Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Hi everyone! My name is Anaika Iyer and I am doing a dual degree in psychology and vocal performance at the University of Michigan. Through the Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship Program I will be working with Netcare Access. Netcare is a non-profit organization that provides behavioral health services. They provide specialized treatment and care for individuals struggling with mental illness and substance use. 

This first week at Netcare was extremely educational as I was given tours of the facilities and had all the programs explained to me. Netcare has 9 programs including, but not limited to, a crisis line, counseling services, residential services, mobile transportation services, and forensic services. 

My role at Netcare serves as a marketing intern, assisting my supervisors in all that they do. This week I was given the opportunity to make a social media post and design a sign for an upcoming event. My supervisors showed me the “behind the scenes” of our website, took me through what requesting a grant looks like, and educated me on the roles and responsibilities of a marketing director. Both of my mentors are extremely passionate about what they do, and it has been incredibly inspirational to learn from them through this process.

My main project with Netcare will be creating an end of year campaign including all of the things I have learned throughout my time here. By the end of the 10 weeks, I should be capable of making my own social media posts, designing my own posters and graphics, coming up with mission statements and slogans, and even speaking with other employees at Netcare for their experiences. 

This first week has been such a welcoming and incredible experience and I can’t wait to continue working and learning as a fellow!

Best,

Anaika

Hi everyone! My name is Anna Lower, and I’m a recent graduate from the University of Cincinnati, where I studied Oboe Performance and Public Relations. I’m incredibly grateful to the Columbus Foundation and OYO Dance Company for giving me the opportunity to grow professionally this summer and put my PR and marketing skills to work in a meaningful, creative space!

This week kicked off my summer fellowship with the Columbus Foundation! On Monday, I had the chance to meet all the other fellows at orientation, and it was so energizing to see so many nonprofits across Columbus represented in one room. Everyone was passionate, engaged, and genuinely excited to dig into meaningful work this summer.

After orientation, I headed to OYO Dance Company for my first day and immediately felt welcomed. The team was supportive and eager to bring me into the fold. My first day was filled with onboarding materials and learning the ins and outs of the organization, from its mission and history to its upcoming programming.

By Tuesday, I hit the ground running and I got a clear look at the projects I’ll be tackling this summer. It felt a little overwhelming at first, but I realized that’s just because I already care about OYO’s mission and I want to give it my best. I started by diving into a review of OYO’s current marketing platforms, social media, websites, and digital materials, taking notes on what’s working and where we might enhance things.

One of my main projects is developing the marketing rollout for OYO’s 2025–2026 season announcement, so I’ve begun building a strategic map: identifying possible announcement dates, planning content pacing, and brainstorming ways to unify branding across campaigns. I’ve also been creating some foundational content (dancer and board member bios) to get more comfortable working full-time in Canva and Photoshop again.

Toward the end of the week, I jumped into designing early flyer drafts for upcoming events. Whether they serve as inspiration or get used directly, it’s been a fun and low-pressure way to contribute creatively and visually to the organization.

All in all, it’s been a fast-paced but incredibly rewarding first week. I’m excited to keep building out strategies, collaborating with the OYO team, and using design and storytelling to support their mission.

Hello! My name is Kindall Benjamin. This summer, I will be working with The Overwatch Partnership. This is a local non-profit that provides support for military veterans by connecting them to a mentor for nine months who specializes in what they are interested in. I am very excited to be working with them because my goal is to be a social worker in the future. I didn’t know what to expect going into this fellowship. My first week working at The Overwatch Partnership has been extremely pleasant. The people that I have met so far have been very helpful getting me acclimated to the position. This week, I met with Mr. Gentzel on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. He told me to write down my goals and what I would like to get out of the program this summer. I already feel very supported! It seems like everyone wants me to get something meaningful out of this experience. I want to do my very best and make a lasting impression. 

This first week has honestly been a lot of fun, and so far I have had a great experience. On Monday, June 2, all the fellows had orientation at The Columbus Foundation. This year’s group is composed of all women, which I think is extremely empowering. It was nice to learn about everyone’s passions and why they chose to apply for this fellowship. We’re all here to make a difference in people’s lives. One thing that really stuck with me was the TEDxTalk video that Dr. Lomax showed us. The speaker—Simon Sinek—said, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” This quote really put things into perspective for me. I can’t make a difference in this world without knowing why I want to make a difference. I have decided that by the end of this summer fellowship, I want to have created both a mission and vision statement for myself. It was Eric Gentzel—the co-founder and Executive Director of The Overwatch Partnership—who explained what these were to me. A mission statement is focused on the present and defines why you are doing it. A vision statement is focused on the future and describes the desired outcomes. Creating these statements will solidify my “why.” 

I am very excited to keep learning and growing this summer, and I can’t wait to connect with more people and hear their stories. Thank you for reading mine!  

Until next time,

Kindall Benjamin

We are recruiting for The Columbus Foundation’s 2025 Summer Fellowship program! Click HERE to see the list of host sites and click HERE for the application information.

Launched in 2010, the The Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Program provides college students, recent college graduates, and graduate students the opportunity to work with central Ohio nonprofit organizations for a 10-week period. Students receive valuable experience and a paid stipend for their work, while nonprofits benefit from the additional support students provide to a specific program or objective.

Hi everyone!

My final week of my fellowship was pretty chill. I continued to work on our annual report and brainstorm ideas that would be used for our 20th anniversary social media campaign.

