Institute for Leadership and Service Blog

“¿Tu cabeza está corriendo? (Is your head running?)” Asks one of the gentleman in detention I chat with at McHenry County Jail. “¡Sí!” I reply with a smile. “Yes, my head is running!” Throughout my weeks interning with the Interfaith Committee for Detained Immigrants (ICDI) in Chicago, Illinois, I have used more conversational Spanish than I have in my several years of studying the language. Speaking in Spanish was not something that I expected to do for my internship this summer. It was not something that was necessarily required when volunteering with the non-profit. However, I quickly learned that even though I was nervous and unconfident with my Spanish-speaking ability, taking the opportunity to use Spanish in conversation was something that made me a better minister to the people I was meeting. Spanish materials that ICDI uses for pastoral ministry Every Tuesday and Thursday, I drive to McHenry County Jail and […]

Many of my peers have described exploring new cities and interacting with new people. However, I have been spending the past 5 weeks inside the building I already spend so much time in, Gellersen at Valparaiso University… Seems I may never leave. But that’s alright because the University is a place that “prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society”, a perfect place to continue my journey. I search for a balance of engineering and humanitarian work, both subjects I am passionate about. While I am still waiting to see where this journey will take me, my experiences at Valpo have led me to a summer with aqUV through the CAPS program. aqUV is a new company that manufactures water bottles with UV-C lighting to kill harmful pathogens in water as seen in the picture on the left. The bottle is activated wirelessly, waterproof and can be […]

A big component of the CAPS program that really drew me towards it was the service aspect. When I first began to explore all of the placement options, I was sure that I’d end up at a non-profit, because I associated the two words. To be honest, where I’m interning couldn’t be further from a non-profit. Truth be told, I’m working for a big money organization. Venn strategies, my fellowship location, is a public affairs and consulting firm.   Everyone always asks me what exactly is a public affairs and consulting firm. Simply put, it’s a lobbying firm. . Most of us shudder when we hear lobbying, thinking of outrageous sums of money in politics, people whose voices seem to be significantly louder or more powerful than the average American’s. Big tobacco, the NRA, manipulation, corruption, bribery…these are all things I used to think of when I thought about lobbying. […]

Even though I am only starting week four, I feel like I belong, like I have made great strides, like I have become a part of something pretty awesome. Where I work is different than what I am used to. When they said it was a small office, I assumed it would be like other places worked before- an office with 12-15 people. Just enough to get to know everyone pretty well, and maybe even a few would become friends. Well, when I got here on my first day, I arrived early, but the door was locked. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I made my way back to the car to wait another 30 minutes before trying again. After that, I was able to get in. That’s when I met Laura, the legal assistant/paralegal/doer-of-other-random-things. She introduced herself, informed me that Zac- the attorney and executive director would be late due to a […]

So I get on the CTA Blue Line, sunglasses on my head, planner and pen in my purse, and cellphone GPS ready to guide me once I get at my stop. I couldn’t look like I didn’t know where I was going; city people know when you aren’t from the city. Fortunately, I found Erie Neighborhood House no problem. In fact, I was 45 minutes early… you don’t want to be late on the first day. But I also had not intended to be that early. I met with Micaella and Emily, the two women who will be serving as my supervisors this summer. So far so good. I later met Jane and Stephanie, two other women who I will be working with this summer too. Okay, I can roll with this. I got a good feeling about being here. At the conclusion of my first day, I asked Micaella […]

I wander the streets of Baltimore, searching for the bus stop. Is it this street? No. That other street? No. Maybe I passed it. Turn around, try again. I find the bus, I board, I anxiously observe all the other charmingly dressed workers on their way to the office. I get off a stop too early. I walk in the hot sun. I finally arrive. I am greeted by one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met – my supervisor, Folabi. He gives me a brief summary of who everyone is in the office and what they do. I am introduced to my cube and it is here I remain, working diligently for some of the most passionate, loving people I’ve ever met, for a mission I could not agree with more. This is the end of my third week at Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS). As I slowly […]

