Exploring is the Nice Word for Lost by Haley Brewer

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 new ramen place.

Although, it’s not like I’m gifted in directions back home. If it weren’t for the multiple map apps I have on my phone, I’d hardly be able to leave me apartment parking lot in Valpo.

I hate getting lost, I really do. It’s the constant bone I have to pick with myself and the universe, my complete lack of direction. But it’s not all bad. While lost, I’ve found adorable little parks, farmers markets, a secondhand book store I would literally die for, and rainbow roads.

While “exploring,” I’ve also tried things I never would have considered back home. Numerous small coffeeshops that are nothing like the Dunkin Doughnuts I usually stick to, little bakeries smell like sugar and bread, thai ice cream shops where they roll up the cream right in front of you. Wonderful little places I’m happy to find and even more happy to share with my friends when they visit.

Usually, when I’m in stage 4 of being lost (the first stages being 1. Obliviousness, 2. Creeping Dread, 3. Denial and/or the Bargaining stage) I’ll wander over to the nearest Wifi providing establishment, buy a drink of tea/coffee/juice/etc. to provide sustenance for my journey, and attempt to find my way with the assistance of the Wifi. This usually works, and I usually get the perk of whatever iced drink I’ve just acquired. With my mood instantly given +5 HP and some newly loaded directions, I’m off again. Despite how much I hate getting lost, it’s almost enjoyable nowadays.

With a month left in the program, I’m sure I’ve still got loads more time I’m going to dedicate to finding my way. At least I have all those iced drinks to look forward to!

P.S. Here’s the ramen I got lost for on Friday. Totally worth it.

Community Work as Dance by Maria Kubalewski

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 gentrification and environmental degradation, and is working to provide a safe space for creatives of all kinds and an incubator to coach small businesses on the sidelines. Each style of dance requires conditioning- practice, coaching, and discipline. Each of Kheprw’s branches requires continuous research- discussion, collaboration, and commitment. Strong dancers are multi-faceted in the sense that they can dance more than one style, making them competitive; Strong organizations are multi-faceted in the sense that they have a team that offers a variety of programs, assisting the community in supporting itself. 

If a member of Kheprw is one half of a ballroom couple, then another organization, community member, or project makes up the other half. When you’ve got a really good relationship with your dance partner- you’re both comfortable with the style and approach, there’s clear communication, and there’s a sense of trust- dancing is smooth. When you’ve got a new dance partner, or you and your old one don’t agree on style or technique, dancing becomes a lot more strained. It doesn’t matter how prepared either partner was for the competition, if you’re not jiving together, it’s just not going to be your day.

As to be expected in community work, Kheprw has dance partners that don’t skip a beat and partners who seem to be dancing to a different song. Synchronized dance partners help to provide opportunities within the community or lay the foundation for long-term projects. Why bother dancing with a partner who has two left feet? The better question is why not? Members of Kheprw treat every experience as a learning opportunity. Even when a relationship is uncomfortable, even when there’s tension, both partners can learn from one another. Sometimes partners grow closer, other times the partnership just isn’t meant to be. But there is always value in the relationship, always a story to hear and a lesson to be learned. 

Dancing is an art. It takes time, creativity, and demands an appreciation for the culture. To do well, partners need to work hand in hand to support one another. In this way, dance emphasizes the interdependent relationship, making it emotional, fun, and challenging all at the same time.  

Community work is also an art. To do it well starts with seeing the community as something to be appreciated, as something to learn from and grow with. Kheprw emphasizes community work- meaningful relationships amongst people comes first. The work then emerges from that space. Just like dancing, working with people is inherently emotional, fun, and complex. But that’s exactly what makes the work, makes the dance, so important. 

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

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 organization called Ingenuity, which is focused on ensuring that every Chicago Public Schools (CPS) student receives a quality arts education. As they say on their website, Ingenuity constantly works “to institute the Chicago Public Schools Arts Education Act by collecting and managing arts-related data, supporting community arts partners, and advocating for CPS programs and resources.” (ingenuity-inc.org) I have learned a lot since I have started working with this organization especially because I usually view public art education through a different lens. My mom is an elementary school art teacher in a public school system in Virginia, so it is very new to me to work with a company that is working to improve quality education as an outside third party, not as someone who works directly with the kids. Ingenuity constantly strives for the children in CPS to not only have a valuable arts education, but to also thrive and grow through the arts by making them the best they can possibly be. Not only is this impressive because it is so important to integrate studio arts, theatre, dance, and music into everyone’s lives, but also because a team of 11 people run this entire company that gives millions of dollars to CPS and other arts organizations every year. They have shown me already in my three weeks here that hard work and dedication can make a difference in a child’s life even if you do not know them personally. 

One event that I went to was an Institute put on by Ingenuity called, “You Are Your Teaching Artists: Frame. Train. Retain.” Although I do not work at an organization with teachers or Teaching Artists, it was important for me to participate in this Institute because I will be running a similar event at the end of the summer. One of the main goals of the program was to understand the importance of organizations empowering Teaching Artists to demonstrate their skills and build a positive classroom culture, engage in personal and artistic self-awareness, and positively represent the organization– which really stuck out to me. Everyone at the event sat at tables of five, and participated in different activities to spark conversation and different ideas. One activity that I found quite compelling was when each group was given a different challenging scenario and we had to figure out the best way to respond to the situation. In my group’s scenario, a child exclaimed to the teacher, “I just don’t get what the point of all this is. Art is for rich white people.” I was startled. Not only was I mortified by the scenario, but I had a moment where I realized that if a second grader said this to me, I would have no idea what to say even though I firmly believe the statement to be false. To my amazement, the four other educators I was sitting with immediately rose to the occasion and offered an impressive system of how one could go about interacting with this hard conversation. The first step was to affirm that there may be a reason the child felt this way. In an example of the arts through dance, it could be possible that the only interaction the child knew about was ballet, where people pay hundreds of dollars to attend. One teacher said, “Do they know that styles like hip hop and breakdancing are art?” The second step that was collectively decided was that there needed to be a change in the classroom. This was an opportunity, one Arts Partner said, to ask yourself what you have done to contribute to this child’s idea of art and then bring great cultural examples into the classroom. The third idea was to remember how important it is for children to explore the things they are curious about, and not to react by scolding the child for saying this. “You should build and grow on this in your curriculum from now on.” The last point was to perhaps scratch the lesson for the day to take the time and explore this with the children– to have a collective discussion with the class, with the idea that the statement would be more resolved by the end of the session. 

