Cast off the Bowlines

This year is a great chance to try something new.

Coming into this year, I decided that I wanted to take this chance to learn something new, and to get back to those things I've enjoyed before that fell to the wayside in the hustle and bustle of Princeton. My best pal from Princeton came to visit me for a week and a half, and between cooking (mis)adventures, the thrill of avoiding being run off the road by Baltimore drivers, being treated to a delicious tapas dinner by my great mentor Lindsay, and lots of talking and snacking, it was a welcome bit of relaxation as I work to find my bearings here. During one of our many jaunts to the Inner Harbor she mentioned that she intended to pick up sailing again by joining the sailing club when she got to grad school. On a whim, I Googled "Baltimore sailing", found a group called Downtown Sailing Center, and signed up for lessons! Having never stepped in a sailboat before I wasn't sure what to expect, but after my first lesson I was in love. The Domino factory made the harbor smell like sugar, the wind felt great, and the water was quiet but active. We sailed from the city to Fort McHenry (the one over which waved the famous Star Spangled Banner that Francis Scott Key wrote about). As of now I've only completed the introductory course, but I'm looking forward to practicing during the club's open sails and completing the rest of the courses, and hopefully by the time I end this fellowship I'll be a US Sailing certified skipper with plenty of seafaring tales.

Mark Twain once said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw of the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover". Although I'll be sailing in safe harbor... with a life jacket... I do intend to take these words to heart. I'm very excited for a year of sailing, sewing, piano playing, making new friends among my coworkers, and getting to know the other fellows! A far cry from toiling over Finite Element Methods problem sets, that's for sure, and a welcome and much appreciated new adventure.

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

I started two blogs when I was in college, and both times I managed to quickly find more interesting ways to waste time that I should've spent studying. (Just kidding! Of course I spent every waking moment at Princeton in front of my books…) Life in the real world hasn't been any different; I moved to DC and began work about 1 ½ months ago, but new "adult" responsibilities have occupied my free time, and after using my computer all day at work, I arrive home and try to avoid screen time for a few hours. But finally I am ready to venture back into the blogosphere to try to recap my summer thus far.

My first "real life" experience was finding an apartment, and wow, I should not have underestimated the amount of time it would take to find a place. I probably made it more difficult for myself by avoiding existing networks and choosing to focus on Craigslist, but after three weeks of emails and two (very hot and humid) weekends trekking around DC, I became an expert at finding good listings, and I now live in a fantastic shared row house in Mt. Pleasant. Other "real life" experiences have included paying rent, buying/finding furniture, grocery shopping, and, most excitingly, reading novels! For fun!

This past week was particularly exciting given the earthquake and hurricane, but for me, the most thrilling part of this week was seeing the excited 3- and 4-year olds starting their first day of school! I've been working since early July at AppleTree Institute, but my only experience with the organization's schools thus far was driving past the four buildings that were being converted into new campuses for AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School. This past Monday, AppleTree opened its doors at 7 campuses to preschool and pre-k students, and I was happily tasked with taking family photos as children entered the new Oklahoma Avenue campus. The kids proudly showed off their backpacks and smiled widely for the camera, and then (somewhat more apprehensively) ventured down the hallway to their new classrooms. Seeing their excitement, I realized that I vaguely wished I was also heading to school, but any nostalgia was fleeting, and I was relieved to be heading back to the office later that morning.

Outside of work, I've been exploring DC and my local neighborhoods. Most of my city knowledge comes from New York City, and I was surprised to realize how different DC is from New York (and how proud DC residents are of this fact). At first, I was nostalgic for New York's crowded sidewalks and fast-paced lifestyle (and the reliance on subways as opposed to buses). But now that I'm settled in, I've begun to appreciate the quiet streets in residential neighborhoods and the friendliness DC residents (generally) show to strangers. (I do still wish I could take the metro more often, but my Twitter feed helps me get through my daily bus commutes.)

In a later post, I'll reflect more about my work thus far, as well as the DC education scene, which has already had quite the exciting summer. Bis dann!

My first post!

I'm writing this, post-Hurricane Irene, from a relatively untouched Boston (there was no way I was staying in my teenie apartment!)..after huge expectations for a crazy storm up here, what a let down (for Boston, anyway).
This is my first blog for PP55, so hey everyone! I'm living in NYC now and working in the Nonprofit Services department of the Foundation Center. Let's start with New York...

