Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

During this week’s learning session a guest speaker and previous summer fellow through the Columbus Foundation spoke about her time during the program and her journey into the beginning of her career. Of her discussion, the most significant and noteworthy conversations revolves around priorities and goals in careers.

This topic has been critical in my deliberations and considerations about my career: what is important to me? I know without a reasonable doubt that I want to contribute towards the building up and improvement of communities and people’s lives, but I’m not exactly sure how much I should give up in order to achieve that. From the inverse perspective, a higher wage that involves soul-crushing work isn’t ideal for me either.

Working at a non-profit has shown me that a middle ground does exist. Rewarding and impactful work doesn’t have to exist purely at the detriment to my professional or financial well-being, which has been encouraging.

To zoom back in to the present and my duties at Equitas, I spent this last week searching for potential donors for the event that I attended the recording session for. I was tasked with finding local (Dayton) organizations, companies, and groups that share Equitas Health’s mission statement. I was able to do this by looking at events hosted by groups that Equitas may already be associated with or serve as community-oriented institutions, and then look into the groups that sponsored those events. I was surprised to see the number of groups that helped fund these events and I was doubly surprised to see the variation in industry and differences in products/services they provide. It was definitely interesting and there were groups that I wouldn’t suspect donate or sponsor that made the list.

As this summer comes to a close I am trying to set my intentions to meaningful reflection in my experiences and use them for career and industry decision making. Additionally I am trying to consider what I will include in my wrap-up presentation. The finish line is in sight!

I wanted to start this blog post with a quote, so I Googled, “Funny quotes about endings.” That didn’t really produce the result I was looking for though, so then I Googled, “Funny quotes from TV shows.” Jackpot. Say what you will about The Office, but Michael Scott as Regional Manager at Dunder Mifflin seems to be drawing some suspicious parallels to Sarah Weglarz as Summer Intern at SVFS. Just take a look at these quotes from Michael himself: 

“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence, and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.” I felt like this. All. The. Time. I actually don’t think I practiced a single presentation before I led an activity the entire summer. I just hoped I figured it out along the way, and usually, I did. (Except for the very first activity I wrote about in my fifth blog. Read it and weep. For me. Because my first activity failed miserably). 

“And I knew exactly what to do, but in a much more real sense I had no idea what to do.” Another very applicable one. Experience is the best and only teacher for this job. After reflecting back on this summer, I don’t think it would have mattered whether I had a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. All the schooling in the world couldn’t teach you how to have enough patience to say, “Friends, Ms. Sarah is NOT going to tell you again. We do not eat the water balloons.” 

“Tell him to call me ASAP as possible.” I think I probably said something like this to my boss every day (sorry Sara). Sometimes trying to figure out who I needed to email to find supplies, or how to make a master schedule, or what times everyone had therapy was even more complicated than being in the classroom with the kids. 

“I guess the attitude that I’ve tried to create here is that I’m a friend first and a boss second and probably an entertainer third.” I can say with certainty that anyone who works at Saint Vincent wears more than one hat. One moment, you could be talking about favorite foods, the next minute you’ll be telling someone not to swallow the paper towel they just put in their mouth, and a few minutes after that, you’ll probably be raising the roof to Animals by Maroon 5. 

“They say on your deathbed you never wish you spent more time at the office — but I will.” This one is true. I’m really going to miss this place, and the fact that I was hesitant about applying for this internship at all sounds ridiculous now. The kids and staff make SVFS something special, so here are some people who’ve left their mark on me this summer:

The Hugger: I’ve written about this kid before, but he’s been so impactful to me that it would only be right to include him in the list. He’s in residential care at the moment; he gives the best hugs that always begin with a running start, and he has the biggest, brightest, most authentic smile. He’s so full of life, and he’s funny. He told me a story today about how his room smelled a little stinky when he got up this morning, but instead of just telling me that, he said, “Ms. Sarah, I walked in that room, and OH LORD JESUS, it stank to high heavens!” Then he proceeded to “faint.” He’s taught me that joy can be brought to folks in the simple things, like hugs, smiles, and dramatizing a stinky room. 

The Dancer: This kid is from Prep Academy, on the school side. I spent quite a bit of time with his class, especially in June when I was learning the ropes, partly because I got along well with his teacher, but also because I just enjoyed the kids. The first time I met him, he was dancing. And I mean really dancing, to this song. Bust a move, little buddy. I’m pretty sure he’ll end up on Broadway one day. Other noteworthy interactions include: putting my hair in a (surprisingly) good looking messy bun, saying “Of course you can, Ms. Sarah!” every time I asked if I could use his project as an example, covering, and I mean covering, the birdhouse he painted with 5 different bottles of glitter, and last, but certainly not least, these words: “I love you, Ms. Sarah!” I’d say he’s taught me the importance of being true to yourself. A little cliche, maybe, but something most people have yet to learn.

