Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This week at homeport I attended a programs and impact meeting where all of the departments presented updates and next steps for the upcoming months. I also attended another meeting between my mentor Ms. Price and a co-worker from the Housing Advisory Services department. I also met with my mentor and a coworker from the Grants department to discuss a new project that I can assist with. In particular, I was given a list of 28 foundations which I began researching this week. Specifically, I am looking at each foundations mission, priorities, grant giving history, grant giving structure, grant programs, as well as their grant cycles. I have made good progress on this project and hope to complete it before my last day next Thursday.  

With my internship coming to a close next week, I gave my final summer presentation to my co-workers at Homeport. Here, I discussed the various departments I worked in, the tasks I completed, additional events I attended, as well as findings from my senior thesis thus far. I also presented a 30 second elevator speech about Homeport and discussed some key take aways from my summer. 

There was also a lovely celebration for Homeports interns this past Wednesday. It was a very sweet event where me and the other intern who has been working at Homeport for the past three years were thanked and recognized for our work at Homeport. Our co-workers also provided everyone with mini bunt cakes which were delicious.  

This week I continued to assist the accounting department by scanning and organizing documents and met with the CFO of Homeport to discuss finances in relation to the Communications department as well as the Resource Development department. I also progressed on my senior independent project (SIP). In particular, I conducted another interview with a current Homeport resident about her different housing experiences both before and after working with Homeport. Additionally, I finished transcribing the remaining interviews and coded them for repetitive themes, significant life scenes/events, emotional scripts and affect driven sequences. Now that I have a sufficient number of participants, my next step is writing an analysis of the narratives I have collected using the theories and programmatic outcomes discussed in my literature review. Once my analysis is complete, all that remains is some simple editing and cleaning up of my paper before writing my final conclusion.  

I also attended the last professional development event of the summer at the Columbus Foundation this past Wednesday. Here I learned about the importance of patience and how you can’t always rush professional and personal development. Though you can take actions to learn more about yourself and to expand your interests, sometimes things just take time. I found this lesson to be quite impactful and will definitely use it as a calming reminder as I navigate my senior year of college as well as any postgrad opportunities I encounter.  

Lastly, I had the wonderful opportunity to represent Homeport at the Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Closing Luncheon. Despite the mild stress created by the Pecha Kucha slide time limits, I felt honored to be able to show and discuss the wonderful summer my mentor Ms. Price created for me. Additionally, I enjoyed getting to hear the other fellow’s presentations and learning about all the wonderful opportunities they had this summer.  While I am sad to see the other fellows goand that my time at the Columbus Foundation is coming to a close, I am grateful that I get to spend two more wonderful weeks with Homeport.   

This week was my shortest yet my most impactful. Despite only being in the office for 2 days, I was able to fully reflect on everything I learned over the course of the summer. The internship truly enlightened me to future career opportunities that I never thought I would like to the levels I did. For starters, being a teacher. Originally, I only thought about teaching in passing. I figured it was something I would only do but as a ‘last resort’ per say, if what I actually wanted did not work out. I believed that my abilities to teach people younger than me were not any good; I also didn’t think I had the patience for anyone K-12. Then I got to know the students. I met students of every grade and age from a numerous walks of life. I had incredibly colorful experiences with each and all of them. They were all eager and excited to learn more about the tech world. Their optimism rubbed off on me. I came around to love teaching, treasuring the individual developments everyone made.

The other career that I could see myself doing is being a technician and/or consultant. This one somewhat came with the territory of working with technology so much. What did not come with the territory was the extent to which I enjoyed working with technology, specifically the Ipads that were required at all the programs. Documenting all the differences, fixes that need to be done, etc. was fun to me as well as being asked if something could or should be done with them. Every organization in the world needs an expert of some kind, someone who is well-versed with the equipment being used. I like being entrusted with that responsibility. It makes me feel welcomed, which all in all best describes my intern experience.

Everyone was kind and inviting. I could ask question if I needed to, help anyone if requested. I am extremely grateful to have been apart of Tech Corps over the summer. Thanks once again for giving me this wonderful opportunity!

Week 10 at the Women’s Fund was spent wrapping up video editing and saying goodbyes. I am so grateful for the work I was able to contribute to this amazing organization, and I am eternally grateful for the care of the community around me. I learned so much from the Women’s Fund team, and on my last day, they said goodbye to me with cookies and well-wishes for the future.