At another event, Elizabeth Robbins from Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy spoke in a fireside chat. She received  “The Civic Education Leadership Award” which is given by the Obama Foundation to honored educators who model civic leadership by providing opportunities for young people to engage actively in their community. She explained that something an educator in the arts needs to realize is that everyone has a story. You connect your own story to art and that is what makes it accessible to everyone. She explained that how she approaches telling her story, of a middle aged white teacher, to a classroom of predominantly children of different ethnic backgrounds is very important. I found topics like these in the forefront of the arts education scene, and I had never really considered these issues before as an individual who wants to go into the arts in some capacity. So back to my first question– how these scenarios that educators strive to face with their students everyday connect to me, a 21 year old in college who is still looking for my place in the world?

I’m still forming my answers. In the meantime, I am going to make sure I am taking in the world from every perspective. Whether helping to write a guidebook for Arts Partners at my internship with Ingenuity or trying to figure out what kind of career I want to pursue after I graduate, I need to remember that I am not trying to pursue this career for just myself. It’s also so that a bold second grader knows that they have a place in the art world, same as me. I just have to figure out how I will do it.

Growing in My Discomfort by Meg Main

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 can be. I have been lucky to have great leadership at ArtMix who have given me guidance along the way.

Being able to have these direct and honest conversations has always been something I’ve struggled with. For example, when I worked in fast food, I maintained a position at the window, day or night, rain or shine, or even in winter storms. Back then, I was never willing to talk to my advisors about my expectations and my preferences. Even in March, during the interview process for CAPS, someone asked me about a time I encountered conflict. I managed to answer the question, but I was unsure of how transparent I could be. At that moment, I knew this is one skill I would like to work on: being open with my advisors and mentors. So, I am beyond thrilled that through my internship, I have had productive conversations with my supervisors that have led to positive outcomes. 

My time in Indy has also been uncomfortable in the sense that it is 124 times the size of my hometown. Meaning, my time here has been overwhelming. I’m used to having fewer options in restaurants, less traffic lights and a higher speed limit. This new atmosphere has been exciting, as it’s introduced me to Indian food, walks downtown and some amazing new food spots. However, it’s hard being in a city where everything is unfamiliar, and simple activities can be challenging. For example, my roommate and I tried going on a bike ride through the city our first week, and we got so lost we needed our other roommate to come pick us up!

These past three weeks have been a big gulp of discomfort to consume, but with my roommates, cohort and time at ArtMix, I’ve been able to collect memorable moments and valuable lessons. I understand now that it’s good to feel uncomfortable; it just means I’m growing. In this situation, that means I’m growing in my relationships, problem-solving skills, navigational skills, flexibility and my ability to address difficult conversations.

My Kind of Town by Juan Arellano

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 for some fun and creative people in the office (it’s not uncommon for my supervisors Karla and Nicole to break out into song and dance). Since I arrived, I have worked primarily with two Ingenuity departments, Public Affairs, and Data and Research. For Public Affairs, I have started drafting social media posts and email newsletters, hoping to engage a broader audience on all of our communications streams. On the Data and Research team, I have helped them with reaching out to Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to fill out the Creative Schools Survey, an annual survey that informs Ingenuity on the state of the arts in CPS. The work is not only fun, but in many ways, rewarding because Ingenuity’s mission is so admirable. I am very grateful to be a part of such a strong team that works very hard. I am looking forward to the rest of my time here. 

Working at Ingenuity has been nice because after 5 PM (and 3 PM on Fridays!) I have the rest of the time to explore and engage with the city of Chicago. My first week here I went to the Vampire Weekend concert at Huntington Pavilion park, an outdoor venue at Northerly Island. I got to go with my best friends from high school who first introduced me to the band which has since become my favorite band of all time. The concert was something special – VW puts on an amazing show. I also have had the chance of seeing stand-up at the Annoyance Theatre, a place where many talented comedians have gotten their start. My friend and I have been interested in trying to do stand up for quite some time and decided to go to an open mic to test out the waters. There were about ten comedians, each at different levels of expertise. Some made us laugh, some made us cringe, but they all entertained. My favorite joke of the night was about a guy playing wingman for a friend in sweatpants at a bar. It was hilarious. 

All-in-all my first few weeks in Chicago have been very special. I have very much enjoyed my time here and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the summer goes. I’d like to give a quick shout out to the Institute of Leadership and Service at Valparaiso University for giving me this amazing opportunity. I am eager for the rest of my summer in Chicago and I will make sure to keep you all in the loop on the fun adventures I’ll have in the city. 

