I worked on a project that retrospectively examined the financial impact of telemedicine on different grants. With COVID-19 and its impact now at the forefront of our minds, it is useful to see how telemedicine can be leveraged for the new health care landscape. By figuring out the overall utilized capacity of these grants, we could potentially decide whether to reallocate funds for other uses, allowing the organization to maximize work in fulfilling their mission— helping people with disabilities live lives of comfort, dignity, and accessibility. Much of my work on this project involved trying to present information in an accessible way: sifting through the data and coming out with a story to share with decision makers. My classes taught me how to filter through and present the information in the right way, ensuring it was understandable for everybody from the technical to managerial levels.

I felt that a big challenge was understanding how to frame my past experiences in for-profit consulting into a nonprofit context. Sometimes I needed to stop and remind myself the goal is to increase assistance and care, not necessarily create as much revenue as possible. Another challenge was in communications; COVID made in-person office visits infrequent, so we had to do a lot of our work on video calls, which creates a different dynamic among our team than actually being in the office. Additionally, it made soliciting feedback a harder process because you couldn’t constantly approach your peers and team leaders. I had to be strategic about what to bring up during my check-ins to make sure everyone’s valuable time was used efficiently. Also, I had a lot of medical lingo I had to catch up on. What helped was doing independent research outside of work to familiarize myself with the acronyms and conditions described often during meetings.

When I finished my undergraduate degree, I didn’t think too much about what I wanted to do. I sort of just took a consulting job because of a variety of expectations imposed on me. After a few years, though, it became quite clear that I was happiest when knowing I was helping people. I did a lot of volunteering on the side of my job, and I often imagined what it would be like to be a professional “do-gooder.” That’s why I applied to Columbia in the first place, actually; I wanted the most opportunity I could to make myself the best version I could be for nonprofits.

I came into this internship wanting to immerse myself in working in that kind of environment. I definitely felt I got that experience, even if a good majority of it was remote. Hearing perspectives from management and reading board reports gave me some insight into the day-to-day process, despite the social distancing restrictions. Additionally, even if I couldn’t attend them in person, I was shown pictures of the care sites, which went a long way to making me understand the positive impact of my work. I really appreciate my organization for going above and beyond to do that! This project helped me develop a sense of what nonprofits look for when considering investments. It was a useful experience for me to further my goals of making a career change into the social impact space. Ultimately I think this was a good investment for Columbia to match me with this organization; I feel we were a good fit for each other!