At the end of this eventful and exciting summer, I have two key takeaways: people and process. So many people shaped my summer experience: my coworkers at the Women’s Fund, Dr. Lomax, Matt Martin, Chelsea Kiene, my fellow fellows at The Columbus Foundation, and the changemaking women I had the privilege of interviewing for the Women in the Social Sector Project.

Yesterday, the summer fellows presented on their experiences and takeaways after 10 weeks of working at their host sites and participating in the fellowship program. Although I heard about what each fellow was working on during fellowship learning sessions, seeing all their work compiled into a single slideshow made me fully appreciate just how much each person accomplished this summer. I feel so lucky to have been a part of an amazing group of people working towards change in Columbus. The presentation format was a PechaKucha, which gives each speaker 6 minutes and 40 seconds to talk about their entire summer experience. Each slide lasts 20 seconds, and the transitions are automated.
My slideshow outlined my projects and learning experiences from the summer, but my speech was completely different. As the slides clicked through behind me, I talked about storytelling.

Since I spent most of my fellowship creating content for the Women’s Fund, I thought about storytelling almost every day. I remembered how at the beginning of the fellowship, I told everyone it was my favorite thing. Specifically, the end product of storytelling. This is still true, but now I find the most value in a different aspect of storytelling: the process and the people behind it. I see storytelling as a collaborative conversation between the author, people in the present, and people in the past. There is a through line, I believe, between this process-driven storytelling and the core of nonprofit work: both recognize the people behind every story, every bit of change, and honor the past while looking to a future of change and understanding. Taking time for process like nonprofits do shows a rare commitment to doing the work with care for people, conversation, and collaboration.

I have loved being a part of The Columbus Foundation’s summer fellowship program these past 10 weeks, and I can’t wait for the next cohort of fellows to experience this transformative program.

Goodbye!
Eva

This final week at The Human Service Chamber has been a mix of wrapping things up, reflecting on what I’ve learned, and celebrating the people who made this experience so meaningful. One of my biggest priorities this week was offboarding and making sure the work I’ve contributed to can continue after I leave. I organized and shared the documents and spreadsheets I worked on throughout the summer into our shared Google Drive so that my team will have easy access to them moving forward.

I also had the opportunity to attend the Nonprofit Sector Snapshot at the CML’s Main Branch Auditorium. We discussed proposed changes to Medicaid and SNAP in Ohio, and I found myself thinking back to a national webinar I attended earlier this summer. Another speaker that really stood out to me was Ryan Kovalaske, who broke down charitable giving across Ohio over the past year by ZIP code and cause—seeing which Columbus neighborhoods were giving and where those dollars were going offered a fascinating look at how philanthropy intersects with geography, community, and local priorities.

Our final professional development session featured Toni Cunningham and Elizabeth Martinez, who shared their work around “Two Generation Touch.” Their approach serves both children and parents, supporting young people through mentorship with Big Brothers Big Sisters while connecting parents with workforce development and educational opportunities.

Later in the week, I presented at the closing Summer Fellowship luncheon, where we ate, laughed, networked, and celebrated the experiences we’ve all had this summer. I was genuinely in awe as I listened to my fellow fellows share their journeys, and thankfully, this isn’t quite the last time we’ll all be together. I’m already looking forward to seeing the Columbus Crew game with the group next week!

Most importantly, to my HSC team: thank you for trusting me, challenging me, welcoming me, and allowing me to be part of the work. I was given opportunities to contribute, and better yet, a space to learn. On Friday, we went out to lunch to celebrate a summer of advocacy, storytelling, and community.

A huge thank you to Dr. Mark Lomax and Lee Pepper for their thoughtfulness and careful attention to organizing this fellowship experience. The structure truly allowed us to experience the nonprofit sector firsthand. I’m leaving this summer with new skills, new relationships, and a much clearer sense of the kind of impact I hope to make in the future.

Aaron signing out!

Oh my goodness!

I cannot believe our time as a cohort is coming to an end. I am genuinely so sad, as I have loved getting to know each and every one of you. The journey has been so fun!

This week, as I mentioned during our cohort meeting, has been a lot of preparation for the event. I have been picking up as many donations as time allows. We are continuing to put them all together and putting them into our online platform known as GiveSmart. Currently, Anne Marie and I are trying to lock down a bakery that would be willing to provide party favors as baked goods for the event. We would love a donation, but are also willing to look into discounted options. I have enjoyed shadowing her as she is finalizing the chef vendors, PR for the event, live auction items, speakers/video, and everything else in between. 