The Giggler: This little girl’s giggle was filled with pure joie de vivre. Her nose would scrunch up, and it would slide her glasses a little bit further down her face than she wanted them to be. And she giggled at everything. She’d always tell me I was being Silly Ms. Sarah, even when I was saying things like Shhhhh, or Shhhhh, or even Shhhhh. (I said that a lot in her class). One day though, she shared with me an experience she’d had, and I asked her how she felt about it, to which she replied, “It makes me feel sad, and sometimes I cry about it. But that’s okay. Everybody has to cry sometimes.” She’s taught me that even the gigglers of the world cry about things, but that’s just what makes us human, I guess.

The Second (Unexpected) Hugger: This kid was in the same class as the dancer, and to be honest, he was a tough nut to crack. He had trouble focusing, and he wasn’t one for hugs or help or even high fives—I just never really felt confident that I had reached him. As I was walking to my office this morning though, I happened to see him in the hallway, and he asked if I was coming to his class. I told him, “Yeah, I actually am!” to which he replied, “YAY!” and gave me a quick but intentional side hug. I was shocked, and I actually stood in the hallway for a few seconds to collect myself. I had never seen this kid show any kind of physical affection to anyone, ever. Yet here he was, giving me a hug. So, I think he’s taught me that even the people we think are unreachable are actually pretty reachable if we just keep showing up for them. 

The Friend: The kids at Saint Vincent are special, but so are the staff. Mr. Ray is a behavior specialist, and the first thing that struck me about him was his positivity. It seemed to emit from him, almost like radiation from the sun. I’ve walked past Mr. Ray a lot this summer, but never without a high five, a hug, or a “MS. SA-SA-SA-SA-SARAHHH!” 

Another thing you should know about Mr. Ray is that he knows everyone, even though he mostly floats between just two classrooms. And, not only does he know everyone, but he introduces me to everyone too. Being 1) an intern and 2) only around for the summer sometimes made it challenging to feel like a real part of the team, but Mr. Ray has a way of bringing people together. 

I’ve had a lot of memorable moments with Mr. Ray, but this one is probably my favorite. I was walking from my office to the residential part of the building, on a mission to find a working printer and a toilet that wasn’t clogged, which required me to scurry past the gym doors. Mr. Ray, if you’re reading this, I hate to break it to you, but I heard you guys in there and I was trying to sneak past. Anyway, as I was walking, I heard a voice shout, “Ms. Sarah?” So, begrudgingly, I backed up, to find Mr. Ray and a few other staff members playing pickup basketball. Here’s how the rest of the conversation went:

“You got a jump shot Ms. Sarah?”

“Um, not really. The extent of my basketball skills is 4th grade church league. So, I’m not really sure how good that makes me.”

“C’mon, just shoot one!”

I proceeded to totally airball. Like, not even close. I shot again, and at least that time it hit the backboard, but the real point of the story is that my morning started with some bad basketball and a good laugh. Sometimes, I can get bogged down in the pressure of succeeding, but Mr. Ray reminds me that it’s okay to pause, airball, and laugh at yourself every once and a while. 

The Boss: Big, scary, intimidating Sara. Uh, no, I’m kidding. Sara is probably one of my favorite people ever, and not at all intimidating. (Except I was telling her the other day that I was scared of her during my interview). She’s been my sounding board, my stress reliever, my getter doner of things I couldn’t, my answerer of questions (of which there were many), and so much more. Sara, I couldn’t have gotten through the summer without you. The office was cozy with all those boxes, and either the Sahara desert or the Arctic tundra with no in between, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. (Except maybe the fan could have been on a consistent happy medium). 

The point is, I’ve grown to love this place and these people. To quote Michale Scott again, “‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’ – Wayne Gretzky.” And I’m so glad I took this one.

It’s hard to believe how fast this summer has gone by! It is the last week of the Young Master’s summer camp, and I am going to miss the infectious energy of the young campers, especially the sound of them all laughing and talking as they work together on their projects. This week has seen the return of many campers from previous weeks, and it is so sweet to see how the returning campers get so excited to see their friends from other camp weeks.