Navigating the First Day by Jade Curless

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 internship. When I arrived at what I thought was my internship, I regrettably discovered that the company’s address had not been updated online. After quickly searching through emails from my supervisor, I found an address in a company signature, clicked it, and entrusted apple maps to get me to work. Once I was able to redirect myself, hopping back on the metro, transferring trains, and taking a long walk to this new location, I came to another unfortunate realization. Apple maps had directed me across town in the middle of rush hour, when in actuality the new location for my internship was only a couple blocks from my original location. Being flustered with emotion, I tried to keep myself calm as I completed the walk of shame to my initial destination, a process that made me an hour late on my first day. As I sat on the train, angry at my phone for deceiving me, but even more angry at myself for not planning more thoroughly in advance, I tried to keep calm by reminding myself that I would now have something interesting to write in my blog post.

After I arrived to my first day a full hour late, exhausted and embarrassed, I had to quickly learn how to adapt to my semi-corporate job. Luckily I work with very kind, and hard-driven individuals who have been willing to help me learn from my mistakes, making this painful moment a learning point for me.

It’s okay to mess things up. You can still hold yourself to a high standard and make mistakes. When reflecting on my past experiences, I weighed the significance of the times I felt like things have gone wrong. Although its cheesy, I really do believe that you learn the most from your mistakes. However, this depends on how you process these mishaps. Typically I would describe myself as someone who is pretty self-critical – I am constantly rethinking choices that I have made and how I would change them now. This is not a productive way to live life. As I enter the adult world, I’m beginning to realize the importance of maximizing your time. If I ever want to be a positive ally for others in society, then I need to cut out the wasted time worrying about the past. Being an hour late to the first day of my internship is a very small mistake in the grand scheme of things, but this situation made me reflect on a larger problem. The biggest mistake you can make is questioning yourself and your choices when something goes wrong. In this small moment it was important that I didn’t stress over my setback, but instead focused on making my internship the best experience possible. I only have one summer in D.C., and if I want to maximize my time here then I need to accept the past and prepare for the future.

Getting Lost by Rachel Winkler

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 community. I have been able to have meaningful, insightful conversations with my cohort, my coworkers, and those I interact with through my internship by talking about the imperfections of life.

I am doing my internship at School on Wheels. They work to end the cycle of homelessness through education and empowering students. These students are at a major disadvantage when it comes to getting a good, stable education compared to their more privileged counterparts. I have had the opportunity to listen to mothers advocating for their children. It is amazing to see the sacrifices families make to provide education. I have also heard stories of heartbreak and trauma. So far I have also been feeling a little lost in my internship. It has made me question where I fit in in the world. I have been thinking about how to acknowledge my privilege and how to serve responsibly especially when entering into a new community. There is no easy answer but I have decided to embrace the feeling and force myself to think about the hard questions.

Recently, I have fully embraced wandering. I have started just walking and letting myself discover new things, new paths, and just get a little lost. I have started (I’m not sure if this is smart or not) turning off the GPS and trying to find my way back home. I have ended up in some really beautiful places that I might not have seen otherwise. I have also hit dead ends and had to change course. This summer I am going to try to let go of my expectations and let myself grow and wander into something I could not have planned out.

Art I stumbled upon on a walk

A cool trail my roommate Alyssa and I found

A garage with Legos in the wall

Bonsai exhibit I wandered into

Transitioning into Transition by Veronica Campbell

Are all three of you really going to fit in one office? Where is the printer in suite 187? Are any of the conference rooms still available? And most importantly—are we really going to let all those nice desk chairs get thrown away just because we don’t have anywhere to put them while the office is being remodeled? This was the chaos that greeted me when I started my internship at Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (or LSSI), but despite the fact that everyone was moving offices the very week I started there, my supervisor and the rest of the staff still made time to welcome me onto the team and make sure I had a place in the midst of all the confusion. My very first day, my supervisor made a point to introduce me to as many people as possible, then took me out to lunch with two employees I would later be working with in the department. As the internship progressed over the next two weeks, while there were slow moments when everyone was too busy to give me work, my supervisor would continue to go out of her way to welcome me when we went to Aurora to tour a foster care center and she drove me all the way back to my apartment afterwards, then picked me up from downtown two days later when we attended the ELCA Synod Assembly. Despite her assurance that downtown wasn’t out of her way, I greatly appreciated it.

As evidenced by our going to both a foster care center and the ELCA Synod Assembly in one week, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois is involved in many different areas of the world of social justice. They have so many programs, in fact, that I think even after sitting at my desk and reviewing pamphlets and powerpoints for hours I’m still not quite familiar with them all. LSSI has centers all over the state, and there are foster care programs, where foster parents are specially trained to welcome traumatized children with behavioral problems into their homes and hearts; there are mental health programs, where individuals receive counseling and support; and there are programs that work with those without employment, those with addictions, those with disabilities, and more.

Because the focus of my internship is in the Communications and Advocacy Department, my largest role with LSSI will be to take stories from all of these different programs and write about them, for the website, Facebook page, and potentially other platforms. As a writer who wants to expand her experience beyond the academic essays and “just for fun” fiction she was used to, I am hopeful that conducting phone interviews and writing articles will prove a practical way to dabble in other types of writing while simultaneously learning what a nonprofit is like and seeing the myriad ways LSSI helps people to, as they often say, find comprehensive healing that goes beyond any one problem, but rather helps the whole person. Just as the insanity of an office move couldn’t stop them from welcoming me, it can’t stop them from helping all of those whom they serve, and this summer I’m excited to see more of the awesome impact LSSI has on the lives it touches.

Midwestern Girl, Big City by Maddie Morehead

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 a mental promise to myself, that I will never overlook the details and never take my daily commute in the bustling city for granted. As a Midwestern gal, born and raised, I can’t help but want to talk to each individual I pass and ask them about their story, and how they wound up in the city, or if they were raised here their whole lives.

