It is hard to believe that there are only 2 weeks left in our Columbus Foundation Fellowship experience! This week I would like to reflect on some of the lessons that I have learned while working with Hope Hollow. Throughout the summer, my work with Hope Hollow has both altered my approach to a professional setting and life in general. 

For this blog, I will focus on the lessons I learned professionally. #1 – Acknowledge when you do not have expertise in a certain skill. At the beginning of my time with Hope Hollow, I believed it was necessary to be able to do everything that Kevin, Hope Hollow’s co-founder, asked me to do. At times, I had limited knowledge of how best to complete the task he had assigned, but did not want Kevin to think that I was incapable of completing a task. Towards the middle of my fellowship experience, I realized that being transparent with Kevin about my skills would benefit both of us. By acknowledging my inexperience with certain tasks, Kevin was able to understand which tasks to assign and I was granted the ability to learn a skill through trial and error without the expectation that I knew exactly what to do. 

#2 – Accept when you are “burnt out” with a certain project. Prior to the Columbus Foundation Fellowship, I really had no knowledge of “burn out” or how it can be detrimental to a person’s work. Even though I am passionate and excited about Hope Hollow’s new website, there was a point in my fellowship where the website was all-consuming and draining. In my week 3 blog, I mentioned a setback to our website work that actually was a blessing in disguise. This setback delayed our website work, allowing my excitement to rebuild and my passion to rejuvenate. 

When I interviewed to work with Hope Hollow, I knew that this summer would be life-changing, but I underestimated the amount of professional growth that would come from this opportunity.