CAPS Fellows Blog

Experiencing Through Stories by Ben Montgomery

This entry was tagged Chicago ICDI Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

I went into this summer expecting to gain practical experience, learn about nonprofit work, and contribute something to the organization I am working with. So far this has all proven true, but what has taken me by surprise is that the most powerful part of my experience has come from stories. I am spending my summer working with ICDI (Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants), an organization that responds to the many needs of immigrants in Chicago. Participants in ICDI programs, detained immigrants, asylum seekers, volunteers, and staff all have a story of how they ended up where they are and what they are doing to try to improve the situation. In the four weeks that I have been working with ICDI I have been lucky enough to have listened to many of these stories. Part of what I do is spend Thursday mornings in a detention center speaking with detained […]

T-Minus One Semester: Differing Shades of Uncertainty by Emily Nelson

This entry was tagged LSA Lutheran Services in America Washington D.C. and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

As I wrap up my last three weeks in Washington, D.C., I’m reflecting on the mounting ambiguity that’s slowly creeping into my life. Some of these forces have been expected; the events that directly preceded or have happened during my stay make for a rather tumultuous timeline. My grandmother passed away, my parents have moved, and I’m entering my last semester of undergrad after the conclusion of this fellowship. I guess it’s consolation that many of my peers are in the same position of uneasiness heading into the future, but it’s troubling nonetheless. I am very thankful that I’ve been able to spend my summer in D.C. This area is a networking hotspot, and running into dignitaries or prominent government officials is no surprise. A few weeks ago, I attended an Interfaith Community work meeting for my organization. The director of Asian American Pacific Islander Initiatives at the White House […]

Surprise! by Meg Main

This entry was tagged ArtMix Indianapolis and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

On my first day in the studio of ArtMix I met a boy by the name of Alex Smith. He was the first student I spent a longer period of time with. In the first encounter, we were equally instructed by the current teaching artist, Emily to make these items. I didn’t know it until after, but this TA is trying to figure out how to apply Alex’s skills and abilities to our Urban Artisans program’s work environment and product creation. Urban Artisans is one of five programs that ArtMix runs throughout the calendar year. I think it’d be fair to say, this is the top program that we are known for throughout the city. ArtMix prides itself on working with all people of all abilities. In community class, participants come and go as they please every Wednesday. However, UA is a more specific program, which intends to […]

Finding My Purpose by Madison Magiera

This entry was tagged Austin Ethiopia Water to Thrive and posted on July 15, 2019 by leadserve

So, I am back from Ethiopia now and I have pretty much gotten adjusted back to living and working in Austin. I absolutely loved my time in Ethiopia! I learned so much about the global water crisis and about the lives of our Water to Thrive beneficiaries. The people of Ethiopia were consistently so friendly and welcoming. Despite not having many of the luxuries and comforts that we enjoy in the U.S., like running water, hot showers, washing machines, microwaves and accessible clean water, the people I met in the villages we visited were so joyful and thankful. They are grateful for the things they do have: friends, family, faith, love and happiness. It truly made me reflect on my life in the U.S. I think that a lot of times in the U.S., we connect happiness to material wealth and things. In reality, it is not things that create […]

D.C. is More than Just Politics by Maddie Morehead 2 comments

This entry was tagged IREX Washington D.C. and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

D.C. is lively and thriving. D.C. is friendly and beautiful. D.C. is jazzy and historic. D.C. is full of excitement and people from every walk of life with a different story or perspective worth sharing. Being in a new city is a great excuse for friends to visit, and having a friend visit is a great excuse to explore the depths of said new city. A couple weeks ago, a friend that I met through my fall semester study abroad experience came to DC to visit me, and as any good friend would, I became a tourist with her. We took a tour of “Black Broadway”, near Howard University, where tribute is payed to African American artists like Marvin Gaye, Chuck Brown, Sister Rosetta Tharpe , and Aretha Franklin. We learned about the fight it took to keep Go-Go alive – a genre that originated from The District, and joined […]

Faces of Hope by Hilary Van Oss

This entry was tagged Chicago Heartland Alliance and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

You can learn a lot about a person by looking at their face. The face is a portal to one’s soul; it shows what they are feeling and thinking. These past few weeks I have looked into the faces of many individuals who have just made a huge, courageous leap of faith by moving to and settling into the United States as a refugee. Working at Heartland Alliance’s Refugee and Immigrant Community Services (RICS) office, I have had the privilege to look into many faces of hope. RICS is a refugee resettlement agency that works with refugees from airport pick-up when they arrive in Chicago to navigating public transportation to English class to assisting with public benefits and government services to searching for employment and the list goes on. I am specifically a Case Management intern which means that I am helping our participants extensively within the first 90 days […]

Three Places. One Week. Too Many Questions. by Alyssa Brewer

This entry was tagged Indianapolis Kheprw Institute and posted on July 11, 2019 by leadserve

