New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center

My fellowship at the Heads Up! Pediatric Literacy program takes me to nine of the program’s 11 clinic sites. In my next few posts, I’ll try to describe what it’s like to visit each one. Activities at each site are different, and that makes things interesting!

New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center: In 1992, the Heads Up! Program was founded here, and originally ran out of this hospital only. My office is here, so I order books and pay invoices for the entire program from this site. I usually spend just a few hours a day on these tasks, and am in Cornell’s clinic or at other program sites at other times.

There are two pediatric outpatient clinics in my building at Cornell. One is on the 3^rd floor, where my office is, and the other—the Medicaid clinic—is on the 5^th. Patients with private insurance are typically seen on the 3^rd floor, and those with government-issued insurance are typically found in the 5^th floor waiting room. (At least, this is how I think it works. The pediatric specialties also seem to run out of the 3^rd floor clinic.) The book program runs on the 5^th floor, but not the 3^rd.

It should not surprise me that the clinics look different, but it does. Recently renovated, the 3^rd floor boasts a colorful floor, fresh paint, and inviting murals. The waiting room is spacious, comfortable, and well stocked with magazines. The Medicaid clinic appears to see a larger patient volume and has a playroom, which the children love. But it also has some walls with chipped or dirty paint, and far fewer colorful, inviting features. At busy times, there also never seems to be quite enough seating for waiting patients and family members.

I chose this fellowship because I am troubled by health care disparities, and want to spend my life attempting to alleviate them. Excellent care—the most important thing—is given in both clinics, but I can’t help but wondering when the 5^th floor’s last paint job was. I know about reimbursement issues, but I can’t help but wish the two clinics could be equally beautiful, and feel somewhat stung that they are not.

Of all the clinic sites, my activities at Cornell are the most diverse. In addition to my role as the book program coordinator, I am helping with several clinical research studies, and attend grand rounds or another medical lecture once or twice a week. On Mondays, I also shadow a physician for a few hours. The Monday shadowing is in the “preemie follow-up clinic,” where the development of premature infants (now older and living at home) is tracked until the medical team feels confident that the child is developing appropriately, and is receiving services, if any are needed.

Building the Plane while Flying it

I'm starting to understand why "Build the plane while flying it" was on the page.

During my first supervision meeting (about 3 months ago!), my supervisor and I went over a page of Umoja's guiding principles. Some of the listed principles included keeping students at the center, and meeting students where they are. My supervisor went through the list and discussed some of what she thought were the most important principles (though she stressed that all are important). Most of the principles were self-explanatory or seemed obviously relevant to my work. When we reviewed the principle "build the plane while flying it," I remember thinking that really only applied to the staff members in director positions or the chief officers. The idea behind the principle is this: Umoja does really great work for the students, teachers, and communities that it serves. In order to do good work, you sometimes need to take risks. Moreover, you need to follow through. I believe that this is part of the beauty of the organization. It has also taken some getting used to.

I don't want to go picture-crazy in this post so I will just attach one from the open mic that we just had on Thursday.


The event was coordinated by one of the teachers at the school and the Writers Workshop students I work with helped put up fliers, they all attended the event, and a few of our students (such as the one pictured above) performed. The event was well attended (as I hope you can see from the picture), and there was so much talent in the room. I would definitely call the event a success.

I am one of the facilitators for the Umoja Writers Workshop. Since I was an English/Creative Writing student at Princeton, I figured the particular position would be a perfect fit for me. This has definitely been a learning opportunity. The Writers Workshop is not new to Umoja and the bar has been set high. The challenge for me has been trying to maintain the standard for a group when I am new to the group and have never facilitated a group of more than 15 or so students (Writers Workshop has 30). My co-facilitators for the group are two of the chief officers of Umoja. I was nervous/intimidated about working with them but it has been such a great thing. As I discussed with my supervisor, even though I am facilitating this semester, this is also a time for learning and professional growth. That being said, there are days when one of the co-facilitators will lead (model) a particular activity so I can see how it is done and then work towards being able to lead that particular activity myself. We try to make sure that the program is rigorous but is engaging and relevant for the students. To do so, we have made a few changes to the curriculum, the structure of our day, as well as our facilitation styles. We recently had a group meeting with this year's facilitators and one of last year's facilitators to have some "thought partnership." We're building the plane while flying it. The program has already had 10 sessions but we are still adding to it, fixing it and working out the kinks. I don't know that we will ever be 100% satisfied but the point is to work towards that.