This week’s theme was RecyclArt, so every project was inspired by the central idea of reusing materials for our art. One of the projects the campers did this week was decorating water bottles to look like bugs or other animals using paint, string, and pipe cleaners. Another one of the projects was making “paint brush people,” sculpting features from clay and adding details with paint and buttons. Far and away the camper’s favorite project this week was making glove monsters. Each camper was given a winter glove, and they decorated the gloves with googly eyes and felt and fabric paint to fashion their unique little monsters.

Tina, the new educational coordinator, has implemented several new practices for the camp that have had a positive impact on the running of the camp. She wanted all of the campers to be able to collectively work on a big project throughout the week that they can show their parents at the art show and then use the project as decoration for the educational spaces of the museum. Last week the campers each decorated little squares of paper with outer space-related images, and this week, the collaborative nature of the project remains. Repurposing a dry-erase board with blue and silver spray paint, Judi had the idea to have the campers each draw a design for a fish, then transferred one of the designs to the large board, and now the campers are all working together to decorate the fish with repurposed beads, foam shapes, and bottle caps. It has been so fun watching them work together selecting the perfect materials for the decoration, and helping each other use the hot glue guns to attach the chosen items to the board. The campers loved showing their families the collaborative project during the art show, and the piece now serves as decoration for the museum’s educational space!

The art show at the end of the week remains my favorite part of kids’ camp. I love watching the campers excitedly show their families and friends the products of their hard work. I am so thankful for all that I have learned throughout this camp and am excited for all that is planned next week, but sad that the fellowship is coming to a close.

This week at CXC I helped turn a residential apartment into an office space. Previously, CXC has not had a dedicated working space for employees. While CXC only has two employees, besides volunteers and committee members, they were lacking a dedicated space which could be called “CXC headquarters”. The organization had kept an apartment which acted both as storage and a space where the executive director could work out of and live part-time. However, this space was not suitable for a dedicated office space, and did not have space for CXC’s other employees. Fortunately for CXC, they were able to acquire some office furniture which would help transform the apartment into a new base of operations. While I was not responsible for moving furniture, as dedicated moving contractors were hired, I was responsible for helping clean and organize the space beforehand. This was primarily thoroughly sweeping and mopping, but I also collected and threw out trash items. I also helped by taking stock of some of the items stored at the apartment, and reorganizing the stored items to fit more comfortably alongside the new furniture. While I was unable to stay to see the end result, my efforts certainly helped to create a new workspace for CXC. 

Regardless of CXC’s apartment-turned-office, I will continue to work from home for my remaining time with CXC as their employees settle into the renovated space. For the past week, and the next week, I have and will be drafting messages to the various clubs and interests groups which I have been collecting contact information on. To this end I’ve created a template which I can follow to insert special guests and events, and provide suitable information, which I feel would be most relevant to the groups focus and interests. I’ve then created sample drafts which are focused on particular audiences, such as an anime and manga draft which highlights creators that would be suitable to clubs focusing on such. As I continue to wrap up at CXC, I’ll create different versions of these base drafts which include personalized details such as club names, leader names, and other personal touches. I’ll also be preparing for the final luncheon and presentation, which will be the final wrap up event.

As the summer sun sets on my time as a Columbus Foundation Fellow at Central Community House, I find myself reflecting on the incredible journey that this fellowship has been. This summer has been nothing short of a transformative experience, filled with moments of growth, exploration, and newfound adulthood.

When I first stepped into Central Community House, I knew I was in for something special. As a fellow, I was provided with a unique opportunity to make a difference in the community and contribute to meaningful projects that align with my passion for social impact.

From day one, I dove into various experiences, each presenting its own set of challenges and rewards. It was a summer of adulthood, as I navigated through unfamiliar territories, honed my skills, and embraced the responsibilities that come with being a part of a community-driven organization.

One of the highlights of my fellowship was receiving a scholarship from the Columbus Foundation. The scholarship not only provided financial support but also served as a validation of my commitment to making a positive impact in the community. It gave me the confidence to push my boundaries and step out of my comfort zone to take on new challenges.

Throughout this journey, I had the privilege of growing in my role and discovering my strengths. Collaborating with a diverse team of passionate individuals at Central Community House taught me the value of teamwork and the power of collective efforts in creating meaningful change.

As the summer unfolded, I witnessed firsthand the profound impact of the work we were doing. Whether it was supporting programs for students, engaging in community outreach, or organizing events like the Village Makers Festival, every initiative was geared towards empowering individuals and fostering a sense of belonging within the community.