In one week, I went from studying abroad in Namibia to spending time with my family in Arkansas to now living in Indianapolis. Throughout this week, so many emotions bubbled up inside me. It was a cycle of confusion, anger, sadness, and exhaustion. Culture shock overwhelmed me at times. I questioned the habits of the nation in which I grew up. Why are there so many aisle of cereal? Why are there so many ads on the radio? Why is there too much water over here and not enough over there? But then new questions arose when I traveled to Indy from Arkansas. Why are there so many one-ways? Why are there no grocery stores nearby? Why am I here? That last one has become the theme of this summer. Technically, I am an intern at Kheprw Institute in Indianapolis- however, I am still discovering what that means. Kheprw Institute is […]

Growing Markets by Michele Poindexter

This entry was tagged Chicago Growing Home and posted on July 8, 2019 by leadserve

Let me first briefly explain what Growing Home does. Growing Home is a USDA certified organic urban farm located in Englewood. They have a paid job training program each growing season for people with employment barriers. Production Assistants, participants in the program, learn transferable skills in agriculture, project management, and effective communication. In addition to the job training program, Growing Home sells its produce through several outlets. In this blog, I want to talk about just one of the ways the produce is sold – farmer’s markets. Farmer’s markets are one of my favorite places to be and work at, so I thought I would tell you a bit about why they are so great and how they could be even better. To get the inside scoop, I asked Growing Home’s Food Access and Distribution Manager some questions about markets. So why are farmers’ markets so great? For starters, a […]

Exploring is the Nice Word for Lost by Haley Brewer

This entry was tagged Chicago Concordia Place and posted on July 2, 2019 by leadserve

An hour and forty-five minutes. That’s the longest I’ve gotten lost here amongst the Chicago streets. I’ve gotten lost looking for bubble tea, I’ve gotten lost looking for museums, I’ve gotten lost looking for countless bookshops and more. My second day here, I got lost looking for the Target and I still think a little part of me is out there looking for the red and white store. When my mom asks, I tell her I’ve spent most of my time “exploring” the city because that sounds a lot better than “my google maps lost connection ten minutes in and I wandered up and down Washington for thirty minutes.” It’s all about the rebranding, folks. However, a month in, my hopeless sense of direction has marginally become less so. I say marginally because just last Friday, I almost exceeded my record on time lost when I was looking for a […]

Community Work as Dance by Maria Kubalewski

This entry was tagged Indianapolis Kheprw Institute and posted on July 2, 2019 by leadserve

One of my close friends is a ballroom dancer. Although my wish to become a better dancer by osmosis has yet to come to fruition, my eyes were opened to how unique of a craft ballroom is. Kheprw’s approach to community work reminds me a lot of ballroom dance. Kheprw Institute is a grassroots organization that works primarily out of the Riverside and Highland Vicinity neighborhoods in Indianapolis. Grounded in the belief that members of a community are the best suited to lead within the community, Kheprw works to involve community members of all ages, interests, and backgrounds in conversations and programs touching on (but not limited to) race, education, the environment, entrepreneurship, art, and technology. There are many different styles of ballroom- Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Samba, Mambo, Cha-cha. Instead of focusing on one path to community work, Kheprw makes moves with urban gardening and youth programming, sparks conversation about […]

Big Things for an “Almost Adult” to Attempt to Unravel by Claire Utzinger

This entry was tagged Chicago Ingenuity and posted on June 27, 2019 by leadserve

Living in rural Virginia for over two decades, it is certainly interesting to transition to an apartment right on the Loop in downtown Chicago. I have never experienced hustle and bustle quite like this in my life. Even when I studied abroad and lived in Athens, Greece for an entire semester, there were no tall buildings. Nothing is allowed to block the view of the Parthenon, so nothing is allowed to be taller than 12 stories. Although there are city busses, lots of pigeons, and an insane amount of tourists, I was left with the feeling of leaving just a really large town at the end of my four months. Chicago is Chicago; Big, bold, and consuming, although frequently muffled by “the L.” Now that I’ve been here for what’s going on week three, I find myself asking where I fit into it all. I am interning with a non-profit […]

Growing in My Discomfort by Meg Main

This entry was tagged ArtMix Indianapolis and posted on June 27, 2019 by leadserve

So far, my CAPS experience has really pushed me out of my comfort zone. Through the entire application and interview process, the idea of potentially finding another temporary home, moving to Indianapolis and everything in between has made me feel unnerved. I am happy to be a CAPS Fellow, but I have definitely experienced the discomfort of growing pains here in Indy. Nonetheless, 20 days into my CAPS experience, I’m beginning to reap the rewards of powering through these uncomfortable but positive times of growth. During my time at ArtMix, I have contributed to and observed the behind-the-scenes of a non-profit organization. While I am already learning a lot from this internship, I have also faced challenges. From learning to communicate my needs in an office environment to meeting the demands of my superiors, I have learned how to have tough conversations, while also being the best team member I […]

