My work schedule is exceedingly flexible. I usually bike to work and try to get in at 11am. Since our office is at a WeWork, I work in our actual office space for a while and then head up to the top floor of the building to work on an open floor. There, I either sit on a comfy couch or step out to the terrace. Here is a picture of our actual office space.
One of the best things about my internship thus far is that I have been introduced to a completely different field of work: community organizing. Prior to my internship, I did not know anything about organizing, but I had interests in learning more about it. If I am being completely honest, I don't think it is the kind of field that fits me, but I am gaining so many skills, like building a strong team and fostering coalitions with people and organizations. I am also adjusting to the flexibility of organizing and how much of it is building the plane as you go. It is quite the change for an ambitious Columbia student who, in all honesty, is a workaholic. The change of pace, while strange at times, is quite refreshing and a reminder that leadership is about taking accountability for my actions and building structures around myself to succeed.
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to a community organizing training at The Brotherhood Sister Sol headquarters, not too far from Columbia's campus. I had so much fun, and it was the perfect way to learn about youth organizing and build my network with activists around the city. Here are some photos of The Brotherhood Sister Sol building, which I find beautiful, and their garden.
Since the beginning, my work has narrowed quite a lot, since my supervisor has identified my skills. Given that I have extensive experience with curriculum development and putting together lesson plans, she has given me a lot of tasks related to strengthening the curriculum for the summer program she is facilitating. I also put together two workshops, one on resume writing and cover letters, which will be part of UndocuAcademy—their college access program for undocumented students. Lastly, I am working on an immigration timeline from 1492 to the present, which is currently 143 slides, in both Spanish and English, and working on a gallery walk displaying political cartoons, activist art, and artifacts from each of the key years we identified in the timeline.