The concept of building the plane while flying it also applies to my fellowship at Umoja in general. My job responsibilities are not set in stone (and I have learned not to get too comfortable with anything). While I know that I am responsible for the Writers Workshop program and much of the background work required (such as coordinating field trips, etc), my other role was not clear for some time. I had a pretty good idea, however, that my other role would be in restorative justice. I recently began shadowing my supervisor in the Peace Room to run peace circles/peer mediation. We then recently discussed me working with the student leaders instead. I have learned to be patient throughout the process and to be ready to jump in wherever I'm needed. As I continue on with my fellowship, my position is still being crafted/redefined.

The greatest thing for me, to date, has been the relationships I have been building with the students, teachers, school staff, and the Umoja staff.

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In very different news, I had a great time meeting up with Emily (one of the D.C. fellows) yesterday. She was in Chicago for a conference and it was nice to catch up and exchange stories about our fellowship experiences :)

Homelessness Training Session

Yesterday I went to a training session about the emergency shelter system for families in Massachusetts. I was surprised at the hoops families have to jump through to be housed in a shelter. The state agencies deter families from applying, makes it very hard for them to be eligible, and makes it challenging for families to re-enter the shelter system if they leave. I was overwhelmed by the obvious faults of the system, but also the struggle that there aren’t easy solutions. Children’s HealthWatch, my fellowship organization, is working on report about the negative maternal and child health effects that are evident among families behind on rent. Typically the health of children is most compromised among homeless children, but our analyses revealed that families behind on rent have a strikingly similarly poor health status. I am struggling with what to do with this information and how positive change can be inflicted on the systemic level. My fellowship has both a research and a policy component and while I have done research before the policy side is more new to me. The policy side to scientific analyses is the area where I am learning so much about. At first glance there seem to be easy systemic solutions such as using funds for housing subsidies and housing stabilization to avoid the need for shelters. While MA policy does have a new emphasis on homelessness prevention what happens to the thousands of families already homeless? While it is clear the current system isn’t effective as all shelters are at capacity, yet more families need the services daily, how can the system transition into one where there is less of a need for shelters? At the point closest to impact, these children and families need a safe place to sleep tonight. I have been lucky to see examples of answers to some of my questions and thoughts in other research topics I’ve been working on. For example the there is a Food Stamps/SNAP coalition meeting that I attend monthly, where members of all sorts of different organizations come together to problem solve and brainstorm ways to reach more families and ensure families are getting the greatest benefit possible. This group has implemented many improvements to the program over the years and in one instance I know there change became a national standard. Having spent so much time at Princeton in the library researching and thinking through issues it is exciting to be in a position where I am still able to research and think through real life problems, but I have the opportunity to go one step further and see the action steps that follow.

Spotted: Former P55 mentor and current First Lady

My last few weeks in DC have been very exciting and very busy, but for the purposes of this blog entry I’ll focus on just one exciting event: Last week, my mentor took me and another P55 fellow to a Democratic National Committee event featuring Victoria Kennedy (the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s wife) and First Lady Michelle Obama. We had the opportunity to briefly meet Mrs. Obama, and of course, we excitedly informed her that we were fellow Princeton graduates and current Project 55 fellows. She responded with equally genuine excitement, telling us that she had formerly been a P55 mentor in Chicago (I will admit that at this point, we ruined the moment a little bit by replying, “We know!”) and wishing us luck with the remainder of our fellowship year.

It was a real treat to be able to see her speak in person – she was incredibly poised, eloquent, and sincere. Her remarks covered topics ranging from Bo Obama’s first birthday party (she referred to him as her “new son”) to her personal connection to the health care reform bill because of her father’s battle with multiple sclerosis and her hopes for the Democratic Party in the upcoming election.

The event was held at Mrs. Kennedy’s home, and in her introductory remarks, she mentioned that some of the first discussions about the recently passed health care reform legislation took place just a few years ago, in the dining room where we had all been munching on hors d’oeuvres minutes earlier. I felt like I was being given an intimate glimpse into the personal and professional lives of some of the country’s most important Democratic policymakers – I was a real “Washington insider,” if only for one night.