My first week and a half at IREX has been crazy busy, but I have loved every minute of it. Getting to know my team of 25 that I will be working with. A team of 24 strong, independent women, and one very humble man — my supervisor. Everyone that I will be working with this summer has had some sort of experience abroad, and it is so very relieving to be able to work with a group of people that are as worldly minded as myself. Every one of my team members has a story about their experience and how they ended up at IREX, and each team member is so individually unique.

I’ve spent the first week and a half learning about what it is that I will be doing during my summer internship at IREX. My supervisor informed me that in two short weeks 700 young, carefully selected accomplished African leaders will be making their way to the U.S. in order to head to different institutes where they will be learning tangible skills that they will be able to take back with them to their home countries. After their time at these institutes, the young African leaders will head to Washington D.C. for a week long leadership summit with IREX. My job is to help place some of the leaders at different host sites for an additional, extended experience that 70 carefully selected leaders will be partaking in after the summit, and curating guides for the cities that they will be staying in. I will also be helping with some of the planning for the leadership summit that is to happen at the end of July.

This was a lot to take in in just my first week and a half, but I am more than ready for what lays ahead of me this summer, and I am already so excited to meet and be working with the individuals that will be traveling to the United States.

What I’ve learned in the past week and a half is that Washington D.C. is somewhat of an international hub for the United States of America. Walking around, I hear multitudes of languages, some I may not even be able to recognize. I may be biased as an intern at IREX, but it seems that the people here also just have a more international perspective than the inland United States where I was raised. The younger me inside who has always desired to travel and meet many people with unique stories and experiences is all giddy inside as my adventure here in the United States Capitol and IREX begins. Always looking to learn more about the world around me, I can’t wait to see what adventure awaits.

My Biggest Adventure Yet by Nosi Oleghe

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 of time together whether exploring Austin, or watching the bachelorette together on Monday nights (#TeamJed). I am excited for her to return and hear all the amazing things she experienced in Ethiopia. After Madison’s departure about a few days later, we got a new roommate Theresa who is over 60 years old, and is taking summer classes at the University of Texas at Austin. She is such a sweet and nice lady, and I have also learned so much from her already. She worked on the 2008 Obama Presidential Campaign, and told me many stories of her experience during that time, and her passion.

Working for Water To Thrive has been so amazing. This organization builds wells in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania, providing safe and clean water for the people. All the people I work with are so kind and very helpful. It is obvious how passionate everyone is about the mission of Water To Thrive, and it makes me love working here even more. It also provides a very positive working environment and promotes a good organizational culture. The first week here, I dove into my first project which was to create the budget plan for the 20 well projects, and I had to have this done before Suzanne, the Executive Director and the two other interns Madison and Kendall left for Ethiopia. I liked doing this project because it helped me apply the skills I’ve learned in the classroom as an accounting and math major. Currently I am working on organizing information from restaurants to partner with in order to get donations for the projects.

Living on my own in a new city away from my family and friends has been quite challenging, but very rewarding as I have learned a lot about how I deal with being alone which is rare for me, an extreme extrovert. I have learned how to manage my time, knowing when to rest, and when to explore. Taking random walks downtown by myself which I have found to be very therapeutic. I have tried out a lot of foods in Austin, and it has been amazing. I am looking forward to growing and learning more from this experience in the next months to come. I miss my family, and friends but I am happy with where I am and my progress so far.

Welcome to Washington D.C. by Emily Nelson

   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 at Capitol South, walking by the Capitol, Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court to reach the United Methodist Building. My grandmother, a devout Christian and affiliated with the Church, was born in 1923, the very year this building was constructed.

   While Lutheran Services in America (LSA) oversees 300+ member organizations, the central office is quite cozy, with around 10 or so individuals working at any given time. Ms. Sheila, my supervisor, resides down the hall from me in her new office. She bought me lunch twice last week (!) and allows for quite a bit of flexibility with this internship. I’ve organized the email list by topic, highlighting member organizations that focus on children, youth, and families; read extensively about LSA and watched hours of webinars; and attended a Congressional briefing on the Chafee Act, which supports foster youth aging out of care. I understand that my big project will be a paper about the purpose of LSA, though there will be other assignments along the way. I have a standard office desk of black plexiglass, rolling chair, and provided laptop. Everyone here is very welcoming, especially Anita, a former intern who now does a lot of philanthropy work for LSA. She always asks how I’m doing and gives me advice about the surrounding area.

   The living quarters are quite nice; we even have our own balcony and access to a swimming pool, gym, local market, barber/salon, dry cleaner, and entertainment center. I must say that I am so excited to explore this entire area, and there isn’t enough time in the summer (or even a year, I’d argue) to do it all. On the downside, this is an expensive place, and the minimum wage of $13.25, soon to be $14, reflects that. All of my sightseeing list is made of free events and entertainment. Last weekend, I cleaned up Theodore Roosevelt Island as a part of National Trails Day with Phi Beta Kappa. After picking up litter for around 3 hours, our group went to the Georgetown Waterfront to enjoy beer samples and shared nachos, courtesy of Dan, one of the main Phi Beta contacts. I may have been the youngest person there, not even done with undergrad, but I certainly felt welcome. Travis, who works in intelligence (!), gave me recommendations on the Smithsonian exhibits and educated me about the Teddy Roosevelt memorials we walked by.

   So while D.C. can be an incredibly stressful place, there is enough compassion to ground you. 10 days post-arrival, here’s to a great Friday!

Austin to Addis Ababa by Madison Magiera

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 Austin, I started work at Water to Thrive! Water to Thrive raises money to build wells in communities in Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania, where there is little or no access to safe, drinkable water. The organization builds wells in the central hub of communities, provides easy access for the whole community to safe water and saves women and children from spending hours in a day walking miles to collect water. As an intern, I am currently working on marketing strategies for the organization and running their social media. So far, I have created a best practices guide for social media use (as volunteers also post on their social media), created a calendar to plan posts, created goals for the marketing of the organization and started posting in hopes to grow their social media following (shameless plug: you can find/follow us @WatertoThrive on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter😊).