This fellowship has been a stepping stone in my personal and professional development. It has helped me cultivate skills in leadership, communication, and project management, which will undoubtedly shape my future endeavors.

As I bid farewell to this enriching experience, I carry with me a heart filled with gratitude for the Columbus Foundation and Central Community House. I am deeply humbled to have been a part of an organization that is so dedicated to creating positive change.

As I embrace the new chapter ahead, I am reminded that this summer has not just been a season of adulthood, but a season of inspiration, growth, and purpose. I am excited to continue my journey, knowing that the lessons learned and the connections made during this fellowship will stay with me for a lifetime.

Thank you for joining me on this incredible ride. Let’s continue to shape a world where the spirit of community and empowerment reigns supreme.

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind at Green Columbus. I’ve been keeping busy, attending parties, and working on editing our website.

Recently, our board welcomed two new members, and we celebrated their arrival with a fun party last Wednesday. At the event, I tried BLT pizza for the first time and found it surprisingly delicious – definitely worth recommending. One of the new board members is a sustainability wedding planner and shared a fantastic pro tip: after the wedding, donate the flowers to hospital or hospice patients. Despite being the youngest at the party, I enjoyed interacting with and getting to know the other board members. Their knowledge and experience in environmental conservation far exceed mine, but we also connected on other common interests.

We participated in a tree nursery tour with members of the community, exploring different nursery setups and exchanging ideas. It was eye-opening to see how others run their nurseries, as I had become quite accustomed to our own practices. Our Linden nursery was an example of a small tree nursery. We toured a large nursery and medium nursery in Springfield. I proposed a capstone project to OSU, suggesting we merge our two nurseries into one for better efficiency and security.

Recently, I completed my first report for one of our Earth Day grants. While it may seem like a mundane task, understanding how crucial grant funding is for nonprofits like ours made it feel important and rewarding. Seeing the impact of the funds and the difference they made kept me motivated throughout the process.

Exciting changes are happening on our board as well, with a new president taking the helm. This switch in leadership brings fresh approaches to organizing our organization. Since Green Columbus is primarily run by our executive director, Shelly Douglas, we’ve decided to form teams within the board to share responsibilities and support Shelly. We also learned the importance of effective information organization for a nonprofit, especially during transitions. To that end, I’ve been helping organize and document project cards to streamline processes for both us and future volunteers.

Our nurseries have been bustling with activity as we hosted two volunteer days in the past two weeks. Corporate groups lent a hand in caring for our trees, and I thoroughly enjoyed working hands-on with the trees and interacting with the diverse group of volunteers. Additionally, I’ve taken the initiative to plan our social media schedule for the upcoming tree giveaway and created graphics for future use by Green Columbus after my departure. Keep an eye out for sign-ups for the free tree giveaway in the coming weeks! If you’re interested in volunteering for the giveaway, check out our website for links to sign up.

I am sad there is only two weeks left at Green Columbus. I have enjoyed my time working with Shelly and working at this nonprofit. Hopefully I can volunteer at the giveaways to see all of our baby trees get new home!

I would categorize this week as mostly uneventful. In fact, the most eventful thing of this past week actually centers around something that didn’t happen. My bi-weekly paycheck came late! As a result of miscommunications and general misunderstandings, my check wasn’t cut on the day it was supposed to be. Let me be clear in stating that this did not matter at all to me. I knew I would get paid!

This post isn’t going to be a complaint about how my check came a few days late, rather it will be an exploration of how my non-profit operates. Similar to every other semi-large or large company or organization, there are a lot of moving parts that are required to make Equitas run. Being a non-profit, I imagine that the multitude of independently moving and working teams and departments is larger than a for-profit industry as their operations are two-fold: streams of traditional revenue and outputs of social profit. This dichotomy was first emphasized when I traveled to Dayton to visit Equitas’s office there. The main Dayton location is split into two camps. The operational and social coordination side that I was best acquainted with shared a location with the medicinal and pharmaceutical side of Equitas that I was not as familiar with. Nurses, doctors, patients, and family members filled the spaces as they engaged with Equitas as plenty of people do – as a form of primary care. I was previously impressed with the scope and lengths to which the work I was associated with went to impacting people, but I was doubly impressed upon seeing firsthand the medical work that Equitas engages in.

From a macroscopic point of view, I as a summer fellow employee am not critical to the daily operations of Equitas. There are bigger fish to fry and more pressing matters to attend to every day. I didn’t feel ignored or overlooked – mistakes happen. In this case, it becomes especially understandable and forgivable upon considering the scale that Equitas operates at.