Moving to the City has been an exciting and fun experience. Being from Princeton originally, I basically have been wishing to be able to move here ever since I saw Cats, my first Broadway show, when I was a kid, so it worked out pretty well! Having home close by has definitely been super convenient where moving is concerned -- first I brought a couple of suitcases, then I brought some room organizing/decorating stuff on the next trip, then I brought the things I forgot on the next trip, and so on...almost as easy as moving in and out of Princeton.

I'm in a super tiny 4th floor walk-up on the Upper East Side -- my roommates and I call it "quaint" and "cozy." I was definitely skeptical at first, in particular after having had a luxurious single in 1903 senior year, but it's turned out to be a really good time living with my roommates, who are really fun, and living on my own is the best.

Work so far has been really busy. I can't believe it, but I just finished week 5!!! The Foundation Center is a really great organization that helps train other nonprofits in proposal writing, grant seeking, finding finders, and basically any aspect of starting, running, and expanding a NPO. Our library has the largest collection of publications in philanthropy and we have the largest donor database online. It's a really big office too (about 100 people in the NY location) with a pretty corporate feel.

So what exactly do i do...? I maintain a lot of statistics - weekly, monthly, and quarterly - for both the fee-based and free courses that are held here in NYC and at our 4 field offices (Atlanta, Cleveland, DC and San Francisco). I also update the Facebook page (LIKE US!!! http://www.Facebook.com/fcnewyork). The bulk of my work involves video taping all of our special events, like panels send guest speakers, that we hold in addition to the regular training and I edit those videos into long versions for our multimedia page (http://www.grantspace.org/multimedia-archive) and short versions to be posted to our YouTube page (http://www.YouTube.com/TheFoundationCenter), as well as testimonials from people who use our library and teasers of the fee-based courses (read: i am now an iMovie pro). I'll also be writing some blog entries for the New York center blog (http://newyorkblog.foundationcenter.org)...and some other things.

SO BASICALLY I kind of wear a bunch of different hats. It's really great because I have the ability to switch between tasks and it keeps me busy, which I like (short attention span).

That's all for now - I'm looking forward to reading everyone else's blogs and sharing more of my own experiences! I hope everyone who's on the East Coast is safe from Irene...

Earthquakes and Hurricanes!

Hi everyone,

I've been living in the city for just over two months and I've already had so many new experiences, including....an earthquake. I am from Chicago where none of these silly natural disasters tend to happen. Thus, on Tuesday, when the room started to rock during our staff meeting at first I thought the construction outside had gotten really heavy. Eventually, however, we realized that wasn't the case and I may have freaked out a bit. My building was eventually evacuated and moral of the story, I am NEVER living in California. Not for me.

Anyway, besides the impending hurricane, everything is going well in my life. I still love my job, although it has been a bit slow over the summer. Sometimes I get a bit a bored at work but I think that should pass soon once things pick up during the winter....either kids get arrested less frequency over the summer or they are paroled to our program less often. Often when I don't have anything to do at the moment I will stand and talk to the lawyers or go inside the courtroom and watch a random case. Despite sitting through a number of court cases, I still definitely don't understand everything that is going on. The thing I find the most confusing are objections...I don't get when they are brought up and what makes the judge decide to sustain them versus overturning them. Hopefully I will be able to figure that out before the summer ends!

Recently I've also been working on my law school apps. It is super stressful! I never like to tell people that I am actually going to law school...I just tell them I am applying and we will see what happens after that. Additionally I am also trying to find a tutoring job, training for a half-marathon and looking for some kind of extracurricular activity I can get involved in to meet new people (if you have any ideas let me know!).

I hope everyone else is enjoying their summer as much as I am! If you are in New York I hope you have a safe and dry weekend!