This week, I was able to sit in on a conversation with communications regarding renovations and changes to our warehouse. We want to incorporate more photos of the children we help and create a nice, welcoming space for our volunteers and warehouse staff. Although not my direct program area, I have enjoyed interacting with volunteers, warehouse staff, and learning more about how contingent our work is based on the help of volunteers. 

Since I have missed 3 weeks – one where Anne Marie was on vacation, and then two where I was out of town – I will be at CHA until September 4th. My job will consist of supporting Anne Marie as we get closer and closer to the event, after event organization and evaluation, and seeing the changes they are making with the volunteer program take off as school starts back up. Thank you all, especially Dr. Lomax, for a great summer!

As I reflect on my time at SEA Change, I am left feeling bittersweet. I am sad to leave such an amazing team, but I am incredibly grateful for the experience and everything I learned throughout my internship.

One of the things I enjoyed most was connecting with entrepreneurs and being inspired by their energy, passion, and innovative ideas. I loved learning the fundamentals behind businesses and nonprofits while gaining exposure to finance, operations, and marketing principles. These experiences will be especially valuable as I continue exploring careers in finance and operations.

I particularly enjoyed being part of the deliberations to select finalists who would have the opportunity to pitch their organizations to a panel of experts for funding to support their ventures. It was incredibly insightful to hear the team evaluate each business—from its organizational and financial models to its potential impact on the communities it serves. This experience gave me a deeper understanding of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into building a successful organization and how outside investors assess a venture’s potential for long-term success.

Another aspect of my internship that I really enjoyed was learning about communication and marketing principles. I gained valuable knowledge about brand management and storytelling and was able to apply what I learned directly to the social media content I created. I also strengthened my skills in Canva and developed my video editing abilities. Looking ahead, I know these skills will be especially useful when working with teams that present findings, recommendations, or reports to organizational leaders and executives. Being able to communicate information in a clear, engaging, and thoughtfully curated story can make a significant difference in how that information is received.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to work on process improvement related to employee onboarding and programming. These projects challenged me to identify redundancies, streamline tasks, and find ways to help staff focus their time and energy on what matters most. As someone interested in operations, I especially enjoyed researching and developing ways to increase efficiency and better support the team.

My internship was nothing short of amazing, and I am deeply grateful to the Columbus Foundation for providing me with this opportunity and to SEA Change for playing such a significant role in my early career development. I am leaving this experience with a greater understanding of business, finance, operations, marketing, and the many ways these areas intersect to create meaningful impact.

As I look ahead, I am excited to begin another semester of graduate school and start my next internship as a Budget Analyst with Columbus Water and Power. I am looking forward to applying what I have learned throughout this summer and continuing to build on these experiences as I explore my future career.

Besa had a busy week between coordinating a large number of volunteer events around the city, discussing organizational transitions, and holding an end-of-the-week all-staff meeting.

I started the week by assisting a coworker at an event with AEP as part of their Week of Service, during which the company participated in around 20 different volunteer activities. We built dressers for Columbus families in partnership with the Furniture Bank, and it was cool to see the president of AEP Ohio jumping right in alongside the other staff members. Later that afternoon, I helped facilitate an experience that included packing meal kits for the Mid-Ohio Food Collective and partnering with United Way’s card-writing initiative for seniors. This event took place with Cardinal Health interns, and I played a large role in planning the logistics, as well as leading a post-volunteer reflection and discussion about how to make volunteerism a more consistent aspect of our lives. I was pleasantly surprised by the interns’ intentional engagement and thoughtful reflections.

The second half of the week was filled with meaningful discussions and meetings with both my fellow summer fellows and my colleagues at Besa. Our learning session this week provided a great opportunity to hear from CEO Tashia Safford and discuss the importance and meaning of “positioning.” I had several important takeaways and loved hearing Mrs. Safford’s advice, perspectives, and story of how she got to where she is today.

One of my biggest takeaways from this summer is that our progress, career journeys, and overall lives are rarely, if ever, linear. Recently, I have had several opportunities to ask successful individuals what they would change about their twenties if they could go back. Each time, the answer has been the same: nothing. There will likely be a few pivots along the winding road, and that realization has given me more confidence. I do not currently have one concrete plan or a single career goal in place, but I am going to start where I can, adjust, adapt, position myself, and continue learning. I can trust myself more than I might realize.A few other takeaways from our learning session included the idea that luck is simply preparation meeting opportunity, the importance of positioning yourself well, and how the word “no” should not always be perceived as something negative. Hearing “no” can lead to growth, demonstrate an attempt rather than inaction, sharpen us, and teach us valuable lessons.

That same night, we had a networking dinner where our cohort had the chance to share a meal with several former summer fellows. It was very interesting to learn about their wide variety of backgrounds and the paths they took after completing the fellowship. I also enjoyed continuing to strengthen my relationships with the other members of my own cohort.

To end the week, Besa held its monthly all-staff meeting. During the first half of these meetings, our CEO, Matthew, brings in a guest speaker. This week, we heard from a successful and impactful Columbus restaurant owner who shared how her perspective has evolved throughout her career. Her emphasis on finding meaning and success through relationships and the people she has been able to impact carried over into a later lunch I had with Matthew. During lunch, I picked his brain about his leadership perspectives, ideas, Besa, relationships, advice, and much more. It was an impactful conversation for me, and I truly value his way of thinking, along with how he approaches both his work and the people around him. I look forward to seeing how not only Besa as an organization, but also each individual staff member, grows over the next several years.

This has been an incredibly fulfilling opportunity, and I am excited to have the chance to communicate the impact it has had on me during our presentations and closing lunch later this week.

On to the final week!

I can’t believe this is the second-to-last week of my time at the Women’s Fund. I look forward to reflecting fully on my experience in the presentation and my last blog post next week.

I spent this week finishing thank you cards and editing the interviews I helped facilitate and film over the past two weeks. The main editing challenge was figuring out transitions and smoothing out harsh cuts once I finally cut the interviews down. It has been a balancing act of cutting for time but also trying to cut in the right place so the sound doesn’t get garbled. I developed drafts of 3 out of 4 interviews, and am still working on the longest one. I anticipate a lot of revision in the last week of the fellowship, and I am glad for it, because I will leave knowing I have contributed something valuable to the Women’s Fund. Jenna and Arielle have been such a big help giving me feedback on the videos, and I am so grateful to have such amazing mentors.

Wednesday was packed with fellowship fun. During our learning session, we talked with Toshia Safford, CEO of the Center for Healthy Families, about developing the ability to pivot in our career paths, and about how truly knowing ourselves gives us strength. We then talked with Dr. Lomax about how when you feel secure in yourself, you can take risks. These two discussions helped me build out goals to reflect on myself while also relinquishing control over my career trajectory.

Later that day, we got to meet with summer fellowship alums, who were all amazing people making positive change in Columbus. I also loved spending some more time with my fellow fellows.

On Thursday at the Women’s Fund, we said goodbye to the other intern, Morgan. Her leaving has made the end of this fellowship all the more real. This week, I worked hard but also made a lot of meaningful connections and had several learning experiences — I value them all equally.

Eva

My final week at TECH CORPS encapsulated a small bit of everything I did over the previous 2 months. One last piece of curriculum that truly cements my tenure.

The first half of my week was dedicated to finalizing my ideas and plans for the curriculum. While I originally planed to present to the other designers, the timing was not going to work out sadly. I opted to rework my list as a whole. Some material had to be cut to make it more concise, a very a common part of the creative process. It’s incredibly rare to have something down perfectly on the first try, so you revise continuously until you have a better outcome. In this case, my pet project Linux course lost its virtualization unit. It has been replaced with full-on computer construction from the ground up. In a peer group, students learn to build computers and how to use a Linux operating system. The idea came from watching and assisting all the students during their respective programs. I figured “they all had iPhones/tablets figured out, but what about computers? Could they solve them just as well?” I also noted that they tended to like more hands on activities; I figured that it would be more engaging for them to partake on that as well. In summary, all of my previous experiences and observations that I had went into the Linux course. Just as any skilled technical writer would do, I explained what to do and why to do it and how it works within only a few paragraphs.

This was a truly eye-opening experience that I had these last 9 weeks. I got to meet all sorts of new people, students and instructor alike, as well as hone my own craft and find new subjects to be passionate about. I was not too sure about getting involved in education until this internship. I could see it as a long-term career goal. Thanks to TECH CORPS for providing this opportunity. I am forever grateful!