I saw the student in the hallway
and pulled him into a classroom to speak with him. I introduced myself and asked him to share with me why he was struggling
with TEAK. As expected from a Bronx kid, he was initially reluctant to share his feelings and frustrations with me, and remained
quiet. When I noticed this, I explained to him why I bothered speaking to him. I told him that
I sincerely cared about his success and that I saw myself in him. I shared my experiences and how I struggled
at various points and managed to overcome my obstacles despite being misunderstood. Upon hearing this, he opened up.
We had a heart-felt, but blunt conversation in which I told him what was expected of you. We figured out a plan from
this point forward to ensure his success, and I reminded him that it was ultimately up to him to succeed and that the world
doesn’t have time to sympathize. More importantly, I explained the value of communicating with those who care about
you, especially teachers. After our conversation, he promised to do whatever it takes to succeed at TEAK and beyond.
His confidence from that point forward was obvious to all of the staff, and the supervisors thanked me for talking
to him and possibly preventing him from being dismissed. While it was nice to be acknowledged by the staff, the greatest reward
of that conversation was being able to help someone in a time or need, and being a mentor to someone who needed one. This is what I want to do with my life, and this experience reminded of the impact teachers can have
if they show that they care. Experiences like this have made me absolutely determined to
teach at some point. Dwight Draughon,
’09, TEAK Fellowship
There was a young girl who came to our offices for a meeting before her appointment.
She was about 12, sad, and withdrawn, but I had seen her smile twice on the way into the room, quickly.
As the social worker and lawyer tried to ask her about what she wanted done on her upcoming court date, I was able
myself to reach out to her, and pull her out of her shell—to make her smile, and start answering the questions of those
who could help her more than I.
That moment—which
I’m proud to say I was able to pull off over and over again during the summer—made the job worthwhile, every time
that I felt like I was drowning in the combined misery of the files that I was working on. Seeing the faces
of those whom I could help was indescribable—seeing people in pain, and in need, and knowing that I could help them,
changed my plans for the future.
I had intended on going
to law school for public interest law, but I had thought about taking off some time first. I had planned
on applying for different fellowships, and thought that as a last resort, I would turn nomadic and travel around the country,
hitchhiking if necessary, to see things and gain life experience.. Now those thoughts seem almost frivolous—I
still plan on taking time off, but I’m instead applying to Teach For America, and for a Fulbright. I
will go to law school, and I will take time off in the interim to join the workforce—but only if I can make a serious difference in the lives of those less fortunate than me. I have planned on working in public interest for a long time—interning
at LFC cast that vision in concrete. Jordan Bubin ’09, Lawyers
for Children
This internship really exceeded
my expectations. I thought that I would spend my summer being a counselor for high school students and
doing some random office work. That was not the case at all. I was challenged on a daily
basis, both working with the kids and taking on tasks for our conference. After
my summer at Umoja, I feel like I have grown as a student, a young professional, and as a person.
I was exposed to people from a world much different than my own and got a glimpse of some of the challenges faced by
urban youth. Jacob Kosior ’10 Umoja Student Development
Corp
My last comments are that
I honestly think this internship was a rewarding experience. There were definitely times when I was dead tired, when I had
to sacrifice hanging out with my friends because I was grading papers or writing exams, times when I was so frustrated with
the lack of motivation in my students that I wanted to cry, but there were other times when my kids surprised me with the
amazing things they could do, and say and think. It’s an experience that I will always
be grateful for. Keisha April ’10, North Star Academy
My experience was so substantive and unique, and I was excited to be exposed to so many different
fields of interest. I learned about many different aspects of community development and local politics
that will definitely influence my future studies and work experiences. I enjoyed the time I spent at work
and will continue to stay in touch with several members of the SVD staff. I have learned from conversations
with friends who have interned at other organizations that it is very rare for an intern, especially
a freshman undergraduate, to be given such a level of access and trusted with so much responsibility. Aaron Abelson ’11, Slavic Village Development
The internship exceeded my expectations (and they were
high to begin with, given previous interns' positive evaluations). It has been
the best summer of my life so far. Throughout the summer, I could hardly believe how lucky I was to have the
opportunity to participate in a high-quality internship in such an amazing part of the country the summer after my freshman
year. Carrie Worcester ’11, City of Santa Fe Arts
Commission
I have new eyes with which to view the world, a new language for the changes happening
around us.
Even if I don’t end up pursuing a career in land stewardship, I will certainly take the concrete experiences
I’ve had in this internship with me down whatever path I take. Currently my education is leading
me toward teaching high school biology, and having real life examples and understanding to draw from in teaching young people
about the world will surely be an important part of this. Charlotte
Glennie ’09, D&R Greenway
My
background had absolutely nothing to do with supportive housing, city government, federal processes, or social issues, but
I am interested in learning about all of these things, and I think that in ten weeks I have
learned more about something that makes a real difference in the world that I have in about 15 years of academic study.
Not only was I involved with learning the “who, what, when, and where” of homelessness and supportive housing,
but I became very well engaged with the most important thing—the “how” of affecting the systemic social
change that is integral to the mission of this organization. Organization of members, collection of data and knowledge, effectively
communicating messages—these were all huge parts of this internship that will last me for a lifetime, and I will be
able to say with conviction that I have had experience with all of these things and will be able to put them to good use in
the future. Patrick Daurio ’10,
Supportive Housing Network of New York
Not only does the intern provide much needed assistance, it’s also an incredible experience for the intern.
This internship is the perfect balance of opportunity, challenge, reward, coupled with access to a unique and vibrant
community. More than anything, this experience taught me that community service
has a profound potential to change, to unite, and to instill hope. David Kwasniewski ’08, American Indian Center