Best,
Stephanie

College . . . As Seen from the Other Side

A really interesting thing about my fellowship (at least to me, maybe others think so too . . .) is that I am working for another Ivy League University. A specify 'Ivy League' because, like Princeton, Columbia University makes its Ivy school spirit evident in so many ways. Walking around campus, I see and hear Columbia tour guides constantly -- we are talking at least once a day. And I hear these tour guides -- who walk forwards and not backwards -- comparing this school to Princeton and the others. In addition, I complete a lot of my research in the Butler Library, and I believe that it is nearly impossibly for a Princeton alum to walk in without immediately thinking of Firestone. More directly, when working for the head of my organization, a professor here at Columbia, I am made aware of his shared network of some of the professors and researchers that I studied while attending Princeton. Princeton is so different than Columbia; I could seriously go on about this for pages and pages. But what I am trying to say here is that I have not yet left that Princeton bubble entirely.

The difference is that I am now a staff member in this Ivy tinted bubble -- but one that is surrounded by a thriving NYC metropolis. And it has been such a learning curve from graduating from college and then turning around and making a huge course packet this summer. And we thought that it was a lot of work reading those course packets -- I never knew about the time spent making them. Or what an experience it has been to research, fact-check, spell-check, and the like for someone who is writing those same types of articles that I spent the past four years doing a healthy balance of reading and skimming :). And I have definitely been made aware that professors, like students, have page-counts, deadlines, and their own special notebooks and binders.

When I was at Princeton, I didn't spent much time imagining what the whole experience was like from the other side. And these past 2 months or so, I have gotten a little taste of that. At the same time, I have become more acquainted with the non-profit sector; this same professor runs the non-profit that I am also working with. But it is important for me to note that my position has taught me just as much about academia, and I have not spent that much time digesting that information until now.

Classes at Teachers College, Columbia University start the week after Labor Day -- where I will be taking notes for the same class that I have been helping prepare. I will be going to class every Wednesday evening from 5:00-7:00 pm. But this time, I won't be a student :).

Earthquake!

As everyone probably knows, today there was an earthquake very close to D.C. It was completely unexpected--who knew that there were earthquakes on the East Coast? I certainly didn't. It was definitely a scary afternoon (Sarah, my cofellow, can confirm that I came this close to losing my cool); I hope I never find myself on the 10th floor of a shaking building again. Things were pretty chaotic in the city as we scrambled down flights of stairs to join hordes of other office-workers out on the sidewalks. Everyone was trying to figure out what was happening and what to do next.

More than anything, though, I would say that the uncertainty surrounding today's earthquake is an apt (and convenient) metaphor for what's happening at Character Education Partnership this week. No, my organization hasn't fallen into chaos nor entered into disaster mode, but yes, I am definitely anxious about our next moves. My main project--helping to plan CEP's 18th National Forum on Character Education--needs a lot of work, and my supervisor and I (along with most of our coworkers) are feeling stressed. We need to find about 600 more registrants for the conference while making sure that every element of the conference runs smoothly. I always knew that event planning was hard work, but it wasn't until this week that it really hit me.

We have a lot to do. Our work is cut out for us in the final push to advertise the Forum and tie together the event's numerous loose ends. While I expect these next couple months before the conference will be stressful, I'm excited to work through the issues, figure things out, and minimize aftershocks :)

Serving and Socializing!

A month into my fellowship, my work at Character Education Partnership continues to excite me and never fails to keep me busy. Maybe this is something I should have expected--after all, this is a year-long fellowship and a month is actually not a very long time. However, after spending multiple summers in internship positions where I was given license to essentially do whatever I wanted and where I oftentimes created my own work and sense of responsibility, finding myself being held accountable for more than enough work to do everyday is a new experience for me, and one that I have found to be enjoyable and rewarding. I cannot stress enough what a valuable experience I think it will be to have worked for a year in a small non-profit such as CEP. The fellows here are integral parts of the staff--without them, work that is crucial to the success of the organization would simply not get done. I derive a lot of satisfaction from learning about ALL the aspects of running a non-profit (fundraising, development, communications, accounting, administration, managing the various programs, working with the Board, etc.), and from having the opportunity to see firsthand how my day-to-day tasks contribute to the overall well-being of CEP. The day that my first grant is accepted will definitely be a personal as well as a group triumph!

Beyond my actual fellowship position, I've also enjoyed taking advantage of the other aspects of the fellowship program--meeting my mentor and the other fellows! My mentor (class of '01) has been really helpful as I try to figure out exactly what it is I want to do with my life. Like me, she graduated from Princeton knowing that she wanted to help kids but unsure as to how she wanted to do so. Like me, she ruled out a lot of careers that she did NOT want to pursue but didn't have a clear idea for a career that she did want to pursue. Talking to her about her job as a policy analyst focusing on child health and early education granted me a lot of insight into the vast number of careers available for someone who wants to make a difference in the lives of children but isn't sure that doing clinical work is the right path for her. After our conversations, I'm doing more research on maternal/child health and other public health programs.

