During the seventh week of the fellowship, there were many trials and triumphs. I faced the realities of living through a pandemic and got sick. Although I was not in the building during that week, I was able to reflect on the past few weeks. I have an immersive experience working with My Project USA that I will always be grateful for. I have learned many lessons about management, networking, and operating a nonprofit. Great leaders know that to make a change, they need support and guidance from their community. They cannot make every decision on their own. A lesson that I have constantly learned at this organization is that we cannot be successful without working together as a team. I appreciate our Human Resource director and the Operations and Programming director for giving me guidance. I would not feel as confident about working in the nonprofit sector without their support and words of kindness.

I am grateful for the new network of individuals who I connected with during this fellowship. It is an honor to represent MY Project USA and hear people express their appreciation for the organization and its work in the community. Dr. Lomax tells the fellows that if you are going into nonprofit work to fill a hole in your heart, you are doing it for the wrong reasons. I am able to see firsthand what it is like to have employees work to be effective in the community. The team consists of hardworking and diligent people who work at the grassroots level to help others. This experience has allowed me to have a newfound respect for anyone who starts and maintains a successful nonprofit. I aspire to create an organization that does such impactful work for its community.