Institute for Leadership and Service Blog

To graduating from Valpo and settling back into my hometown of Aurora, Illinois – this past month has been a whirl-wind and I’ve been trying my best to get used to my post-grad life and my fellowship with the League of United Latin American Citizens in the local council in Aurora, Illinois. The president of the local council and my supervisor and mentor, Art Velasquez, who, despite being 80 years old, continues to be a fearless leader and champion for the rights of the Latino community in Aurora. Since first meeting and getting to know each other Art told me “mi’ja, we’re going to put you to work” [mi’ja roughly translates to ‘my daughter’ and is used as a term of endearment in the Latina/o community]. In getting to know his story and the various forms of discrimination and barriers he has faced and overcome, Art has mentored and inspired […]

I am now four weeks into the fellowship, or half way through! Yikes! Time has gone by way too fast, but I am now in the groove of how the Urban League office works and have gotten a good grip of my projects.   Since day one at the office, I have been thrown in and given work to do, because there is a lot to get done, which I truly enjoy. After going over the major projects I would be working on, I was a bit intimidated! My supervisors wanted me to develop the organization’s healthcare initiatives and translate most of the informational forms with their services and newsletters to Spanish. In addition, they have me working with Ms. Ola Morris, the coordinator of The Federation of Block Clubs, and organization branched from Urban League formed by community members to improve their neighborhoods. On top of that, they also […]

From the beginning, I have been immersed in an atmosphere of learning and hands-on work. For those of you who do not know, I am originally from LaPorte County, so this opportunity is quite special to me. I have been taking part in numerous discussions related to United Way, as well as group collaboration within the community to create a team to hit on key issues that are afflicting our area. This organization is looking into how they fund others, by working to collaborate on three key issues, that seemingly do have a great deal of overlap: Health, Education, and Financial Stability. We are looking to incorporate both public and the private sector to ensure that we cover all of our bases and encompass all of our community’s needs for change. One neat feature of being in my home community, is that I am able to lean on people whom […]

Being someone who is naturally nocturnal, (especially in the summertime) the first day of my internship at EMPOWER began with me cringing as my alarm assaulted my sleeping ears. When I finally got around, ate some breakfast, and headed out for the day, I realized this was a routine I could get used to. The morning air was warm, yet refreshing, and my walk to work was a nice way to start my day. When I got to the office I met up with my co-fellow, Faith, and we sat down with our bosses Heather and Kaye as they told us what they wanted us to work on during our time there. Faith and I are working on a project where we are researching different youth development programs throughout the country in order to see how effective that type of programming is, and then design our own program. The first […]

As a creature of habit and routine, moving to a brand new city and starting a new internship was a lot to take in all at once. Somewhat lost, and a lot a bit nervous, I stumbled into our apartment complex here in Washington D.C. and was instantly blown away by our amazing surroundings. I most certainly was not in Indiana anymore. I approached my first day at my internship with the care of someone fearful of a bomb exploding out from under them. But, as I began to become more comfortable at my new desk and talk to some of the my new colleagues, I realized how great of an experience this summer will be. The Federation of State Humanities council not only has a great work environment, it also does wonderful work around the country.   When I first started at FSHC two weeks ago, I knew the […]

Traveling is a passion of mine. I have been to the capital of six countries, but I had never been to Washington, DC before this summer. It just felt wrong. And now I know why. I have already fallen in love with this city, with everything from the glimmering skyscrapers to the mouth-watering food trucks to the streets bursting with life. As hectic and professional as the city is, one must find time to relax and enjoy the little things. Sometimes that means going to the park one Friday with your coworkers to pet puppies. Even disregarding our puppy outing, I have had a wonderful time working for World Food Program (WFP) USA. I wasn’t sure what to expect being an intern at a United Nations associated organization. It seemed intimidating, but I knew it’d be a great experience. And even though it’s only been two weeks, it already has […]