After being placed with Water to Thrive a while ago, I was made aware of the opportunity to travel to Ethiopia with the Executive Director, Susanne, and another intern, Kendall. Of course this was an opportunity that I knew I couldn’t let go. So, after spending one week in the Water to Thrive office in Austin and meeting all of the amazing womenwho work in the office, I left for Ethiopia! We had to fly from Austin to Washington D.C. before flying to Ethiopia and we had a free night in D.C., so Kendall and I met up with CAPS fellows Jade and Maddie! They gave us a tour of their apartment and then we went to a rooftop restaurant in the city! The next day we boarded our plane and thirteen hours later landed in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. We have now been in Ethiopia for three days and I have already learned so much about Ethiopian society, customs, food and the Amharic language! Throughout our trip we will be visiting old and new water project sites and talking to the local people about their current access to clean water. I will still be running social media as well as taking pictures and blogging about our experiences for the Water to Thrive website. We have already visited four villages, and the people have been so friendly and welcoming to us when we enter their spaces. I am so excited to continue to travel throughout Ethiopia and learn more about the effects of the global water crisis and Ethiopian culture!

Bright Lights, Big City by Zac Felty

This first week has been a whirlwind of change for me. Moving into an apartment for the first time in my life, saying good bye to my family who I am so used to living with every summer, and starting work at a non-profit organization for the first time. This last weekend and beginning of this week has certainly worked as an open door to a seemingly endless flow of change for myself, as I embark on this summer of adventure in this big city full of bright lights.

The apartment living is one that is entirely new to me, but I am enjoying it thus far. I am used to living in a family sized house, with a yard, neighbors, and with all my younger siblings running around providing an endless supply of distractions and laughter. However, I am now finding myself in a two room apartment with a new roommate. My neighbors are the rest of my cohort who live in the building over, and instead of a yard we have a river and canal to explore. This is a great change for me, but one that I am excited about, nonetheless. On Sunday we all got brunch with a former CAPS fellow in the city at a place called “Wild Eggs,” which creates amazing breakfast food ranging from breakfast burritos to French toast. We went to a fun store called “Silver in the City” which sells things ranging from environmental books, sterling silver jewelry, and the most ridiculous looking socks in the world (that everyone seems to want). I am used to summer activities with my family such as beach day, walks in the neighborhood, and grilling out. However, these activities I have embarked on so far show that a large portion of my summer will be spent exploring the city, trying new places to eat, and finding stores that sell weird socks. All alongside my Indy Cohort. This range of activities that we will and have already embarked on, show how different this summer will be for me. Make no mistake, however, I am very excited for this change and new adventure that is right in front of me.

I also began work with a non-profit for the first time this week. The Kheprw Institute works with low income communities with things ranging from cooking skills, education on social capital, to assisting other non-profits to carry out their missions more effectively. Traveling to this institute displayed (quite quickly) that this city can transition almost instantly to from a beautiful, well-trimmed college campus with shopping and modern looking buildings to a neighborhood crammed to the brim with small houses in overgrown yards; in strong need of assistance. This showed me that the areas where our skills are needed are not always in the inner city, across borders state borders, or across the sea. They can actually be a 13 minute car ride from your home. This institute (thus far) has shown me that there are many different ways we can assist our communities, and they can be much closer than we may think at first.

A Summer Sanctuary by Alyssa Trinko

Flowers. Flowers all around me. Shades of pink and lavender. Little did I know these were the petals of milkweed: the native plant to Indianapolis that provides monarch butterflies with a sanctuary in Indianapolis, Indiana. It was golden hour. I felt the warm, gritty surface of the bench upon which I rested as I gazed at the luscious greenery surrounding me.

Before I sat down to catch my breath, I had spent one hour driving around Kroger searching for parking — desperately trying to navigate my way through the one-way streets. I struggled to decide what groceries to buy. “What will I cook for dinner tonight?” I thought. “What will I cook for dinner the rest of the week?” I was exhausted, and I was overwhelmed. I had just finished my first day of interning in the city.

As exciting as change can be, it can also be quite daunting. I have spent nine days in Indianapolis, living on IUPUI’s campus and working at the Harrison Center, and I feel much more confident now. The first few days were pretty challenging. While an internship experience is about growing as a professional, it is also about learning to stand on your own two feet. Grocery shopping, cooking, and commuting to work play a big role, of course. Self-discipline, hurdling obstacles, and feeling comfortable with uncertainty, though, are parts of the story, too. With the support from my roommates and a little (okay, a LOT) of perseverance, I have successfully survived my first week in a new city.

And I could not be happier. This summer I am a Creative Placemaking Intern at the Harrison Center, which is a non-profit organization “for the arts” and “for the city.” The Center focuses on renewal, anti-gentrification, and building healthy communities in Indianapolis through “cultural solutions: art, music, education, and grassroots activism.” It has been amazing to see firsthand all of the incredible work the staff and resident artists are doing here, and it is even more thrilling to be a part of it. Here is a video that might give you a better idea of the work we do: https://vimeo.com/299053006

As a Creative Placemaking Intern, I will contribute to and lead art projects that are based in concepts of place, which means the history and culture of long-term neighbors and neighborhoods on Indianapolis’ North Side. Through these projects, we hope to preserve their traditions and bring new Indy neighbors into their stories instead of erasing them. I am looking forward to writing blogs, making photographs and storytelling, organizing events, and building community with the wonderful neighbors in Indianapolis.

