Major/minor: Environmental Studies major, OMIS and Political Science minors
Hometown: Olympia, WA
Interests: Traveling, hiking, eating, cats
Organization: Thriving Neighbors Initiative/ Ignation Center

What are your primary responsibilities?
As a Community Development Intern my role is to help TNI administer a community assessment to acquire baseline data for the Washington Neighborhood, assist with the new Parent Academy to teach parents about sending their kids to college, and stay involved with the many grants and partnerships TNI manages within the Washington Neighborhood.

What do you hope to learn from this experience?
I hope to learn how to work with a community to understand their needs and goals in order to create the most meaningful programs for them. I also hope to learn how to establish and maintain partnerships with other organizations that will result in mutually beneficial outcomes. I’d also like to improve my Spanish language skills since many of the community members do not speak English.

What do you hope to contribute to the organization?
The reason TNI has been so successful in implementing a variety of programs and getting support from the community is because of the meaningful relationships they have formed with the community members, so I hope to make strong connections with residents of the Washington Neighborhood; particularly with the moms that are actively involved at Washington Elementary School. In addition, I hope to play an important role in the success of the Parent Academy, the Community Assessment, and any other projects I am given.