This week marks my second interning with the Urban League of Northwest Indiana through Valpo’s CAPS fellowship program and so far the experience has really been like no other work experience I’ve had so far.  Coming in to this internship I really didn’t understand what the Urban League does, but I’ve since learned a great deal about their work in the Northwest Indiana community. Basically, they have three core areas- education, employment, and diversity and inclusion. They hold several large events like a college fair in the fall, and a diversity and inclusion luncheon, as well as sponsorship events with other community organizations. In addition to these they also work on a smaller scale, by helping connect individual clients with services in the community related to housing, food pantries, and employment. One aspect of the Urban League that I find really fascinating is that although they only have two paid […]

I have had the opportunity to immerse myself in many different facets of the non-profit world during my internship at EMPOWER Porter County. I’ve done research, developed an initiative with co-workers, and presented ideas to possible collaborators. The majority of my time spent at EMPOWER was in the office, scrolling through existing youth development programs and filling my mind with case studies and facts. This was an extremely valuable task, as it taught me how much time it takes to really understand and become knowledgeable on a subject. It also taught me that research and Google searches alone are not enough for me to be inspired or to get my brain (0r heart) moving. I learned that communication and meetings are absolutely essential in the non-profit world to generate ideas, share experiences, and provide incredible insight that will ultimately make the project you’re working on a success. The meetings didn’t […]

You will be the one connecting people one day – that day is closer than you think A good manager should be training their team to take his/her job The difference between humility and humbleness / ignorance and stupidity Be confident in your abilities, but do not be arrogant Constantly balance between your wants and your needs Dream big but be realistic One organization cannot do it all These nuggets of wisdom were casually, but carefully, stitched into the fabric of conversations with the CPO, CSO, CFO, CEO, Directors, consultants, and other members of the NLCS family. The ‘life lessons’ listed above come from a very long list of things I learned during my 8 week CAPS Fellowship at National Lutheran Communities and Services. (I would love to share the stories that accompany the bulleted list above, however I do not have space in this forum. Please ask if you […]

My last full day at EMPOWER Porter County was a beautiful summer day. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, and beautiful cotton candy clouds littered the blue sky. My supervisors, Heather and Kaye, decided to take me and my coworker, Faith, to lunch in order to celebrate our last day together as a staff. Panera in hand, we sat outside to enjoy our meal. It was at this time that Heather asked us the question: “So what do you two think you learned most from your time with us?” I mulled the question over in my mind as I chewed my flat-bread. I looked out at the businesses across the street from us. Parking lots filled with nice cars and people with full wallets, ready to spend their paychecks on haircuts, electronics, mac n’ cheese, or some craft supplies. If my time at EMPOWER had taught me […]

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 […]

      Yesterday was the last day of my fellowship with Water to Thrive (W2T) and tomorrow, I’ll be boarding my ninth plane of the summer headed back to my family. Did you get that? Nine planes. Now, I wish I had recorded the exact airtime that amounts to, but a rough estimation comes out to just short of two full days above the clouds. For anyone who hasn’t seen what I’ve been up to this summer, I’ve been in the wonderful heat of Austin, Texas. Before settling here for the summer, however, I went on a two-week trip to Ethiopia with W2T where we toured the country and experienced the results of enabling and empowering rural communities through the gift of clean and accessible water. It’s fascinating for me to think of the amount of time I’ve spent in planes this summer, because it wasn’t so long ago that […]

What do you want to be when you grow up? This question rings through the days of childhood and is littered with the hopeful responses of “doctor”, “fireman”, “teacher”, “astronaut” – all things big, bold, and exciting, with the promise of a new adventure around every turn. I personally aspired to sing and act on Broadway…a dream that was somehow transformed into the world of health care. I suppose that dancing on stage and “dancing” into a patient’s room are one in the same, right? What are your plans after graduation? Similar to the question presented in childhood, this question is also saturated with curiosity, hope, promise, and adventure. It can be daunting when faced with the prospect of formulating a response that meets the expectations of the asker. One may feel as if their path of study is a step towards life changing work, or at least the fulfillment […]