I also talked to my mentor about continuing my time at Bridgeway and I am happy to say that I will be working at Bridgeway part-time as a special project content creator! I spent some time looking at how other organizations created their anniversary videos and was inspired by Netflix’s 25th anniversary. I liked how it showed how Netflix changed the way that people watched movies and TV shows and I thought it this could be applied to Bridgeway’s first video of our series, to show the way our organization changed the way that autism and developmental disabilities are treated. I continued to brainstorm how this could be shown visually and created a storyboard. I also presented the storyboard to the CEO’s and got some feedback. I also started to work on a voiceover script for them to approve the following week.

Over the course of my fellowship, I learned a lot about non-profits and about myself. In the beginning of my fellowship, I was discouraged by the idea that it shouldn’t be nonprofit’s jobs to fix important issues. However, as I was able to spend more time at Bridgeway and hear about the impact of the other host sites, I came to realize how much non-profits can make a difference in their communities. Though Bridgeway is still growing and are limited in the amount of families that we can serve, the impact that our organisation has on our kids and families is incredible and important for me to see for myself. This leads me to my second takeaway, being that I love working at an organization that is very clear about its “why”. I was able to see how the staff at Bridgeway carried the organization’s purpose in every decision they make. I was able to have various conversations with staff and saw how each person passionately worked towards the “why” of the organization.

Overall, I’m incredibly grateful for my time as a fellow at the Columbus Foundation. I am also thankful that I was able to spend my summer at Bridgeway and continue my time with them as a team member!

Hi everyone! It is so crazy that we’ve reached the end of the fellowship program. Throughout the weeks you get more into your routine and the weeks start flying by like they never even started. This experience has truly been an eye opener for me in many ways. I’ve learned a lot about non-profits; how they function, meaningful contacts, and how to stay in touch with the community to ensure your mission is being carried out. I’ve also learned some things I do and don’t like within a workplace which is incredibly helpful information as I move forward in my career.

I often think about the starting questions we discussed at the beginning of this program—a question of power and your why. Both of these questions I’m still dissecting and developing answers to everyday. These questions are very important in remembering your values. Your values become so important when you enter into workplace settings. Organizations want you to buy into the way they do things which can easily erase elements of your individual code to tailor the organizations values. Though when you do that, it becomes easier to lose yourself. I am still wrestling and working with my thoughts on these topics as this program has challenged me to think about them within a different context.

The closing luncheon truly felt like the end and I am so grateful to have been around and listened to all the fellows experiences. This experience is truly something that had developed my ways of thinking through all the amazing guest speakers, fellows thoughts and experiences, and having authentic conversations.

I want to thank Dr. Lomax and The Columbus Foundation for dedicating your time and energy into such a well crafted program for people to take part in. Dr. Lomax, your realness and authenticity is truly appreciated. Also, I want to thank my host site The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio for being so welcoming and intentional about the work you do. It was a privilege to be apart of your team!

I can’t wait to see what amazing things everyone will do!

See y’all around

Kennedy Smith

I can’t believe today is the last day of my internship! This summer has flown by, but I’m incredibly grateful for the knowledge and experiences I’ve gained in such a short period of time. This week, I had the opportunity to design a flyer for our upcoming fall family events and create the monthly craft for September, which will leave a reminder of me at the center for a little bit after I’m gone.

I also had the pleasure of helping set up the 4th Annual Plein Air “Scenes Around the Park” art exhibit. It was inspiring to see local artists capture the beauty of our park, each with their unique perspectives. Seeing the community come together to celebrate nature through art was a perfect reflection of the mission we strive to promote. We had a paid judge come to award 1st-3rd places, and we also have a People’s Choice Award to engage visitors to vote for their favorite piece.

As I reflect on my entire internship, I realize how much I’ve grown both personally and professionally. This experience has prepared me in ways I didn’t expect. I’ve learned the critical importance of teamwork and collaboration, which drives this nonprofit to run efficiently. Our dedicated staff members are the heart of the Center, and I now understand how essential each person’s role is in making our operations successful. I’ve also navigated challenges that required quick thinking and problem-solving, which has significantly boosted my confidence in my leadership abilities. I’ve developed a greater sense of trust in myself and my capacity to take initiative.

The biweekly meetings at the Columbus Foundation added another layer of professional development. Listening to inspiring guest speakers and connecting with the other fellows provided me with new perspectives and reinforced the importance of passion in one’s work. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Lomax for creating a safe space for meaningful conversations and to the Columbus Foundation for this incredible opportunity.

I am also immensely thankful to everyone at the Grange Insurance Audubon Center for welcoming me with open arms and teaching me so many skills that I will carry with me throughout my career. A special thank you goes to my supervisor, Sandy Libertini, who mentored me throughout the summer with patience and dedication. I’m glad I was able to lighten her load during my time here because she truly does so much to keep the Center thriving. I’d also like to thank Leigh Ann Miller, the Center Director, for the opportunities to shadow her during important meetings. Though I didn’t see her often due to her dual role as Director of the Aullwood Audubon Center, the moments I did have with her were taught me the qualities of effective leadership.

We celebrated my time here with an all-staff dinner at Nocterra, which was a thoughtful and touching way to conclude the summer. I also was gifted two beautiful bird paintings that I will treasure forever as it reminds me of my time here and the amazing people I’ve worked with.

While I’m sad to leave, I’m already planning to return to help with our wetland restoration and monarch tagging. So, this isn’t goodbye, but rather a “see you later.”

Signing off, Aayushi