After the event, I had dinner with the other P55 fellow and both of our mentors. We had a great conversation about our various career trajectories and our experiences at Princeton. (Apparently, back in 1995, there was neither a Starbucks nor a J. Crew on Nassau Street… hard to imagine, I know.) They also gave us both helpful tips on networking at conferences and suggestions for improving our fellowship experience.

My experience with the mentoring component of my P55 fellowship has been fantastic – and not just because my mentor cooked dinner for me and brought me to an exciting political event (although those things were great!). As I navigate this new, unfamiliar job in a new, unfamiliar city, it’s been very comforting to know that I have the support of a fellow Princeton alum who genuinely wants to help me adjust and succeed, both personally and professionally.

Looking forward

Seeing my partner in crime at the Foundation Center making an appearance on the blog reminded me that I should put in a word about my own experience here.

One of the great things about working at the Foundation Center is the convenient access to the many resources that it has to offer. October has been "Arts Month" at the Foundation Center, featuring programming related to everything from finding fiscal sponsorship as an artist to engaging celebrities with your organization. I've made an effort to go to a number of these events, primarily because I consider myself an artist (of the musical variety) and so am interested on both a professional and personal level. Though I've decided at this point that I don't plan on pursuing music full-time as a profession (unless something really remarkable were to happen in the next year...), it is undeniably a passion of mine and a big part of why I wanted to be in New York this year, and something that I hope to pursue throughout my life. I also have a number of friends who are trying to "make it" in the arts world, so at the very least I reasoned that the knowledge I gained through these workshops could be of use to them.


I found some of the sessions more relevant to my interests than others, but they all confirmed that the arts organizations, and especially those related to music, are something that I care deeply about and hope to participate in or support for years to come. You don't have to become an artist, actor, or musician to realize that cultivating a love and appreciation for the arts in culture in society at large makes the world a generally more exciting and enjoyable place. A couple of decades down the line, I would love to be on the board of an arts organization, putting my enthusiasm to good use.

New Frontier

Ok, Ok, I just got an email reminding me to blog. I know I haven't blogged in a while, but in fairness I also haven't cleaned my room, put away my laundry, or done my dry cleaning in a while. At least I'm blogging now. I think that means I get to leave my clean and as-of-yet-unfolded laundry in a heap in my room. Right?

I recently passed a big milestone at the Foundation Center. I have now been working here longer than I've ever worked anywhere. All of my previous summer internships were 10-12 weeks, and I am now in week 13!

It's really exciting to see how different the last few weeks have been compared to weeks 10-12 of an internship.

I am becoming much more familiar and comfortable with the culture of the Foundation Center, and I'm feeling like I am positioned to make more meaningful contributions. For example, I made my first professional presentation to a group of co-workers about ways that FC NY can take advantage of social media tools.

If this had been an internship, that presentation would have been the end of my summer. I probably would have finished it near the end of my time, and then I would have stranded it as I went back to school. Now, instead, I'm starting to take action.

I just created a new facebook page for Foundation Center New York, which I hope will grow and become an interactive community for people in the nonprofit sector living and working in the NYC area. Check us out and like our page!

Foundation Center New York is a great resource for young nonprofit workers and our courses and materials could likely help each of your organizations as well. Besides, I set a goal of getting 500 people to like the page by December 31st, so I need you to help me out!

I've got plenty to work on now, and I'm just very exciting to be gearing up rather than finishing up!

This Month

I recently went to the first Princeton AlumniCorps panel discussion. The purpose was to discuss being a Board Member of a non-profit, and how to go about it, what it entails etc. I do not plan on joining a Board of a non-profit anytime in the near future, but found it interesting to hear others discuss their experiences, and concerns. So, if any of you are reading this blog, and are interested in volunteering for a local non-profit, or joining a board, you should contact John Shriver.

On a completely different topic, I urge you to go see Waiting For Superman if you have not done so already. This is the second documentary that I have seen discussing Educational Reform, and I found them both to be inspiring. True, I am biased, but nonetheless, I recommend it. There is a lot that pertains specifically to DC, and the current Educational debate that has been going on during the Mayoral election.