One of my main projects was to help coordinate and on-board new board members. I have previously worked with the Emotional PPE Project and have seen the organization undergo tremendous change this summer. The organization was originally started during the pandemic to help support health care workers. As the needs following the pandemic have changed, so has the organization. The current president has been around from the beginning, but working with him to help bring on six new and excited board members truly helped re-invigorate the team. So often we are told that who we work with matters, and this experience led me to see the result of that firsthand.

When doing market research, I discovered another organization who was involved with creating mental health training for health care workers. This is a new service line the Emotional PPE Project is interested in entering as part of the organization's growth strategy. I took the lead on this project and successfully reached out to the organization. It was very rewarding to be able to coordinate and prepare for the meeting from initial research to follow-up. My boss also offered me the opportunity to lead the meeting. In the end, we learned a lot about next steps for trainings and look forward to keeping in touch with our new contact.

Finally, this summer I was able to be involved in setting organization strategy going forward. I personally am very interested in pursuing strategic roles in the future so felt most excited about sitting in on meetings and helping to shape the next steps for the organization. I discovered that I love thinking on a larger scale, but also dialing down and helping map out tangible steps to go from where we are today to where we want to be in the future.

One of the key things I've learned in the MPH is how to better lead presentations and to engage in market research. These were new skills that I brought to the Emotional PPE Project this summer, and I felt they were essential to help me dive into some of the engagements I had this summer. I also was more data-focused, justifying potential actions with data or helping advocate for gathering more information before making key decisions. The MPH has also helped teach me to find growth in being uncomfortable. There were definitely moments within the summer where I was not fully confident that I knew how to do the work I was doing. Rather than be stuck or discouraged by this feeling I leaned in and utilized resources, research, and my own creativity to find solutions.

The project had recently experienced some turnover before I came on board. Though the former members of the team were well loved and maintain a positive relationship with the board, some of the support for the project has waned following the pandemic. People no longer have as much time or passion to donate their services for free. One of these key roles that was left empty was the financial and compliance officer. She did not leave clear notes when she left, meaning that some key documents and deadlines were missed. I was asked to help clean up both the drive and ensure that the project was meeting deadlines for state compliance, including things like the charity renewal. As I dove In, I realized that these crucial administrative tasks were far behind where they should have been. It was quite stressful trying to wrangle together all the information I needed to help move us in the right direction, especially since I do not have experience filling out many of these forms.

In addition, my other main challenge was sometimes being the main driver on project momentum. Many of the board work outside of the organization, and though it is a working board, and at times the project is not top priority for them. This can make it challenging to accomplish things with a quick turnaround — something that was more frustrating for me. There are so many positive and exciting ideas that come out of board meetings but moving them to fruition is much more challenging. I think to some extent though this is probably true about any organization or larger team that you work with, so I appreciated the opportunity to learn from this and try out different organization and mitigation tactics.

One of my main takeaways was how much I enjoyed working in a strategy role. I truly feel like this summer I have dialed further into what I want to do in the future. I am truly grateful for the trust the leadership team placed in me and the opportunities they gave me to work with them and not just for them. I also learned what I do not want to do — and that is taking on a role that centers around preparing tax documents!

I also was reminded of the importance of organization. Especially in a nonprofit where a lot of the responsibility fell on me for both big and small maintenance tasks, and staying on top of everything was of the upmost importance. As I mentioned in the challenges question, I also appreciated the chance to learn and grow from a pain point. My organization and staying on top of things was the best way I found to keep other people accountable and to be able to know when to appropriately follow up.

Finally, I also solidified for myself the importance of working with an organization that has a mission and a culture that aligns with my values. In the past I have taken on opportunities to learn, but without diving deeper into what the culture might be. These experiences have often ended up not being my favorite. In my role this summer, though I was tasked with projects both interesting and less interesting, I was much more able to see the bigger picture and find opportunities for learning and growth even when I was engaged in less exciting projects. I also truly enjoyed working with the team and found myself to be well supported and valued.