My Kind of Town by Juan Arellano 1 comment

This entry was tagged Chicago Ingenuity and posted on June 27, 2019 by leadserve

Ah, Chicago. Growing up in the south suburbs, I always dreamed of calling Chicago home. I remember visiting the Shedd Aquarium and the Museum of Science and Industry, eating at Giordano’s or Gino’s East, and thinking to myself, “Man, what must it be like to be here every day?” Well, now that I know, I can tell you all about it. I live at Infinite Chicago on Jackson Blvd. in the South Loop, the heart of the city. Every day I walk about half an hour to work at Ingenuity in River North. I love my job. Ingenuity is a non-profit focused on increasing arts education equity for all children in Chicago Public Schools. The work they do here is exciting, and there is never a dull moment in the office. Integrating into the team has been nothing short of amazing. Because Ingenuity is centered around arts education, it makes […]

Navigating the First Day by Jade Curless

This entry was tagged Venn Strategies Washington D.C. and posted on June 27, 2019 by leadserve

Getting acclimated to Washington D.C. has been a much harder task than what I originally anticipated. Living in this city has pushed me to think more intentionally about my actions and how I process my environment. I’ve always viewed myself as an adaptable person, someone who is excited for change or the aspect for something new; however, the first week in this new setting did not go as planned. On my first day of my internship I woke up early, partly because of the early eastern coast sunrise, but mostly because I couldn’t wait to start this new chapter in my life. After completing our morning ritual, my roommates and I headed for the metro train and were ready to take on our jobs in the city. We eventually all split off throughout D.C. to our job sites. Unfortunately for me, the next step of my morning was not my […]

Getting Lost by Rachel Winkler

This entry was tagged Indianapolis School On Wheels and posted on June 14, 2019 by leadserve

I’ve gotten lost more times these past two weeks than I have gotten lost in the past two years. Being lost can be scary and frustrating but it is a part of life. My times being lost have been some of the most important and stabilizing experiences I have had. It was when my roommates needed me to come to pick them up after they got lost biking and rollerblading downtown and then we proceeded to all get lost was when we really bonded. When we got caught in a rainstorm and we couldn’t see five feet in front of us I learned I could rely on them to keep me calm. Getting lost was also something that happened to all of us while we were together and apart which made it easier to share all of our stories of triumph and failure. Being lost has helped me build a […]

Midwestern Girl, Big City by Maddie Morehead 1 comment

This entry was tagged IREX Washington D.C. and posted on June 11, 2019 by leadserve

In the week and a half that I’ve been here, I’ve become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city streets. As I commute to work, I pass the men in the hard hats and yellow jackets hard at work, the woman who sits in her lawn chair on the sidewalk day in and day out watching the people pass on their way from their 9-5, the man selling the newspaper at the metro stop yelling good morning to the distracted daily commuters, and the bus that always threatens to run me over if I don’t cross the walkway quickly enough. Although for many people in D.C. this routine is just a part of their everyday, mundane lives, I find myself to be one of the only people smiling as I take in each and every little aspect of my morning commute. As I walk to work, I make […]

My Biggest Adventure Yet by Nosi Oleghe

This entry was tagged Austin Water to Thrive and posted on June 11, 2019 by leadserve

Living far from home was something I had always wanted to experience, and the CAPS Fellows Program gave me this opportunity while doing something I am passionate about, and that reminds me of home. I have had a lot of firsts this summer. It was my first time getting on a plane by myself, living by myself, and learning how to budget money. This might not seem like a lot to some people but I have always had my family to rely on for a lot of things, and as I will be graduating college in a about a year, I figured now is the time for me to experience actual adulthood. Living in my own apartment has been very fun and interesting. I have loved living with Madison for about a week before she left for Ethiopia. We got so close in that week as we spent a lot […]

Welcome to Washington D.C. by Emily Nelson

This entry was tagged LSA Lutheran Services in America Washington D.C. and posted on June 10, 2019 by leadserve

Thank God for seats on the metro, and good riddance to those who stand on the left side of the escalator during the morning rush. Being from Japan, courtesy on public transportation is a must, and it’s helped be more cognizant of the culture in D.C. To be clear, there are numerous cultures, whether ethnic,organizational, or linguistic, in D.C. due to the diversity. Instead of being a tourist (as I was eight years ago), I’m an intern, and am gifted with 10 weeks instead of one. This gives me a lot more time to explore what this place has to offer, and I am living for it. I start my day at 7:30, waking to the constant hiss of the air conditioner. After dressing business casual and gathering my bearings, I take the elevator 10 floors down to the lobby. 9 stops on the Metro later, I get off […]

Austin to Addis Ababa by Madison Magiera

This entry was tagged Austin Ethiopia Water to Thrive and posted on June 7, 2019 by leadserve

Wow – so much has happened since I began my CAPS Fellowship! I moved to Austin, TX almost two weeks ago and moved into my own apartment for the first time. I really enjoy being in my own apartment and I love living with Nosi as my housemate! Together we have started exploring Austin and we have found there is so much to do there! Austin is a unique blend of being proudly Texan, but welcoming to all, liberal and conservative and business-oriented with laid-back, bohemian vibes. So far I have found that the city possesses lots of live music, record stores, cute coffee shops, funky art museums and a profound (and inspiring) love for tacos. Nosi and I are staying in University of Texas housing so there is quite a few shops and restaurants within walking distance of our apartment, which is really nice. After getting settled in at […]