And of course, I have loved meeting the other fellows! The social chairs of the fellowship program in DC organized a dinner for us in late July, and today we had more bonding time during DC Public Schools Beautification Day, which is a citywide effort to clean up all the public schools before the first day of school. I joined some of this year's and last year's fellows at Stuart Hobson Middle School (the #2 middle school in the District, as one of the parents proudly informed us), where we moved books to their designated classrooms, sweeped the sidewalks, and cleared the gates of weeds and vines. It was an early morning that turned into a hot day, but I had a lot of fun helping out at the school, meeting some of the students and parents there, and getting to know the other fellows a little better. Adjusting to an environment in which, unlike college, you have to actually try in order to be social has been difficult at times, and it's nice to have a network of people my age who share many of my interests through Project 55/AlumniCorps. I'm very grateful that we're provided with these opportunities to serve and connect with one another, and I'm looking forward to participating in more fellows' events to come!

Busy Busy Busy

To start with, I started writing this post in a spare moment at work two days ago and have not had a chance to finish it until now.  Last week was insane and yesterday, Friday, was my first (and hopefully last) 12 hour work day.  In at 6:45 am and out at 6:45 pm.  I'm working crazy hours and when I get home I pretty much eat dinner, watch TV, and go to bed.

When I wrote my first post about exactly a month ago, things were pretty slow here at Achievement Prep.  It was the middle of the summer and just the administrative staff was in the building, an occasional teacher but nary a scholar in sight.  (We call all students "scholars" here, and if you make a mistake you will be corrected.  It's part of our immensely strong school culture.)  Anyway, the following week, my third week of work, my experience at Achievement Prep changed radically overnight.  First, the new Platinum Teachers (bear with me here as I thrown down APA jargon) arrived on July 25th for the first day of their three week Summer Institute, in which they are acclimated to the special needs of our scholars (i.e. many of them are years behind in math and reading skills) and indoctrinated into the school culture.  We have special names for things, we sing songs about our school and to learn our multiplication tables and the message is drilled into the new staff as it has been this week into the new scholars - THIS IS NOT YOUR OLD SCHOOL.

This past week has been what is known as Preparation Academy.  This week is a chance for new scholars to learn classroom procedures, how things work at breakfast, lunch, and dismissal, how we walk in the hallways (along the edge of the blue tile, voices on silent!), as well as how we use the bathroom.  As Ms. Wright, Founder and Head of School, teaches all new female scholars, we are exquisite and refined ladies of Achievement Prep and we deserve a clean bathroom.  It takes a community working together to make this a reality, and you had better wash your hands, and to make sure you wash long enough you have to sing Happy Birthday - but the Stevie Wonder version of course.  Teachers had a chance to teach a class to the scholars and receive feedback from the administrators.  I've been working with the External Affairs team to make sure the paperwork for the new scholars is all in order and it's a monumental task.  I'm juggling about 100 files and I need to know exactly what is in each of them and if something is incomplete, how specifically and follow up with parents and former schools to get the right stuff.  

So far, I've done mostly administrative work at Achievement Prep so I'm looking forward to getting into the swing of the school year when enrollment season will be winding down and only the last few bits of paperwork will be coming in.  At that point, recruitment for the 2012-13 school year will begin and there will be a lot to do in terms of reworking the recruitment process.  The school is basically doubling in size this year from about 100 to 200+ and it's much more likely that a parent will be coming to the school without understanding as fully all the special ways that we approach things.

Also, I've submitted a proposal to lead an enrichment class (since we don't have art or music or gym class at APA) so hopefully, come September, I'll be leading an Art and Art Appreciation Class, helping out with keyboard lessons, or leading a Green / Gardening / Sustainability Club!

Teamwork

I’ve played in a lot of teams over the years, beginning with my prize-winning tee-ball ventures as a little kid (the prize was one of those plastic trophies with a girl swinging a bat on it and a little plaque that said “MVP” even though everyone got one for participating). I’ve worked on problem sets and projects with others, and been in clubs and on committees. However, as I settle into my job at the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, I realize how much I have to learn about teamwork.

