realistic, and will always question whether or not something is pragmatic and will have a positive effect on the people that the organization is trying to serve. I have been fortunate to simply watch her work, and am often in awe of the things that she is able to do, and I hope that I have been able to soak up many of the skills and talents that she has.

When I reflect on my experiences at my internship, the organization as a whole, and the concept of Leadership and Service, I have realized that there are several questions one must ask themselves when going into a vocation. What am I truly good at doing? What do I enjoy doing? Is the work that I am doing making a positive impact on people’s lives (even if it is only a few lives)? Is the goal I have attainable? Does this work make me happy?

Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone involved with the Institute of Leadership & Service for allowing me to have this experience, and for forcing me to reflect on what it truly means to Lead and Serve 🙂

Aaron

Touring NWI

I have been spending my summer working at the Center of Workforce Innovations (CWI) here in Valpo. In essence, CWI is a non-profit organization that works to promote workforce development. A little over 15 years ago, a federal initiative was passed that mandated that each state was to create Workforce Development programs meant to educate the workforce and help develop career paths for future job seekers to pursue. CWI is an organization that receives funding to help manage the service provider WorkOne, which is a community career center that offers a variety of services to help people become gainfully employed.

CWI has received a grant entitled READY NWI that provides funding to help with the mission of Workforce Development. Most of the work I have done has been for the this project. My introduction to the world of workforce certainly has been a whirlwind experience. Almost every day I hear and learn about new acronyms, titles, or programs, that are all somehow related. Each person also has a hand in every project two; I often find two people that I would never expect to work together, surprisingly have a role in each other’s projects and work together. Slowly but surely, I am learning how it all ties together, and seeing the systematic changes that are taking place to essentially help promote more rewarding employment.

Among many opportunities, I have had the opportunity to shadow my supervisor as she does her work. Much of what she does consists of working with employers in the region to see what their needs are in terms of expanding, recruitment, as well as a variety of other services. She has taken me to a countless number of sites and employers, and I have learned more about the economic opportunities in the region than I ever thought existed.

One very unique component of this experience has been assisting with the completion of employer videos for the READY project that highlight the career paths of various people in companies within the region. Just yesterday, I spent all day traveling around with local videographers as they interviewed contract electricians at a variety of locations, trying to capture how they got to where they are today, and what steps they had to take, and the things that they learned.

It is hard to believe how fast this summer has gone, and how I have such very little time left at my internships (only 3 weeks!). But in this short amount of time, I have learned things that I had no idea that I would, and gained skills that I know will be invaluable as I continue down my journey to find that good old calling of mine. Who knows that the rest of the summer will have in store for me!

 

– Aaron