Learning from Outperformers

I have just completed my sixth week of interning with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society Chicago, a non-profit whose goal is to “lead the investment profession by promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence; to shape an investment industry that serves the greater good; and to serve as the premier local resource for Chartered Financial Analyst designees, candidates, other investment professionals and our communities.” As a part of the global CFA Institute, the CFA Society Chicago focuses on providing opportunities to their members for development through all stages of their career and creating a comradery where individuals share opportunities and insight with each other. One earns their CFA designation, the global gold standard in the investment industry, by completing four years of industry experience, and passing a series of three, six hour long exams. These exams focus on basic knowledge of investment tools at the first level, […]


Seeing What’s There

“Are you counting down the days?” Someone asked me this question after church on Sunday, after I told them I only had 3 weeks left. I replied that I only counted them to remind myself to make every one of them matter. This experience has been amazing. When I finished my interview with Broadway this past spring I remember thinking, “this sounds like it’s out of my comfort zone, but it can change my life if I let it.” The thing about change is that we think it will be dramatic and obvious, as if one day I would have an encounter so powerful I wouldn’t be able to see life the same way. However, that isn’t how it works. When I stopped to reflect I realized that I had grown a lot, it just didn’t feel that way because it has happened over time. I was walking around the […]


The Psychology of a Self-Starter

As a business student I would not be surprised if my peers outside of the college of business thought all I aspired to in life was to make six figures, play a round or two of golf at lunch and try to make it into a corner office with a comfy chair. While all that sounds nice, it’s not what I want. What I want is to help foster peoples’ growth and make their dreams materialize. Here at the Industrial council of Chicago, the ICNC for short, we do just that. Looking back to what I’ve read or learned in class, I discovered that entrepreneurs make up less than 10% of the population but make up over 30% of America’s overall economy. How could so few people do so much? What could I learn about them? Is it a personality trait, some animal urge, or a relentless pursuit of independence? […]


A Place for Spiritual Nourishment

As I arrived at Douglas Land Conservancy, I was full of questions about the upcoming summer. There were many unknowns, but perhaps the biggest question on my mind was about the purpose of my summer at DLC.  Ever since I stepped foot on campus at Valpo, I had been acutely aware of the university’s focus on and attention to service.  Service is an integral part of university life.  Soon after I learned of my placement at DLC, I was filled with questions about the conservation field, and its relationship to service.  I spent much of my first week pouring over files, attempting to gain a basic understanding of the conservation field.  For those of you as unfamiliar with the field as I was, I will give you a quick flyover of what I’ve learned so far. The kind of work that DLC does on the land can be broken down […]


1 Month Anniversary Feels

            Before I knew it, a month had already flown by. As I never had an internship before, I was both anxious and hesitant to discover what it would be like to be “the” intern, at least for the summer. Interning at the Heartland Alliance is an experience unlike any other. I essentially went from working odd jobs as a camp counselor and as a food prep at Sox park to working for a refugee resettlement agency.The pressure for me to do well at this job intensified the closer I got to my starting date. I did not want to be labeled as “that” intern who didn’t know anything, so the first day I dressed to impress, having memorized all the background information I could about The Heartland Alliance (courtesy of Google). Needless to say, all the worries I had of working for a reputable […]


21st Century Value

My first week on the job at United Way of LaPorte County (UWLPC) left me with many questions. Most of it was spent looking at the computer screen and researching different ways that social media can help non profits, specifically this United Way. With these long hours of research, at times it wasn’t the most interesting thing, and I wasn’t exactly sure how what I was doing was helping our organization. Was this going to be my role for the entire summer? Upon our first meeting with our supervisor to discuss what we had been doing, I soon realized the value and importance of our work. Most of the administrative staff didn’t have fundamental knowledge of social media. It was at this moment that I realized I was contributing a lot to this organization. The so-called “basics” of twitter, facebook, Instagram, etc, were not basics to most people. My generation […]


Wiha Hiwot New (Water is Life) 1 comment

When I applied for the CAPS Fellowship this past winter, I already had my sights set on Water to Thrive. I had heard from one Mr. Lars Anderson all about his experience with the organization last summer, and there was something in me that knew that W2T was something that I wanted to be a part of. And of course, a trip to Africa was enticing. Fast forward to June 2. I was feeling perpetually lost and alone in this city where I know no one when I started my first day off strong by going to the wrong office building (thanks Google Maps). The confidence I’d had when applying for this position was slowly diminishing, but as I began to settle into the office and really focus in on my projects for the summer I felt my passion and excitement come bubbling back up. Water to Thrive is a […]


Living “Independently”

The magnitude of an adventure can mask the small personal areas of growth and discovery. As I embark on my 10 week fellowship at National Lutheran Communities and Services (NLCS) I realize the scope of experiences, new acquaintances, and potential the fellowship offers. I am spending my summer working at the Village at Rockville (TVAR), a National Lutheran Community located thirty minutes out of DC in Rockville Maryland. TVAR is a continuing care retirement community offering assisted and independent living, memory care, and short term rehabilitation. My time is split between several long term projects. One of my main objectives focuses on the development of a clinic expansion project at TVAR. Additionally, I work with the medical staff, including the Doctors and Nurses, to develop improved means of communication and documentation in the medical record keeping system. During my first two weeks, I have been introduced to many of the colleagues I […]


