Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Good evening, Fellows!

On Monday, June 2, 2025, I began a summer-long journey as an intern with the incredible organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio (BBBSCO). What is BBBSCO? It’s the Central Ohio affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, one of the nation’s oldest and most respected youth mentoring organizations. BBBSCO serves children and youth across Columbus and surrounding communities by creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that empower young people to reach their full potential.

I’m honored to be working under the leadership of three amazing individuals in the Impact Department. This department plays a vital role in evaluating and improving the effectiveness of BBBSCO’s mentoring programs. It collects and analyzes data to ensure programs meet youth needs, maintains high quality, supports continuous improvement, and provides transparent reporting to stakeholders. Their work ensures BBBSCO’s programs remain responsive and impactful. Each person in the department leads with a servant’s heart — they remind me daily that their work helps heal the past, strengthen the present, and “throw breadcrumbs” into the future.

If I had to describe this first week in one word, it would be expectancy — expecting to be challenged, to learn, to connect, and to step out of my comfort zone. Although I recently earned my Master of Public Administration, I’m quickly learning that you never stop being a student. True mastery lies in continued curiosity and humility. Several pieces of wisdom from my team have already stood out to me:

1. Show Up Well.
Showing up well doesn’t always mean being perfect, on time, productive, and composed. Sometimes, it simply means being present, even on days when your capacity isn’t what it was yesterday. To show up with vulnerability, honesty, and effort is, in itself, enough sometimes. Have the spirit of excellence, not perfectionism.

2. Be in the Moment.
Tasks will come and go, but what matters most is being grounded in the why. Embrace the process — the victories, the mistakes, the unexpected lessons. This experience is a gift, and I intend to absorb every golden nugget of wisdom it offers.

3. Ask Questions.
As Dr. Lomax reminded our fellowship cohort on Day 1, we only get as much out of our host sites as we’re willing to seek. One of the greatest gifts from BBBSCO has been my onboarding training — I’ve been able to connect with team members across Franklin, Delaware, Knox, and Morrow counties. I’ve learned about their unique paths and perspectives, asked questions about my role, and arranged shadowing opportunities to better understand how Match Support Specialists (MSS) operate. It’s also shown me how the Impact Department ensures quality assurance and supports their important work.

As this first chapter of my ten-week fellowship comes to a close, I am grateful. I’m thankful to The Lord for placing me here, and to the Columbus Foundation for this opportunity. Week 1 is in the books — here’s to what’s next!

Hi! My name is Emoni Harmon, and I’m a recent graduate of Ohio State University, where I got my MA in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a minor in Nonprofit Management. I became interested in the Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Program during undergrad, so I’m incredibly excited to not only finally get to be a Summer Fellow but also to work with a nonprofit as longstanding and wonderful as Huckleberry House.

Overall, I’d describe my first week at Huck House as both exciting and very busy, as my first day was just three days after Sleep Out, Huck House’s largest fundraising event of the year. So, after all the standard onboarding stuff, setting up my desk, and meeting all the lovely staff in the Admin office, I got to work on one of the biggest post-Sleep Out tasks — putting together 500+ letters to send out to lapsed donors and 500+ thank you letters to those that participated in this year’s Sleep Out.

While putting together and sending out all these letters may not seem like a very fun or glamorous task, I found it to be an insightful one because each letter I put together was a physical reminder of just how many people in Ohio and beyond believe in and financially support what Huck House does — provide shelter, support, and guidance to young people facing difficult situations. Also, they were a tangible reminder of the importance of each individual donor and taking the time to steward a relationship with them, because that is how something like raising over $120,000 at Sleep Out this year is made possible.

However, later in the week, when I helped accept an in-kind donation and met a corporate partner volunteering at one of Huck House’s transitional living sites, I learned the importance of both monetary and non-monetary donations to helping Huck House operate all its programs.

So, I would say the biggest takeaway from my first week is that every dollar, in-kind donation, and volunteer hour that Huck House receives truly makes a difference, which is why they take the time to acknowledge each donor behind every type of donation. I can’t wait to see what else I’ll learn about throughout my 11 weeks at Huck House!

Until next week,

Emoni

Hello! My name is Rachael McCague, I study English at William & Mary and the Univeristy of St. Andrews, and I will be working with the Center for Disability Empowerment this summer! In my first week as a Summer Fellow, I have started to familiarize and immerse myself in the work of the Center for Disability Empowerment. Going into this program, I had never heard of the CDE before and was not familiar with most of their work. In my first couple of days, I have learned a lot about what the CDE does as an organization and its importance to the central Ohio disability community. 

I have been brought on to the CDE team this summer to assist in planning and implementing the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The event is on July 11, so the planning has really started picking up this week. At first, I felt quite overwhelmed with the amount of information I was receiving about the event, and I didn’t feel like there was much that I could contribute with my limited knowledge. However, Jackie Martin, the CDE’s grants, contracts and donor relations administrator, has done a wonderful job getting me up to speed and making me feel welcome as a member of the planning committee. Jackie has started delegating tasks to me, including consolidating and organizing documents, drafting social media posts and emails, and creating a deadline calendar for the event, which has allowed me to become much more acquainted with the project. I was able to sit in on a meeting with the sponsorship committee as well as take notes for a meeting with the planning committee. Observing the collaborative effort of event planning has made me appreciate how both individual as well as combined efforts are necessary for bringing an event like this together. 

In the coming weeks, I am excited to continue working on the 35th Anniversary Celebration of the ADA. I anticipate taking on more responsibility in the planning process as I become more familiar with the project and the CDE.  

Until next week,

Rachael McCague

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.