In addition to learning about health care, this fellowship is teaching me about collaborating with teams of diverse people on projects. I am splitting my time between two main projects: “Hospital to Primary Care Connect” (H-PC) which I am working to expand from its focus on reducing avoidable Emergency Department visits; and “Triple Aim in Montgomery County” (TA-MC) which is aiming to implement programs aimed at improving health outcomes, individual experience of care, and cost-effectiveness of care in the county. These two projects, my supervisors, and the teams that I am working with are extremely different from each other.

There are intelligent people with a variety of backgrounds that are working on the teams – some people have experience with business, some with public health research, some with data analysis and IT, some have had clinical experience. Partly as a result, as one of my supervisors has pointed out to me, they focus on different aspects of a project, and have different learning, thinking, and working styles. Often, to move a project forward and accomplish the goals of a meeting, it’s important to strategically think about how to mediate between the different personalities, ideas, and emphases. I’ve never really stepped back and thought about something like this, and it’s definitely a steep learning curve for me to become good at understanding how people think about things and incorporating that information into how I present or talk about an issue.

My Kind of Town, Chicago Is

Frank Sinatra really knew what he was talking about.

Having one of the latest start dates, I just arrived in the Windy City on Wednesday. Since then it's been a mad dash to set up internet and activate electricity (I'm sure I'm not the only one who could now write a dissertation on the ins and outs of sitting on hold with ComEd and AT&T), get a physical with TB test for my employers (at the CVS Minute Clinic, which I had never heard of before this morning), and do the first round of groceries. Currently I am sitting in the Lincoln Park branch of the Chicago Public Library, benefiting from free WiFi after picking up my library card. One of my supervisors at the Carole Robertson Center for Learning just sent me a list of reading I might find beneficial before I start work a week from Monday. I must admit that I feel a little like I'm back in high school, cramming months of summer reading into the last few days of summer, but I'm also excited. I can see myself, this weekend, stretched out in a park somewhere preparing for work.

In the midst of all this, I've managed to enjoy several tranquil moments. On my first evening in town, I joined my fellow fellows and other members of the Project 55 community for a meet and greet picnic at Millennium Park where we were serenaded with John Adams' The Chairman Dances and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, part of the Grant Park Music Festival. I chatted and listened to music. I ate way too much watermelon.

Yesterday evening I strolled around my new neighborhood, Lincoln Park. The weather was perfect, which just enough breeze in the trees and a lot of young families wandering around and, like me, enjoying the last days of summer.

Seeing as NYC tends to be quite expensive...

... I figured I should share this really handy email list I was recently informed of. It's called The Skint (subscribe for free at theskint.com), and it sends a daily list of free and/or cheap events that are happening around the city. On my lunch break today, for instance, my co-worker and I wandered over to this free outdoor NASA exhibit... it was probably geared more toward the elementary school age crowd, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. Events like these are a great way to get out and explore some of the city without having to pay a fortune.

Speaking of free events, there's also going to be a free Mini-Reunion (complete with free drinks and Hors d'Oeuvres!) for the class of 2011 at the Princeton Club on August 31 - you can check out more info on the facebook event page (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188068284592415).

I can't believe that I've been working for a little over two months already and that the summer is almost starting to wind down. Work is going pretty well - my organization is trying to expand, so we're currently a bit all over the place trying to figure out exactly what that means for us and how to do it successfully. I'm hoping that we will have a settled plan soon and can start to move forward, but for the moment it's really interesting being a part of the process and seeing all of the different factors that go into decisions like this. Where we go from here may change the future direction of the organization, so it's great to be a part of. I just wish work could involve more sunlight... oh well, I guess I'll just have to go to more free outdoor events...

My Day at a Library Branch

This past Friday, I was lucky enough to to leave my cubicle for the day to work at the Haverford branch of the Free Library system. The library, located at the intersection of Haverford Avenue, 56th and Westminster Streets, is slightly west of my apartment and provides services for the Haddington and Carroll Park neighborhoods, both of which are working-class, predominantly African-American communities. Arriving at the library at 8:45, I was eagerly greeted by the library staff and shown around the bright and airy library, which features a children's computer station designed to look like an aquarium. People began to queue up at the library's doors almost a half an hour before the scheduled 10:00 AM opening. When the security guard finally unlocked the door at ten, a good fifteen people streamed in. Some immediately headed for the computer cluster while others made a beeline for the children's department.