Looking forward, I’m hopeful that the rest of my time at Equitas and with the Columbus Foundation will prove to be as productive and enjoyable as it has been to this point. I’m eager to share and present my summer and make connections between my goals and the experiences of my time.

As my internship at Central Community House through the Columbus Foundation nears its end, I’m feeling a mix of emotions as we get closer to the Village Makers Festival. This event is all about celebrating the wonderful talents and creativity in our community. So, mark your calendars for August 12th at 5 pm and come join the fun!

I’ll be honest; sometimes, the responsibility of helping with such a big event feels a bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, because our team at Central Community House works together like a well-practiced team to make sure everything runs smoothly.

This internship has been an amazing journey of learning and growth. Working with the outreach team, I’ve seen how we impact the community. It’s been awesome to see how these programs positively impact young people.

I’ve been part of creating ads that show the festival’s spirit and excitement. It’s been cool to come up with ways to make people want to be part of the fun. Also, I’ve helped plan the details to make sure everything is ready for the big day. Through it all, I’ve realized that building a strong community is like putting together a beautiful puzzle. Every person plays an important role, and together, we create something amazing.

So, I want to personally invite you to join us at the Village Makers Festival on August 12th at 5 pm. This is a chance to celebrate our community’s diversity and talent. Whether you love art, music, food, or just being part of a great time, there’s something for everyone. Let’s navigate this exciting time together! It’s all about unity, having fun, and making a difference in our community. I can’t wait to see you there, smiling and enjoying the festivities with us.

Thanks for being part of this incredible journey. Let’s make the Village Makers Festival a day to remember!

The last two weeks have been preparation and planning for tying up loose ends and getting the next projects ready to go. Now, it is full speed ahead. The social media “thank-a-thon” campaign is going to start next Tuesday, on top of an awareness campaign for the Business Services Membership Program. It’ll be conducted on social media and through email.

I have spent this week creating the content to be posted next week and planning out a schedule for what will be posted on what day and at what time. I worked with Canva to create social media informational graphics for the Business Services campaign. Also, I designed an frame to be utilized on all content being posted that was not made in-house. This was a fun task for me – I liked being creative and playing with graphic design.

To support, and shed light on, the Business Services campaigns, I also helped create the email blast that will go out. JFS uses Mailchimp, an email marketing service that lets you design how every aspect of your email will look, organize your audiences and segment them appropriately, manage replies, and monitor interactions with your email. I learned that JFS uses Mailchimp earlier this summer and asked if I could work with it during my time here. This was another fun task. It was cool to learn, hands on, about the software.

A lot of this week was also spent in meetings. Monday had a Resource Development Team Retreat, and then I met with the Business Services Consultant almost daily to iron out final details for her campaigns. The meetings were fun and productive – I like getting together with everyone.

The Google Ad Grant campaigns are also full speed ahead. I’ve written an ad that will go live early next week, with a second to follow shortly after. I recommended to JFS that they start slow, going one campaign at a time. We agreed to do so. I think it will be best to learn as we go, and as the campaign continues taking down notes of what works and what doesn’t. With some experience, JFS will then be ready to bring other campaigns on and scale them. But, my time with the campaigns are not over – after this one goes live, I’m going to put together the two that will be launched next. That way, whenever JFS is ready, they have everything they need to get started.

Last night at approximately 7 p.m., my well of blog ideas was as dry as [a bone, the Sahara desert, your mouth after you eat a saltine, my history professor last semester]. Whatever you choose to fill in the blank, the point is that I was dropping the ball. I’m not kidding. Here was my brainstorming list: 

I’m not really sure why I thought writing “Come on, think of something” would help me, well, think of something, and the ending, “AHHH,” felt like the only utterance appropriate for my current lack of keenly perceptive analogies and fascinating scientific discoveries. I tried my usual tactic of sitting in front of my computer with my eyes closed, poring over the events of the week in my mind’s eye, but to no avail. I replayed, over and over again, conversations I’d had, interactions with the kids, things I had been planning, but nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Quite frankly, I was over it. I guess necessity really is the mother of invention though, because then I wrote this. I was getting desperate.

Sarah’s Hope of Finding Something to Write About

My alarm goes off. I get up but I drag my feet because I’m tired. I go downstairs. I make scrambled eggs. I pack my lunch and my work bag. I go back upstairs and get dressed. I do my hair and makeup. I grab my computer off the charger, bring it down stairs, and put it in my bag. I put my shoes on. I say “Bye, love you!” to my dad. I leave the house. I open the garage door. I start the car. I turn on a podcast. I . . . 