I’m not sure if my CAPS placement could have been a better fit! I am currently interning at the Urban League of Northwest Indiana and it has provided me with great opportunities, even though I have only been here a few weeks. As soon as I arrived, they put me to work. Since then, I have always been busy, which I like. Luckily for me, I have been given meaningful work every day this summer. I have helped people build or update resumes and look for jobs, practice their interview skills, and improve their professionalism through dress and speaking. These are things that those in college may take for granted because we have resources such as our university’s Career Center, academic advisers, or mentors to help us with these processes but are so important for ANYONE who is looking for work, especially if they have been out of work for […]

  The first day at LULAC of IL in Cicero was full of surprises. I learned about the history of the oldest Hispanic serving institute in the nation dating back to 1929. As I sat in the office of only one staff member, Blanca Vargas, I felt the presence of autonomy and definitely one-on-one mentorship. I knew that I would be in good hands because I would be working directly with the Deputy State Director of LULAC of IL. However, as we go over the constitution and bylaws of LULAC, she throws a curve ball at me. Blanca mentions that the following day we are both going to present a financial literacy seminar to elementary parents in Spanish. My heart dropped! I was worried and anxious because of what was requested of me on the first day. I had less than 24 hours to prepare myself. It was crunch time […]

It’s hard to believe, but this week marks the end of my fourth week at Concordia Place. Concordia Place is “vibrant nonprofit with proactive solutions to key social needs” whose “focus is growth and opportunity through economically inclusive early childhood, teen leadership and senior wellness programs” located in northern Chicago in the Avondale neighborhood.     I knew right from my interview that I would like to work at Concordia, but I didn’t realize how much I would love it. I am working with the Advancement team (or the A-team as we like to call ourselves) doing a fair amount of different things which all are super exciting for me. I’m helping with their social media for the summer (so if you’re interested in what they’re doing check them out on Facebook here or on Twitter here) as well as entering donor related data and grant foundation research. We also just had a […]

Nearing completion of my third week at Legacy Foundation, it’s nice to pause and reflect on the first portion of my internship as a CAPS Fellow. Prior to starting, I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable of Legacy’s work; in fact, my understanding of community foundations was fairly nonexistent. Thankfully, I’ve learned quite a bit so far. As my internship focuses on grant-making research and evaluation, my first project dealt with restructuring Legacy’s grant report form. I quickly discovered that grant reporting is a very critical component of the grant process, and must therefore be structured well in order to accurately measure outcomes. After researching several key questions that other foundations ask on their forms, I soon developed questions that Legacy could use. In addition to typical qualitative questions, Legacy seeks to evaluate specific data pertaining to grant effectiveness; in other words, quantitative questions must be incorporated in this process. Though the value […]

Throughout my first week working at the extremely friendly corporate office of National Lutheran Communities and Services, I have had the chance to get to know many of my coworkers. Of everyone I have established a relationship with, the person I have come to know most and the deepest relationship I have formed is with my supervisor Dan. Dan has many phrases and acronyms that he uses consistently, both in meetings and in daily conversations. Everyone playfully calls them “Dan-isms.” One phrase that he has said multiple times since we have joined his team, whether to us interns, his coworkers, or in business meetings with other high level executives is that he has the greatest job description of anyone; he gets paid to dream. As the Chief Strategist Officer of NLCS, a rapidly expanding nonprofit organization owning three nursing communities and building a fourth, Dan certainly has a lot to dream […]

I’ve been an intern at EMPOWER Porter county for a little over two weeks now and I feel like I’ve already really gotten in the groove of things. My desk is equipped with everything I could possibly need (pens, sticky notes, stapler, paper clips, WhiteOut, and, of course, granola bars). While EMPOWER Porter County was my first pick for an internship this summer, I was slightly bummed that I’d be in Valpo all summer. I was born and raised, and am still being educated in this town. When I got to the office, however, all of my fears disappeared. The EMPOWER Porter County office is tucked right downtown at the corner of Franklin and Jefferson in a office building. So I got to stay in my hometown and still get the slightly city vibe that I thought I’d be missing out on. Sure, downtown Valpo is no Chicago or DC, […]

