Prepaing for my fellowship

As I prepare for my fellowship at the Character Education Partnership, I've found that looking for my first apartment is certainly stressful. However, preparing for the first real phase of my adult life, as well as my first job brings a unique and rather joyful set of stressors as well. I'm visiting DC this weekend to start the housing search in earnest and also to gain some sense of what DC is--clearly it is difficult to truly know a city over the course of two days but I've found that it is enough to give you a distinct sense of atmosphere. Unlike some fellows, who have lived or worked in their cities before, I've visited DC only once, as a tourist. I'm familiar with the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument but am extremely excited to figure out those parts of the city that a tourist visit doesn't allow you to access.

To prepare for this important year, I've made a list of priorities, both professional and personal. Above all, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to CEP's work and to use my fellowship to clarify what my aptitudes are in a professional environment (Princeton can teach you how to write and think but I suspect that the valuable lessons I've learned there will be less applicable to my future than those I learn this coming year) and how I can use them to help both myself and others. CEP's work is generally somewhat hands-off, rather than engaged in direct service. I currently believe that this is more in line with my abilities than more direct work but I am eager to find out whether this is true, both by throwing myself into my position and by volunteering independently in direct service organizations.

I am very eager to document my experience of my fellowship here and hopefully, to provide some useful insights for future fellows.

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!

New York State of Mind

Hi fellow fellows!

Hope everyone's summers are off to a great start! Like Kahina, I've never blogged before, but here goes

I can't believe that I'm already finishing my third week of work. Also like Kahina, my first day was the week after graduation and it's been a very quick transition, but I think the fact that I'm living at home made it more doable and less hectic (although the stacks of boxes that are still in my living room waiting to be unpacked may beg to differ...). It's definitely nice to be home, and the commute from Long Island isn't too terrible... yet.

I'm working at Angelwish, a small non-profit with the mission of making it easier for the public to grant the wishes of kids with chronic illnesses through "digital philanthropy." And when I say small I mean small - including me there are three full time staff members. I love that aspect though, because I'm definitely getting a close-up view of how to run and manage a non-profit. My official title is Development Associate, but I'm able to be involved in other aspects as well.

My boss is trying to get me some exposure to the non-profit/business world as a whole so I can get more of a sense of what's happening on the larger scale, and I've already been to a couple of outside events. One was a workshop at the Foundation Center on how to apply for grants from foundations. I would recommend other fellows in development look at the classes and workshops offered by the Foundation Center. Some are free, and the one I went to was really helpful to get a jump start on learning what I should do to be successful. I'm actually going to a weeklong workshop called the "Grantseeker Training Institute" from July 18th through July 22nd - this one unfortunately isn't free, but if you can get your organization to pay for you to attend you should come join me! I actually spoke to Reilly, one of last year's fellows from the Foundation Center, about it and she said she's heard good things, so hopefully it works out well.

Okay, I think that's all I've got for now. Time to get back to work so I can leave on time-ish and go see Florence and the Machine in Central Park tonight!

- Carolyn

Home Sweet Home

So I've never blogged before...so please forgive the awkwardness. I just wanted to say that for future fellows DC is amazing! I'm sure New York is great, and San Fran is beautiful, but there's no city like DC. From the food to the people to the nightlife...DC culture stands out in its own unique way.
Last week I attended a Brazilian Festival, ate at Zaytinya (a middle eastern restaurant/lounge downtown) and this week is DC's annual Caribbean Day Festival!! I'll be meeting up with Princeton Alums Jessica Gray '10 and Yolisa Nodule 10' to see what the festival has to offer. Let's just say the city's been keeping me busy.
As far as work I love working at a high school particularly a charter school in DC with an emphasis on public policy. Yup...that's right...public policy issues are incorporated into every subject of the students' curriculum. It's so intense but really good preparation for the students. I started the first week of June, (right after graduation) which was a bit of a transition but it didn't take long to get back into the swing of things. Princeton prepares you well for that. ;-) Anyways, I love working in an environment with teenagers because literally there was never a dull moment. Every morning I arrived to something new and different. Students kept me updated on last night's episode of Basketball Wives, Lil' Wayne's new love ballad single, the latest facebook revolution and of course, the teacher conspiracy of the week. :-) Angels...all of them...really. Now that its summer and the children are out of school, things have certainly quieted down but there is still lots to be done. Preparing for summer school, comparative analysis of standardized test scores, academic calendars, new teacher hires, remodeling, admin retreats, program development, college counseling, new student orientations...the list goes on but I love every minute of it. Plus my boss is amazing. Shout out to Daneen Keaton one of the coolest principals ever!!
Yeah but I'm not sure how long these blog thingys are supposed to be or how serious/professional but those are my reflections for now. I'll keep everyone/anyone who decides to follow this updated.

Happy fellowing,
Kahina