The flow of people seemed to never cease. I was stationed at the help desk near the computer cluster, which was always full of people availing themselves of the library's tech resources. Over the course of the day, I helped ten different people compose, upload, and submit their resumés and/or apply for jobs. Some of them had only used a computer on a handful of occasions and some of them had been coming to the library to apply for jobs for weeks. Helping them through the application process was an eye-opening experience. Seeing their relieved faces when a website would register that it had received their application made me even more aware of the severity of our current economic climate. These men and women were doggedly pursuing any employment opportunity that they could find. I was awed by their persistence and made keenly conscious of the advantages that I enjoy as an employed college graduate.

It's Payday, Payday...

I received my first paycheck today. This is a significant event in my life not only because it makes me feel like a worthy human being to know that I earn my own spending money, but also because… well, because I now *have* spending money. Until I pay my overdue rent. But I believe at least I will avoid awkward situations, such as the one in which I found myself a few days ago. I was leaving the Lower East Side late-ish on Friday when a homeless man approached me outside the subway stop. He held a cardboard sign asking for $1 and I couldn’t help myself but laugh as I replied: “Would you believe me if I told you I literally don’t have one dollar?” (In truth, I had some coins in my wallet, but I’m pretty sure they didn’t amount to a whole dollar.) The man tried to push a wrinkled dollar bill into my hand. When a homeless man takes pity on you and offers you money, you know you need to get your personal finances straight…

I think my life might stop sounding like a comedy show soon, but who knows.

Connecticut!

hello! :)

I've been working at the Housing Development Fund here in Stamford, CT for exactly a month now and, though I have to say I never imagined myself living in CT, it has been really awesome so far! Here are just a few of the things that I love:

- The offices of the Housing Development Fund's Stamford branch are located on the ground floor of a luxury apartment complex. The wonderful people at HDF set me up in a beautiful one-bedroom apartment that's in the same building that I work in - which means my commute is just one elevator ride! (Plus, being that HDF champions affordable housing, my rent is less than half of what it should be!) And you should see the rooftop gym and resident lounge...

- Speaking of HDF, my coworkers are all friendly, down-to-earth, admirable people who do such good work, helping low- and moderate- income families work towards purchasing their first homes (or avoid foreclosure) in one of the most expensive housing markets in the U.S. Not only do we provide free one-on-one counseling to these families, we also provide them with loan products and invest in developers who build affordable housing units. So, in a way, HDF is like a nonprofit bank, which is so unique (and makes it a sustainable nonprofit).

As part of the Development and Communications department, I (so far) write press releases, do research for grants and grant reports, design any promotional material, write/design newsletters, help plan events, and my current big project - redesign our website! Compared to being an architecture major at Princeton, my job is definitely low on stress and also 9 to 5 which is just what I need!

- Downtown Stamford is a great place to live - it's a lot livelier than I ever expected, with a ton of people at night populating Restaurant Row (which is just a block from my apartment). I'm also at a walkable distance from a grocery store (on my street), a really fabulous mall, the library, a Target, and even the train station (though I often take a bus there). The Stamford train station can lead you anywhere, but most notably, it is just a 45-50 min train ride to New York City - and I go almost every weekend! Living the relatively quiet suburban life during the weekdays and the busy city life (and nightlife) on the weekends is the perfect balance for me. :)

^There are quirky artist sculptures everywhere in Stamford. This dog lives in front of the town library.

I hope everyone's having a fantastic summer! More details about my organization to come...

KSS 2011

So although I've been at the KIPP Foundation for almost two months now(!!!!), most of my time has been spent preparing for and executing our annual KIPP School Summit, this year held in Nashville.

I never realized that putting on a conference was so intense. It was 3/4 professional development conference 1/4 pep rally for 2200 teachers and school leaders. We also had 170 potential/current investors and partners who attended (this is kind of my jam, as I'm on the Development team), each of whom needed a registration packet, complete with personalized itinerary. Which is fine, but because they're such big deals, their plans change a lot :/ Kept us on our toes, for sure.