Just as the monarch butterfly starts its life journey as a curious caterpillar, it always finds its way to becoming the beautiful creature it is meant to be. I, myself, feel much like the monarch — in search of sanctuary, nourishment, and growth, as I prepare my wings for flight. And Indianapolis seems to be the perfect place.

Coming to Chicago by Ty Snarr

Coming to Chicago, my life felt utterly different. Growing up in a rural town in Ohio, all I have known is cornfields, pastures, and knowing every neighbor. While those things definitely have their advantages and disadvantages, pulling up to my apartment was exciting. I honestly felt as if I didn’t deserve to be getting the treatment of living in the Loop. This was just the beginning of my getting acclimated to the city. Part of my excitement soon turned into frustration as the first place I went to buy milk charged $5.00 a gallon. Nevertheless, I knew once I established a routine (and found a reasonably priced grocery store) I would begin to feel more at home.

The second day in Chicago was a day preparing me to navigate the city. I practiced my route to work, taking the brown line to and from Heartland Alliance. Heartland Alliance is an organization where many CAPS fellows have worked before. Their tagline “Ending Poverty” illustrates the broad range of services the non-profit offers. The refugee and immigrant community services (RICS) office, which I am working in for the summer, helps refugees, immigrants, and asylees integrate in the United States. As a public health major, helping program participants access all of these services is vitally important to promote health amongst the population.

Arriving at my first day of work, about 20 participants sat in the lobby waiting to go on an employment trip, looking to get their first job in the United States. It became clear that this would not be an average internship, but an opportunity unparalleled. As with most placements, the first day consisted of getting accustomed to the office and doing necessary paperwork to ensure I’m not a felon. My co-workers were wonderfully accommodating. They invited me to lunch and gave me a complete rundown of all of the best deals in the neighborhood. As the afternoon came around, my work began to slow. This was not because there was little to be done, but the opposite. My boss and co-workers were extremely busy and did not have long chunks of time to dedicate to training an intern.

As the week has gone on, I have started to pick up on quite a bit. I have had the chance to help out the organization by creating case files, going on home visits, traveling with a family to pick up prescriptions, amongst many other activities. For someone who has only been to Chicago twice before and never using public transportation, I now feel as if I have been doing so for years. Looking forward, I am excited to see where the next nine weeks take me. Acting as an assistant case manager, I will have the opportunity to work with numerous families and learn about the rigorous, and at times defeating, process people go through for a better life in the United States.

My life feels dramatically different than a week ago in my hometown. Living on my own for the first time, in the third biggest city in the country, with no pressing matters outside of work, I’m undeniably gaining a new perspective on the world. This inspirational work will be guiding me this summer. Although there is no guarantee that this is the workplace, lifestyle, or city I want to end up in, I nonetheless know I am humbled by the work I will be doing this summer. By the end I hope to see in a new light.

-Ty Snarr, Heartland Alliance

It’s Complicated

In my last blog, I was feeling a lot of stress. I was struggling with one of my biggest weaknesses: anxiety. Although my internship always keeps me on my toes, I eventually got into the rhythm of things. Psychologically, I think it helped that there were interns that started after me who I guided. For example, I taught them about different trips and what documents to bring (such documents to apply for a social security card). I gained confidence because that proved to me that I was retaining reliable knowledge while at RICS.  As gained more confidence in my actions, I was able to relax more, better reflect on my experiences, and enjoy my time with the participants* and my coworkers.

When I was first here, I thought about whether or not moving to the US was worth it for some of the participants. It seemed so dismal at the time,  coming to a new place where you don’t know the language or culture. I was blessed when I went abroad that I had such a big support system, composed of people who were not only familiar with the culture but loved and cared for me, wishing the best for me. And I had them with me every day, available for whenever I needed them. Yet, I still struggled. To come here and not have that kind of support seemed incredibly difficult. To also have a language barrier seemed impossible. To call this strange place your new home seemed a recipe for depression.

From my limited observations, I think that the first few weeks are the worst. After that, the participants seem to start forming lasting relationships with other participants and staff members and learn more English. After a few months, they eligible to apply for a job, the key to their independence. Although they may go through a lot of pain, the participants can and do overcome. This is very admirable, but I came to realize that these participants are not extraordinary. They are determined, strong, and smart. They are determined to make the best of their life, simply trying every day for themselves and their families. Their strength helps them endure the challenges they continuously face. And they are smart because they allow and strive to learn more on a daily basis. And they are not unique.

I am not trying to minimize their situation or even ignore the fact that they are the 1% of refugees that are actually resettled, but I do want to recognize that the determination, strength, and knowledge that they use in their day to day life is something found in human behavior. Something amazing about human beings is our resilience. To clarify, I’m not saying that there aren’t people whose success is attributed to uncontrolled privileges, chance, or miracles. In fact, I think that all aspects of life are affected by circumstances that an individual can’t control. This is also not meant to glorify struggles brought by injustice and inhumane treatment.  I am saying we are capable of amazing things. You may think to yourself, “I don’t know how she/he can do it; I could never do it.” These people didn’t accept their circumstances as a challenge, it was forced on them. Survival is partially choice, but it’s also a reflex.

In particular, I think about a family that I meant in the first few weeks of me being at RICS and their first time being in the U. S.  I remembered how scared they look. I had no idea what was going on in their minds. Did they feel regret, overwhelmed, fearful? As time went by I was able to witness a change. They became more confident in where they were going and what they were doing. They learned more English and were happy to have a conversation with me, even if there were misunderstandings. Time went by so fast that I didn’t even realize how much they were progressing each day. It seemed like all of a sudden they were in high spirits, progressing and learning more. Even when things went wrong (which they often did with me frequently guiding them to a place I’ve never been to), they didn’t show anger or frustration.

