It’s now been a week since my internship at Concordia Place ended and now that I’ve spent a few days sleeping in and watching Netflix instead of working, I’m starting to prepare for my senior year at Valpo and also the years ahead.

Throughout the whole summer, I was asked the typical “What do you plan on doing with your degree?” or “What are you doing when you graduate?” You know, the questions that people ask you from the moment you start looking at schools. For years, I have felt like I’ve needed to tailor my responses more to what people want to hear like “I’m thinking about becoming a teacher” or “I’m thinking about law school.” Because with a History and Latin double major, those are the job options that people expect from me. And I convinced myself that those were my future career options. But I realized that I really didn’t want to be a lawyer or a teacher. I don’t want to settle for what people expected of me. I want to do what I want to do.

Some members of the wonderful Advancement team and myself.

This past year I spent a lot of time learning about social injustices in our country. I participated in events and discussions and tried to figure out what my part in the fight is. During this searching, I started to think more seriously about working in a non-profit that serves the community, but I wasn’t quite sure how that would work.

The reason I’m so grateful for this fellowship is that it gave me the opportunity to figure out how I could follow what I was being called to do. I watched some of my friends struggle this summer with figuring out what they were called to do while I found myself reaching a clearer and clearer picture just by going into work every day.

Working at Concordia Place I learned more about what it means to run an organization. Not just becoming educated about the issues, but what it really means to work in the non-profit sector. I found myself doing a little bit of everything during my internship- things like researching foundations, writing grant proposals, designing signs, entering donor information, helping with volunteer events, social media- anything and everything that did something to help the organization grow. I worked on a lot of projects that had more to do with the day to day running of an organization and I really enjoyed doing all of that work.

A sign I created that more importantly has some statistics about Concordia Place’s year.

One of the conversations I have had with a few of my peers is “What if we don’t feel like we’re changing anything?” And this summer, I was lucky to live out these questions. Concordia Place, as an organization, does wonderful work, and while I wasn’t directly working with the kids or teens or seniors, I was contributing to the overall mission. Some days, it didn’t always feel like I was doing anything. But I was. I had the unique experience of entering the CEO/president’s donor interactions which was a bit tedious and boring, but I got to see what a CEO/president does on a weekly basis, and this information was also important for advancing Concordia Place as an organization.

I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that every bit counts, and this summer, I got to live that out. Large change isn’t going to happen without all the people on the ground- in the offices, on the streets, wherever and anywhere there is some work to be done. We’ve got to start there and then work our way up, and I feel called to be one of those people.

One of my last days, my alumni mentor and I visited the Chicago Botanic Gardens. She took me to the Japanese Gardens and walked me over a bridge that was a zig zag because according to some Japanese folklore, evil spirits have to walk in a straight line so they can’t follow you over this bridge. She took me there so I could start my senior year fresh and ready to go without any evil spirits behind me, and I am. I’m ready to go and do what I feel called to do and what I want to do. I’m ready and the CAPS fellowship is to thank for that.

The bridge at the Botanic Gardens.

It’s hard to believe, but this week marks the end of my fourth week at Concordia Place. Concordia Place is “vibrant nonprofit with proactive solutions to key social needs” whose “focus is growth and opportunity through economically inclusive early childhood, teen leadership and senior wellness programs” located in northern Chicago in the Avondale neighborhood.

Outside the Resource Center (where my office is)

I knew right from my interview that I would like to work at Concordia, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it. I am working with the Advancement team (or the A-team as we like to call ourselves) doing a fair amount of different things which all are super exciting for me. I’m helping with their social media for the summer (so if you’re interested in what they’re doing check them out on Facebook here or on Twitter here) as well as entering donor related data and grant foundation research. We also just had a major fundraising event where we raised over $129,000 for Concordia place with a silent auction, live auction, and casino night. While I’ve helped with large fundraisers before, I’ve never helped with a single event that has raised that amount of money, and it was eye-opening to see just how much work goes into making everything run smoothly.

A view from the event

While I enjoy the work I’m doing, as it’s the kind of work I would like to be doing in my future career, it’s really the people and the work they’re doing that have made the experience as great as it has been for me. Every single person has welcomed me with open arms, and they are so willing to let me ask whatever questions I want. Also, the work Concordia does is just amazing. The school building is separate from the resource center, but every time we go in to interact with the kids or talk to one of the schoolteachers, I am amazed by the quality of the classrooms and how every single kid seems to love being there. I love seeing the plants that the teens grow to make their soaps and other products that they then sell. (If you want to here more about that program, here’s a video that explains it in more detail.) The seniors come a few days a week to do yoga. Concordia seems to always have people doing something, and you can almost always hear the kids playing outside.

I think what has really impacted me the most is seeing the work at Concordia, and what is going on in Chicago. I’m living at home this summer, so I commute into the city everyday. The commute is long, but it’s also where I’ve learned just how important the work Concordia does is. Every morning, I get on the train with a bunch of middle class workers who commute into the city all year long. Most of them are in business suits. We all get off the train together, and walk through downtown on our way to various companies and L stops. Everyday, I walk by people who are homeless. I see people on the L who have had rough lives. Every day that I get off at my stop on the Blue Line, I walk past the same four men who seem to live under the I-90/94 overpass. And then I get to Concordia. Where kids are constantly laughing and learning and given opportunities that they may not have otherwise. Concordia served 750 children, teens, and seniors last year. About 70% of those they serve are low income, and almost 70% are minorities. In their 2014 annual report, they state: “We strengthen the community by fostering individual growth and opportunity for all: children receive quality care on a sliding tuition scale; teens realize their full potential by developing leadership skills; adults become more engaged in our society through English as a Second Language classes; and seniors stay connected, active and independent.”

I’ve gone on service trips to serve those who are less fortunate than I am, but I have always been left unsatisfied because I have only helped them for a week. Every day that I walk by these people I am saddened by what their circumstances are. But then I come to Concordia, and my hope for the world is restored. Concordia works to better people’s lives, and to prevent what could happen. They want to help the community grow stronger, and I am proud to be their intern for the summer.