Best parts about KSS in Nashville:

- Seeing the impact we're having on real students. We had a bunch of co-curricular groups come in, and I got to meet a lot of the KIPPsters. I also got a chance to meet some graduated KIPPsters who had made it through college. Seeing the growth that happens between the two stages was incredible. I was definitely proud to be part of the movement.

- Nashville is awesome. Maybe it's because I'm pretty country myself, but I LOVED the city. Live music everywhere, tons of people who dress like me (who I never really managed to find in Princeton), perfect nighttime weather (remember, I live in SF now), and a great opportunity to get to know my coworkers better

- I got to run with Former Mayor Adrian Fenty. yup. we're tight now. He was down to go as far as I wanted and only kind of kicked my butt. In my defense, it was 5 am on the day after the hottest day in Nashville since 1956 and my 6th day of training @ 5 that week, but I'll give him the win on that one anyway :) There were all sorts of rock stars like him who attended (Meg Whitman, Reed Hastings, Pam Flaherty, John Fisher, Doris Fisher, Mark Nunnelly, etc) and while I tried to be as professional and levelheaded as possible, inside I was leaping up and down like a three year old.

What I didn't like about Nashville:

***crickets chirping***

...but in all seriousness, it was a LOT of work. I only had time to go out and see the city a couple of times throughout the 7 days I was there and the days were ridiculously LONG. Guess I know what it would feel like to be in banking, now ;) And they don't get to change lives every day. Oh yeah. I went there. Sappy, but true.

In short, I'm loving it here. I drank the KIPP Koolaid. I'll save my thoughts on what I love/ don't love about SF for next time.

Jobs

Today marks my first Thursday at NYCCD. So far I have loved it here. One thing that has really amazed me is how different a real job--or at least my job--is from school:

1. Pick your assignments- I'm given a lot of freedom to decide what to work on and how to approach it. I am currently designing the Parent Teacher Association meeting calendar for the upcoming year and I get to decide what to put on it. My ideas so far are a discussion about how to manage your child's Individual Education Plan as a parent and a talk on keeping kids active (perhaps including a bicycling trip). Having so much freedom is fantastic because even when my supervisor gives me a project that doesn't seem too interesting I can shape it into something I'm excited about. I wish I could have changed assignments I didn't feel like doing at Princeton in this way!

2. Not competitive- every person in my office has a different job and at the same time we're all working toward the same ultimate goal-- to help the kids this organization serves. As a result, there is no sense of competition. My computer wasn't set up to print for the first few days so I had to keep bugging my office mate Rosa to print stuff for me. I kept thinking she would get annoyed but she always seemed happy to help. Try repeatedly asking grumpy Firestoners to print things and I doubt you'll have the same success...

3. All kinds of people- My office mates range from twenty-year-old teachers to sixty-year-old nurses to forty year olds whose English is worse than my Spanish. I have really enjoyed getting to know such a variety of people.

4. When you're done you're done. When I walk out of here each evening I bring only my empty lunchbox. Papers and work are left at my desk and I have the whole night ahead. At school I certainly did take chunks of hours off of work but usually with a tinge of guilt. Now I run the Hudson River Park guilt free. Tonight I am planning a picnic.

All this aside, I really miss Princeton... Does anyone else dream about getting ready to go out on a Saturday night or Frist candy?

There is No Way that it's August Already

Ok so I KNOW everyone has written about time flying and I'm not trying to beat a dead horse here but seriously....I can't believe it's Aug. I feel like yesterday I started working (June) and there is just no way that months have passed and I didn't notice.
So I started to reflect and wonder why might these months have sped past? Am i having such an exhilarating work experience that time simply flew past me? Or maybe they're keeping me so busy that I barely notice time passing? I thought really hard and realized I couldn't come up with one single thing, but rather like a gazillion answers. I had a different reason for why each week had blown by so quickly.
Whether it was laundry, dishes, or crunch time at work, visiting family, meeting up with friends, running errands, keeping up w/personal emails, traveling to NY to visit Princeton peeps, cleaning the apartment, making it to that friends b-day party, grocery shopping, balancing the monthly budget/bills, getting in your weekly jog, yoga, gym, or aerobics class, and MAYBE breathing if you get a chance. After this reflection I called about 2 other fellows who simply laughed at the fact that they knew EXACTLY what i was talking about. I mean it's not like Pton is easy or anything but this real life thing certainly isn't a walk in the park if you know what I'm saying. I know everyone's experience is slightly different but I feel like pretty much you all can relate...or maybe not and it's just me..making this yet another awkward moment for my novice blogging career. lol but it's all good.
So how do we manage this crazy-ness aka "the real world?"
My answer: I have no idea...just as new to it as you all. :-) But I Googled it and thought that some of you might find these tips helpful.