Wait. Back the truck up. The podcast. It’s an award winning one called Serial, and it tells a true story, week by week, every season. It’s hosted and produced by a reporter named Sarah Koenig, who was one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015, and who also worked as a producer on another well-known podcast called This American Life. My friend David introduced me to it a few weeks ago, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked. For 21 straight days, my drive to work has been filled with the voices of reporters, defense attorneys, judges, police officers, witnesses, the subjects of the stories themselves, and of course, Sarah Koenig. The show’s iconic intro has become a kind of comfort for me: “For this American Life and WEBZ Chicago, it’s Serial, one story told week by week. I’m Sarah Koenig.” 

When I was a senior in high school, I began writing for my school’s newspaper. I had always enjoyed the writing process, but my journalistic undertakings at The Lantern added some real fuel to the fire, in a good way. When I wrote my first story, I actually wasn’t even officially on the staff. I had taken an introductory journalism class my sophomore year, and I submitted one of our assignments as a guest piece. (You can read it here—I’ve come a long way since then). 

As my senior year continued on, I wrote two more stories, big ones. They were tributes to two students who had passed away: one of an overdose, and one from suicide. They taught me a lot of things, but mostly that our words have the power to change people: change their minds, change their feelings, and allow them to view an issue from a perspective they’d never considered. And that’s what I liked about Sarah Koenig’s reporting. It was simple, yet thorough, and it was unbiased. If she interviewed the defendant in a court case and they told her a story, and then she heard another part of the story from the police officer that arrested him, and maybe another part from a witness, she’d simply pause, reflect, and say something like, “Well, I don’t know what really happened, because I wasn’t there. But, at least I have Mr. A, Mr. B, and Mr. C, who all experienced the same event, yet each from a unique perspective. If I put them all together, I can make a fair conclusion about the real course of events.” I love listening to her, and not just because she has the same name as me. It’s good reporting, plain and simple. (I know I’m nerding out about journalism right now, but you would be too, if you listened to this podcast). 

I think living a good life is sort of like writing a good story. If you only write from one perspective, you’ll never get the whole picture. If Sarah Koenig were reporting on that same court case, she could write a story derived only from the defendant, only from the people who liked the defendant or thought he wasn’t guilty. The problem with this, though, is that it eliminates the possibility to discover that, maybe the defendant is guilty because he lied during the interview, or maybe a witness saw something else, something that neither the police nor the attorneys could have told Sarah. 

When I finally stumbled upon my idea for this blog, I shared it with a friend, and, in turn, he shared this parable:

Three blind men are up close with an elephant.

One at the trunk says, “It’s a snake!”

One at the side says, “No, you’re wrong. It’s a wall!”

Yet another one by a leg says, “No, you’re both wrong. It’s a pillar!”

No matter where the men were standing, it was still an elephant, even if they didn’t see it that way. That’s kind of how life is too. (Also, I found it funny that a parable about a change of perspective was in my brainstorming list, long before I shared my idea with my friend). 

Westfield, Indiana, where I grew up, is a sheltered place. While tragedies like overdoses and shootings do happen, they’re not by any means run of the mill, and they’re kind of taboo. People don’t like to talk about them. I wrote in another blog post that I like to be honest, so I will be now too. I don’t know what it’s like to live in a place where those things happen frequently, and to people you know. 

This internship, though, is sort of like a magnifying glass into a whole different world, one that I’ve never experienced. I’ve been standing at the trunk of the elephant my whole life, but this summer, I’ve slowly been making my way around to its leg. I go home wondering what it would be like, to have an incarcerated parent, or a dead one, or to not even be able to go home. It’s like the new interview to my life story. I’ve realized that if you never take a step into the lives of those around you, if you never try to walk from the trunk to the leg to the side, your perspective of the way life works is going to be pretty jaded. You’ll have a hard time understanding that the choices that people make and the ways they act are so often a product of their circumstances, and not simply because they want to be in a difficult place. Let me end with a quote from Sterling K. Brown, an Emmy and Golden Globe award winning actor, who also followed Sarah Koenig as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People a few years later in 2018: “Empathy begins with understanding life from another person’s perspective. Nobody has an objective experience of reality. It’s all through our own individual prisms.” So, I’m going to challenge you this week. Begin the walk from the trunk to the side. Begin a new interview in your life story. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll finally see the elephant.