But I’m not ignorant of the people that aren’t as happy as them. It’s not to say that those participants are failing, their path is just different. They’re adapting to their situation in a different way. This blog seems to be the result of me recognizing the struggles of other, but not pitying them or not giving them the credit they deserve. I think that realizing how “privileged” people are, can mistake our lives as being better than others. What is a successful life, anyways? However, we should still recognize poverty as a global, human being issue and strive for equality and opportunity for all, as Heartland Alliance does. Honestly, I’m not sure if I’m making any sense here. This is just something that has been on my mind. I’m trying to figure it out and articulate my thought process, but I’m not sure if I’m losing you along the way. I’m sure someone more experienced than me could look at this and point out my ignorance.

Embracing Options

I’ve been home from Chicago for about two weeks now, trying to organize my life post-internship and preparing for stepping back into my role as a student after two long months of playing a professional adult role. Its an interesting regression, as I think I was finally getting the hang of adulthood and now I can choose to let go of that persona for another year before the permanence of adulthood kicks in. Although I’ve found some aspects of adulting enjoyable, I’m relieved that I still have some time before I have to adult to that extent again.

The beauty of the CAPS fellowship is exactly that. You get a taste of a career path or field and how you need to function within that field, but nothing is permanent. At the end of the summer, you get to say your goodbyes and step away from that experience, and have time to evaluate it all. What you liked, what you didn’t like, if it’s the path you want to pursue. In such a pivotal time in one’s life, it’s a great resource for helping to decide what steps to take next.

I knew coming into this summer that I might not end it with clarity about what I want to do. It might provide me instead with some clarity about what I don’t want to do, or help me to grow or shorten my list of potential career options. While this is a frustrating concept for someone who is surrounded by people in their life who graduated from college and immediately found that fit for them, whether that be nursing, engineering, or any other number of professions that has a more linear path, it is something that we liberal arts majors are just going to have to live with.

My education at Valpo, through Christ College, leadership positions, and studying sociology and political science, has equipped me with a wide and unique set of skills. That being said, these skills are applicable to a multitude of fields and careers. I have a lot of options post graduation, and I’ve felt the weight of that since very early on in my college career. It often feels like an impossible task to decide on one career or path. And now I realize that I don’t have to.

One of the things I’ve tried to make a priority while working at Concordia Place is to ask my coworkers their “story”. I have been collecting the stories of how they ended up working at this nonprofit in Chicago, and have learned that the answer is exactly what I suspected (and kind of feared) to be true: trial and error. They all come from different schools around the country, whether it be Tennessee, Colorado, Illinois, New York, etc. And they all have worked in several different fields, and different positions within those fields. They learned what their strengths were as they progressed through each position, and some of them are still trying to figure that out now, at Concordia Place. Some went immediately to graduate school after college, some waited a few years after working a few different types of jobs so that they could be more sure of what they want to go into even more debt studying.

As a “planner”, it can be disheartening to hear to that I can’t fully plan out my future in a linear way. I know that it should excite me that there are endless possibilities, but it’s not the easiest idea to get used to. No one prepares you for that, especially in a society that expects you to have an idea of what you want to do with your life when you graduate high school at a mere 18 years old.

One beautiful Friday morning, I went to a nonprofit panel geared towards interns. I plugged the address my boss gave me into Google Maps and started walking. I was pretty surprised when I ended up in front of the Sears/Willis Tower (I’ve gotten a lot of crap for calling it either, so pick your poison). I got to listen to career advice while looking out at Lake Michigan, and it was an experience that will stick out when I think back on this summer. The most important piece of advice was that you can’t plan out your whole career path now, and you shouldn’t even try. Hindsight is 20/20, and only when you’re looking back does your career path make any sense, according to the knowledgeable and highly qualified panelists. Seeing how far the panelists had come in their careers, despite their paths being completely different than what they had anticipated at my age, is a comfort. I’m working on learning to let go of my obsession with planning and instead, let life do its thing.

 

Concordia Day on Milwaukee, which we finally cut the ribbon and opened on August 1st!

In Truth and Love

On one of my first commutes to work I had left my headphones at my apartment. This is a big deal to someone riding the CTA, because headphones provide a welcomed distraction to the chaos of life in the city. This train ride felt really long and I tried to ignore the awkwardness I was feeling. As I stood to exit the train, an older man also stood so we made eye contact and shared a small grin. We stepped off, and as we hit the platform he started chatting to me about his day. We walked for about five minutes together before our routes took a shift as I went to walk into work and he was to continue down the sidewalk. Before we parted ways, he asked for my name and we shook hands as we shared a more genuine, friend-like smile.

I have reflected on this moment a lot during my summer. Perhaps the hardest part about the city to me is that human interactions are reserved for those at work or our known friends… rarely are conversations with strangers welcomed or encouraged. So then I started to think about why this is. Is it because people are somehow more dangerous in the city? Is it the fear that someone will ask something from us and it’ll feel awkward to deny? And I honestly couldn’t come up with an answer that made me feel content. I realize that there are major issues in the city that create for a dangerous environment and that crime rates are high. I realize that being a woman, I should be more mindful of the places I travel and what I do, in order to be safe. But these things still didn’t explain why humans couldn’t just love each other enough to engage in a simple conversation on the train. So the first step I took to experiment with this debate was to promise to never again wear headphones in a public place. With this one decision came many more interactions with strangers. I was asked multiple times for spare change, was complimented on my hair, and most often of all was asked, “Hey, how you doin?” in a non-Joey-from-Friends way but more of a thank-you-for-acknowledging-my-presence way. How crazy it was, that my removing my headphones, I automatically became a conscious member of society instead of a life-avoider. This of course made me start acting differently. I envisioned the people asking me for spare change as a version of myself in very different circumstances. Because of this empathy, I could no longer ignore them and make up excuses about why I couldn’t treat them as a member of society, so instead I would ask to pet their dog and talk to them about the pet. Or if they didn’t have a pet, I would just ask them how their day was going or have another form of conversation to initiate. Sometimes I had money and other times I didn’t, but in any case, I would never walk by without saying something.