Locally International

I studied abroad once and I took pictures and I told tales and I felt like a world traveler for some time. It’s funny how once you visit a place, you feel like you carry part of its culture as your own afterwards. Traveling seems so glorious, so surreal. And it is. It’s a beautiful way to step outside of your comfort zone and learn about things you can’t quite grasp behind a computer screen or even between the covers of the most marvelous novels. But the traveling I did in Europe was nothing compared to the traveling I do within the walls of a small office in Indianapolis. I am going on my sixth week as an intern at Exodus Refugee Immigration through Valpo’s amazing CAPS Fellows Program. Exodus is a refugee resettlement non-profit that has been in operation since 1981. They began by resettling Cuban refugees, and have […]


Kick Back, Eat a Spongepop 1 comment

Last week marked my halfway point with the CAPS program and Lutheran Services in America (LSA). My first month in DC has been, quite simply, a whirlwind. From jazz nights to weekend markets, from baseball games on warm nights to shady lunches by the Capitol, my time here has been moving at an uneven pace, creeping along at some moments but mostly leaping forward in bounds. It’s been exhausting and wonderful. But it wasn’t until this last weekend, when I spent some time away from DC, that I understood what has been making my summer here so special. I spent my holiday weekend in Houston (a city where the Fourth isn’t so much unique and glamorous as it is a slightly bigger show of Texas’ daily patriotism), and as I told my boyfriend story after story about LSA and DC, I realized a truth that applies to most great experiences: […]


The Humility in Serving

Before a few months ago, I had never thought too much of working with children. Frankly I had convinced myself that kids were like the plague and had to be avoided at all costs. So how does a recent college graduate end up spending her first summer post graduation with 2nd and 3rd graders all day? Well when realizing that I had been selected as a 2016 CAPS fellow, I was overjoyed. This was another opportunity for me to represent Valpo and gain valuable professional knowledge.  As we received placement options, I began envisioning myself at multiple different organizations, all that would of course be a stepping stone on my career pathway while allowing me to serve. But then I had to sit back and truly think of what it means to be servant. Webster’s dictionary says it’s a person who performs duties for others. Most internships require you to […]


The “Firsts” of Many

This week marks one month living and interning in our nation’s capitol. Each day begins with me walking wide-eyed up Capitol Hill as government buildings and monuments peep through the trees on my daily commute. I’m so grateful to be participating in such a fellowship where I live and work in intentional community. Being the first of my suite-mates to arrive in the city set in-motion a series of ‘firsts’; my first train ride, first wrong stop on the way home (not all Metro lines are created equal), first to realize our door can lock on its own (it’s not a loss if you learn?) and my first fire alarm scare (if it’s not right when you’re ready for bed, did it really happen?). With those kind of experiences also came the first time I saw the view from our terrace at dusk, my first Metro card and ride paid for by a […]


I Have Exited My Comfort Zone and I Do Not Intend to Return 1 comment

At the beginning of the CAPS Fellows process, I had no idea where I’d end up. I’m leaving for a year abroad in Germany in late August, so spending the summer closer to home was somewhat important to me. Besides joining an organization whose values matched my own and a group that I felt passionate about, being near Valpo was my only criteria. I came in for an interview and met Kris Pate, the Executive Director of the United Way of LaPorte County. Fast forward a couple months. I’m just about done with my first 4 weeks at the United Way of LaPorte County. I’ve been at Valpo for 3 years now and I’ve been involved in numerous organizations. Yet I am still surprised every single day by what goes on in our Northwest Indiana community. I work in Michigan City and am astounded by the number of people whose only […]


Do your feet smell? 4 comments

“What is that you said you are studying? Global Service? Is that a major? I’ve never heard of it before. And an engineering minor you say? I always get these questions when I share my career as a student at Valparaiso University. I almost dread the questions, because I always have to explain my entire life-plan for it to really make sense. Whenever I get these questions, I think about how there is a huge opportunity to use engineering in the field of development. But not only to build things, there is a need for people concerned with efficiency and sustainability, people with the mind of an engineer, in this field. I think about how there is a need for people who can draw on their technical knowledge to make practical plans, people who can communicate and research, and who tend to look from every angle to creatively develop solutions […]


¿Tu cabeza está corriendo? (Is your head running?) 3 comments

“¿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 […]


New Adventures in Familiar Places 1 comment

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 […]


Service? Service. 1 comment

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. […]


New Opportunities, New Experiences, and New Friendships

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 […]


Inclusion Through More Than Just Art 1 comment

As I reflect on my time so far as the Summer Projects Coordinator at ArtMix, I am in awe of how much I’ve accomplished and learned in only three weeks. My first couple of assignments were fairly simple, like look around the Harrison Center (which is where ArtMix is located), familiarize myself with the website, read last year’s end of the year financial report, and memorize the mission statement: ArtMix transforms the lives of people with disabilities through the creation of art. I quickly learned that ArtMix is all about inclusion, not just in their programs, but on the administration side too. The moment I walked into the office I felt like I was a part of the team. They value my ideas and ask for my opinions. My co-workers believing in me, gave me the confidence I needed to jump right into the projects they had come up with […]


Hit the Brakes

Contrary to the typical face-paced world we live in, at NPH USA we take things a bit slower. Week 1: Let’s get to know about NPH USA. Orient yourself to the history. Learn the daily grind. Memorize the “elevator speech.” NPH USA is a non for profit organization that provides healthcare, education and housing to orphaned, abandoned or otherwise at risk children in nine countries across Latin America and the Caribbean. Week 2: Learn how to use all the fancy office machines. (They stuff and seal envelopes for you!) Remember how to do all those cool tricks on Microsoft Excel and Word (mail merge is a label wizard). Figure out how not to make the printer mad. Week 3: Pick a project and go. Gala or Golf-outing? Why not both?! Make a timeline. Set deadlines. Set-up meetings. Draft letters to sponsors. Use cool editing skills from week 2 to make an […]