So it’s been a while since my internship ended, but I wanted to give myself enough time to really reflect before I posted my final blog.  When I finished my internship at the beginning of August, I spent a few weeks vacationing before going home to help my sister go off to college and to pack for another semester at Valpo. Now that I’m back on campus and settled in, I’m realizing how differently I look at this town now that I’ve spent a summer getting to know all the people who make this city the amazing community it is. Before my summer with EMPOWER Porter County, my experience with Valpo was limited to the university itself. I was pretty thoroughly entrenched in the logistics of university life, and never spent much time off campus. Since my hometown is fairly large and commercial as well, the concept of being involved […]

Thursday, August 31st, marked the last day of my internship with the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The nine weeks I spent with that organization had been a whirlwind of with plenty of ups and luckily, only a few downs. Finishing the laborious history project for the organization was a major high. Not only did I feel accomplished having sorted through 20+ boxes of files and documents, but it gave plenty of time for me to be outsourced to other projects that needed to be completed in a hurry. I began to assist the Federation’s Communications Manager, Natalie Pak, in compiling a briefing book on each of the 57 state humanities councils to be presented to the new National Endowment for the Humanities’ Chair. Never again will I underestimate how difficult is to try and collect lots of information from lots of different people or how long it takes to […]

As I have wrapped up my internship at NLCS and The Village at Rockville, I can’t help but wonder where this is now going to guide my next year or so. The end of my wonderful internship also means the summer leading up to my senior year is also coming to a close. I cannot express how amazing this summer internship has been for me both personally and professionally. Professionally, I have learned so many hands-on skills that I know will be invaluable as I continue in my career. But some of the most important things I’ve learned are the personal aspects. I learned what it looks like to be a professional woman in a professional setting weather that be a clinical setting or more of an office setting. Getting this real world experience showed me both sides of what professionalism should and shouldn’t look like. I also experienced what […]

One thing that has always drawn me to the non-profit world is just that: non-profit. I have always thought that there really would be no way that I could ever work at a for-profit company. When I thought of a for-profit company, the image of a large corporation simply there to make as much money as possible immediately came to mind, as well as any other related stereotypes that exist. That is why the idea of a non-profit organization sounded so appealing. In theory, such an organization exists to truly support and further whatever mission, goals, or vision that it holds. One can rest easier knowing that they are working for an organization that is trying to make the world a better place, in some way, shape, or form. But I have realized that even in a non-profit organization, the issue of money is still the most pressing issue in […]

The Institute for Leadership and Service sends out a bimonthly e-newsletter, featuring Institute programs, events, and student activities. The most recent newsletter talks about the CAPS Fellows Program, the alumni mentors to the Fellows, and more…

I’ve heard before that people who express gratitude often tend to be happier than people who don’t. There’s a YouTube video about it, so it must be true. Finishing up my time at LWR certainly gives me an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. So, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who made this summer possible.   First, to everyone at the Institute of Leadership and Service, thank you for giving me this incredible opportunity to serve as a CAPS Fellow this summer. A few special shout outs to Deb Garbukas for her help and patience in planning my travel arrangements; Ali Devries for her reassurance and also her careful and wonderful housing selection; and Elizabeth Lynn for her encouragement. Thank you to all of you. Without your encouragement, patience, and careful planning I would have spent my summer on Netflix, so needless to say I deeply appreciate […]

It’s hard to believe, but only one week remains in my summer 2014 CAPS Fellows tenure here at Lutheran Services in America (LSA). The weeks have seemingly flown by, with new happenings popping up for me every day as the Public Policy and Advocacy Fellow. After wrapping up a benchmarking and research project regarding our advocacy social media outreach at the end of June, I revived our advocacy Twitter account and am currently managing our tweets from that platform. So if you are looking to follow the Federal advocacy and policy work of LSA, be sure to give @LSAAdvocacy a follow! In addition to my work with social media, one of the most exciting developments in my work with LSA is tracking a piece of legislation – which actually just passed the House on July 23rd! I began the summer following the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth […]