Due to the holiday, week four of camp was extra short; it was only 2.5 days long. While I’m grateful for time off to spend with my family, I can’t help but think of how my convenience is other families inconvenience. The thing that we look forward to—relaxing at home and enjoying the celebrations—is tainted for many families due to the stress of finding childcare and additional food for their kids to eat. It’s a fine line between being considerate to others and considerate to oneself, and it needs to be drawn, but it makes me sad nonetheless.

Because it was a relatively slow week at camp, I want to focus this blog on macro-level, big picture stuff. Recently, I have been prompted to ruminate about career moves and post-grad plans through academic and professional channels. I am about to start my senior year in the fall and I am so glad that the job-finding process is starting to unfold. I thrive on planning ahead and having ample time to think through big decisions.

Part of the Columbus Foundation fellowship involves “learning sessions” where we hear from non-profit leaders in the community talk to a specified topic. The most recent learning session was focused on the topic of “advocacy,” featuring Michael Corey, who, essentially, has my dream job. He advocates on the local, state, and national level on behalf of non-profits and groups in the Columbus area while also working with said groups to prepare them for success in the sector. It was helpful to hear what type of schooling he pursued and where we worked before finally landing at his role with the Human Services Chamber.

I am tasked with figuring out how I can advocate for others, and for myself, in the best way possible by taking advantage of experiences job-wise and opportunities for further academic degrees. I want to be an effective catalyst for change within a community while still setting myself up to able to take care of myself and my future family. Again, that fine line between serving others and making sure to serve myself too.

There’s still a lot of thinking and seeking to do in this process, but I feel that I am closer to where I’d like to be through this fellowship—and for that I’m grateful!