I think this is what the CAPS Fellows Program meant to me. It’s exhausting to constantly be focused on MY purpose and MY career and MY achievements, especially when I don’t know what the heck my calling is. But what I do know, is that no matter what environment I am in or what day I am having, I need to be a conscious, loving member of society. I know that my purpose is to approach any situation in truth and in love. As I practice these two things more and more, I believe my calling will become more and more evident, and I can bless others while feeling content about my place in this world. And to those who are having trouble finding their calling also, I just wanna say… it starts with taking out our headphones.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It

I’m incredibly grateful to Venn Strategies and all I learned there this summer!

Sitting at my desk on my last day at Venn

Finishing up my time as a CAPS Fellow has been a blur. I finished up my last day, packed up my apartment, and caught a 7am flight to Boston to meet my family. Now I’m back home in Wisconsin for a lengthy six days before blasting off to study abroad in Costa Rica for the semester. All that being said, time to reflect has been scarce. I’m still coming to terms with everything I learned throughout my CAPS experience but I’ve definitely seen myself grow as a person, both personally and in my career aspirations.

When I started at Venn, I knew I felt like I was in way over my head. I didn’t have a firm grip on what I was doing and at times I was drowning trying to learn everything at once. I felt incredibly unprepared about the work I was doing and thought everyone around me had it all together. After all, I was the intern and this was their actual job. I was turning in memos on topics I knew nothing about (ever heard of the Railway Securities Alliance? Neither had I until I started at Venn). I felt like a fraud—like at any moment my boss would come over and ask me what I was doing there. I adopted a sort of “fake it ‘til you make it’ attitude and it actually worked. After a few weeks I started to understand the rhythm of the company and started working on some projects I really enjoyed. I even made a work friend—something I thought only existed on sitcoms (Shout out to Nina—I miss our lunch break Sephora runs ☺). As I got more comfortable with my position my work also improved. I was able to step out of my comfort zone by participating in client meetings and offering feedback. My confidence grew and I felt more and more comfortable with the work I was doing and proud of the projects I finished.
Over the course of the summer I also learned a lot about the ins and outs of lobbying—it’s really not what it looks like on Scandal. It is more focused on building relationships and having ongoing conversations, finding people in government and showing them why they should care about the issue you are bringing forth. The work moves both extremely slow and extremely quickly. The bureaucracy of government means it can take years to get bills passed but client demands sometimes mean working around the clock to get results. Overall, lobbying is about making a difference. It’s about changing current policies to make them better for constituents and interest groups. I definitely came into the summer a little jaded about what the work would look like. Instead, I met clients passionate about policies that had a huge impact on themselves, their businesses, and their customers. The job of a lobbyist—or anyone working in policy really—is to make sure that people can have their voices heard.

That isn’t to say it all became easy—it isn’t. I didn’t always agree with the policies clients wanted change and I didn’t always agree with the means used to achieve it. When I started to get frustrated, I did my best to take a step back and focus on the larger vision of what I was doing. I was helping support a group that wanted to make their ideas and goals known to their elected officials. And that, I think, is pretty fulfilling.

Defining Quality

What is quality?  This is a question that Ingenuity seeks to answers in terms of arts education.  However, this is a question I sought to answer in terms of an internship experience.  Being a college student, we are told that an intern experience is a quality one because we need to build our resumes.  So often, students spend their summers making copies and getting coffee for the sake of building their resume. But is this truly a quality internship?  By the end of the summer, students only know how to use the printer, order coffee, and, if they were lucky, sit in on a couple of meetings to take notes.  My definition of a quality internship is one where I can grow professionally by doing meaningful work. Luckily for me, Ingenuity feels the same way.

The advantage of working at a nonprofit organization is being surrounded by people who are passionate about their mission.  I can always feel the passion for quality arts education for all CPS students in each team member at Ingenuity from the moment I started working here. When I was tasked with the Partner Starter Institute, I was excited to have a project that was integral to the programming of the Partnerships and Professional Learning team.  Being in charge of the Partner Starter gave me the opportunity to exercise my networking, facilitation, and event planning skills. I was given the freedom to design the content of the entire day from the venue, agenda, and even the catering.

  
 Ingenuity puts a lot of faith into their interns.  We are treated as equal members of the team. We are invited to staff meetings where our input is encouraged and valued.  As a member of the Partnerships and Professional Learning team, I have the opportunity to help run professional development events and attend a meeting to foster arts partnerships.  My time at Ingenuity has taught me the importance of partnership and collaboration. No person is an island and we need to work with others if we want to accomplish anything.

Each day was a different adventure working at Ingenuity.  This experience allowed me to think about what kind of work environment I should look for when seeking future employment.  The work culture at Ingenuity is very inviting. Each staff member seeks feedback from others to ensure that their work is being done efficiently.  It is inspiring that each team member models that it is encouraged to work together on projects.

   
 If you asked me what a quality internship is, I would tell you Ingenuity without hesitation.  Ingenuity provided me the opportunity to grow professionally by tasking me with the Partner Starter Institute, assisting with professional development events, and fostering arts partnerships.  I know that every task I was given at Ingenuity served a purpose that aligns with their mission of ensuring all CPS students have access to arts education. I will miss working with an organization that is passionate about the work they do and take the time to nurture a student’s professional development.