I have completed my first week at the Siemer Institute and I am already eager for what is to come. I have spent the past few days meeting my co-workers and getting to know the values of the organization while also doing some preliminary work in preparation for the interviews that I will be conducting throughout the summer. My coworkers are incredibly supportive, and I am excited to be a part of the team. The Siemer Institute is comprised of only 2 full-time employees, yet their work has such a significant impact all over the United States. As of 2021, this organization has partnered with 70+ local nonprofits throughout the country with the goal of improving students’ academic success by providing their families with stable housing and financial assistance. In fact, 8.5 million was given in grants to these organizations this year alone, which helped about 14,000 families with 32,000 children.

Having spent this past year conducting research at the academic level, I have found that I thoroughly enjoy handling data and organizing information. This was a large factor behind my interest in the Siemer Institute Fellow position. For the next few weeks, my tasks will consist of researching best practices on topics such as the 2 Generation Approach, family-centered coaching, and trauma-informed care to create resources for programs across the network. I will also be interviewing our program partners with a goal of completing at least 20-30 interviews by the end of the summer. On top of this, I have been encouraged to conduct any small projects that I may be interested in. After I complete my best practices research, I would like to experiment with presenting this data in different ways, such as through infographics. Now that I can begin my tasks, I am excited to see what I will produce and how I can help the organization.