Today we all got to meet the President and CEO of the Columbus Foundation, which was very informational. What struck me the most was his confidence in his abilities to do any job he has had correctly; the story about being shunned from a student organization that he later ran and vastly improved made it evident that he has always been able to be confident in his abilities to make a change. I think confidence is incredibly important in nonprofit work. We also talked about how many view this sector as second tier, and I think having confidence that you are both making a difference in your community and running an effective organization helps others see that the nonprofit sector is full of smart and capable people.

During the first few semesters of my undergrad career, I was told no quite a lot by jobs I wanted or organizations I wanted to be part of; this truly tested my confidence in myself and what I am capable of doing. I remember finding this Fellowship opportunity, knowing that this perfectly aligns with my personal and professional goals, but still thinking that I probably wouldn’t even get an interview. Even after being told I was going to be a Fellow, I continued to question if I was really cut out for a full time job.

Looking back, I can see a huge difference in how I approached the opportunities I did not get and how I approached this one. Before, when I would interview or talk to leaders of organizations, I was almost trying to be someone else. I overthought what these organizations wanted from me and tried to transform myself into that person. While interviewing at KidSMILES, it was completely different. I think I was given the opportunity to be authentic and to confidently discuss my strengths and interests. This was mostly due to the positive and welcoming nature of KidSMILES and the people that work there. The opportunities I have had throughout this summer have only strengthened the confidence in my knowledge and abilities; my accomplishments and responsibilities throughout the Fellowship has made me stop second-guessing myself; I have continually felt respected, and my opinions have always felt valuable during my time at KidSMILES.

While the point of this Fellowship is learning about nonprofit leadership, I am very grateful that it has also showed me how important it is to be professionally confident. Along with this, I am much less scared to ask questions. I no longer think that my superiors will judge me if I ask them for help or for their advice, which I think is another form of confidence. Even though it has only been 8 weeks, this Fellowship has had a huge impact on me professionally and personally!