1. "Stop and relax. When someone has so many things to accomplish, pressure will only lead to stress. Once you are into this dreary state, getting out of it might take days, weeks, or even months - depending on your level of motivation. Organize your thoughts in order to better organize that tight schedule."

2. If relaxing, and planning properly and all that good stuff doesn't work for you then you should at least talk to someone about it. This month I finally met up with my mentor and she ROCKS!! Like honestly i was so surprised by how well we clicked even though we didn't have that much in common but the best part is everything that I was explaining to her...she had experienced and had great tips for me. And they're SO eager to help. And even when she was stumped I was happy to just be able to vent. You know...vent about the stuff that goes on that you CAN'T blog about. lol ;-) But seriously even if it's not your mentor...talk to someone. It can't hurt.

So those are my two tips...a bunch of other stuff happened in Aug/July but those were the two most imp thing i learned that I'll def carry with me through the rest of the year. ps those of you in the D dot C we should hang out!! I know a bunch of great places so shoot me an email and let's make something happen

Happy fellowing,
Kahina

That Happened...

... And it will keep happening.

I wore flip-flops on my way to work and changed into my heels only in front of the office. Flip-flops are apparently the number one thing you are NOT supposed to wear at work, but there's no penalty for wearing them before and after! I know this is no revelation, but I just highly encourage everyone to do it and not feel ashamed of changing shoes on the sidewalk. Those corporate suits giving you a seemingly contemptuous look are really just jealous of your blister-free feet.

Disclaimer: The author of the blog displaying the above picture argues that flip-flops are actually dangerous to wear in New York. He might have a point there, but even so, you can always wear sneakers or rain boots to the office and back, depending on the weather.

The Real Citizens of New York

I’m rarely shocked by poverty and destitution, because I’ve seen a fair amount of both throughout my life. Yet, this city has managed to surprise me.

I’ve seen the ragged beggars sleeping on the steps of churches at night. I recently even saw a policeman tasering a homeless man who was asleep under the roof of Newark Penn Station. As a dutiful new New Yorker, I’ve almost learned to look away or pretend those people don’t exist, although this saddens me and makes me feel ashamed.

But the other day, in the fashionable shopping stretch of Fifth Avenue, I couldn’t pretend to be blind. A young white woman was sitting on the pavement close to the giant Cole Haan store, holding a sign:

PREGNANT
IN AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
NEED MONEY FOR FOOD

And indeed, she was visibly pregnant, sitting there quietly in her fairly clean but worn clothes. I’m not sure what the moral of this story is. Perhaps, it’s that vulnerability is not just a quality of urban minorities. Perhaps, it’s that in this city of beautiful facades, even the beggars on Fifth Avenue are attractive young women.

Philadelphia's Prison Population Drop

At its peak in January 2009, the inmate population hit nearly 10,000. Since then, it has fallen to 8,200 - and dropped below 7,700 in the spring. The inmate population drop has largely been attributed to policy changes by District Attorney Seth Williams. These policies include a greater emphasis on pre-trial diversion programs (such as the Small Amounts of Marijuana program, and the Accelerated Misdemeanor Program which I am involved in), as well as changes in the way that prosecutors charge crimes.

Here are a few links to the newspaper coverage of the recent Pew Report documenting Philadelphia's prison population drop, as well as a link to the report.

"Pew: changes are reducing Philly's prison population"--Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20110720_Pew__Changes_are_reducing_Phillys_prison_population.html

"Prison population down; new programs cited"--Daily News

http://articles.philly.com/2011-07-21/news/29797937_1_community-court-prison-population-court-administrator

"Philadelphia's Less Crowded, Less Costly Jails"--Pew Charitable Trusts

http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/Philadelphia_Research_Initiative/Philadelphia-Jail-Population.pdf