During my LIA, I had the privilege of working under Lisette Hughes, the Education Initiatives Manager at the College and Community Fellowship (CCF). Lisette manages the creation of the THRIVE Curriculum, including overseeing the duties of the three summer interns (which includes me). We checked in weekly, she provided feedback on my tasks and on my progress in the organization, but beyond that, she provided so much information and expertise concerning the operation and context of CCF and our mission. 

I was lucky enough to staff and attend the CCF Graduation ceremony. When I arrived on location, Lisette was ready with a game plan; she managed at least a dozen people, ensuring that everyone had a task to complete. When something went wrong, she solved the problem and let us know how to proceed. I truly aspire to have a similar sense of calm and efficient communication in such situations. 

I feel I was able to absorb some amount of these soft skills. I became very adaptable in my role. For example, as a history major, I primarily deal with written communication—I read essays and write essays. But in my role as an intern, I also dealt with data collection and processing. I became accustomed to looking at numbers while also using my skills to communicate their importance through briefs and one-pagers. 

While I did not take any photos of the graduation (to protect the privacy of the graduates), I do have some photos of the different places I was while I was working remotely! Most of the time I’m on site in NY, but sometimes my work can be done virtually! Enjoy the view of Columbia University (the view from Lowe Steps), the University of Pennsylvania (in one of it's many libraries), and Riverside Park!