This week is the end of my summer fellowship in partnership with City Year Columbus. Since it’s my final week the workload has lessened. The focus of this week has been working on my Pecha Kucha presentation for The Columbus Foundation and connecting with marketing professionals in various industries. The Pecha Kucha presentation will be shared with my peers and their corresponding host sites detailing our experience with our assigned nonprofits.

My presentation begins with what City Year is as an organization, transitions to my time spent there and finishes with a farewell. I have never heard of this style of presentation before but think it is an improvement from the traditional style where people quickly lose interest. The 20 slides I created include featured photos, a snapshot of my projects and City Year branded icons that weave together the story of my summer. While the content was the easiest part I struggled with the time limit of 20 seconds per slide. To help with the flow and stick to the time constraint I prepared note cards for each slide. My only concern is that my script is around 1400 words so I will have to speak at 219 words per minute which is much faster than I am used to.

I set up meetings to connect with contacts at AEP, Cardinal Health and COTA to discuss marketing. I met with COTA on Monday via Teams and got some insight into marketing in the public transportation sector. COTA’s marketing focuses on connecting people to places and giving them opportunities. I also noted the increased emphasis on sustainability that seems to be a trend among companies regardless of the industry they’re in. As we live in an increasingly politically world, I think people are recognizing the importance of sustainability and protecting the environment so I’m excited to see where that takes us.

My summer fellowship at City Year Columbus has been a great experience. I have learned so much from the connections I’ve made and the mentors I’ve had. I am grateful to have been selected for this opportunity. After this summer I truly believe in the work City Year does and the power of young people. My main takeaway has been the meaningful impact individuals can have on their community and I hope to continue to have one on mine.