Time Flies

How can it possibly already have been a month? I meant post a blog two weeks ago, after completing my first month on the job, and here we are practically staring August in the face. I know that this is actually a good thing because one of my biggest fears about life post-Princeton was having too much free time. As outrageous as this sounds, my schedule has always been structured due to various commitments between classes, varsity sports, and other extracurricular activities. So much so that I actually get anxious when there's nothing to do.

As my mom warned me after helping me get settled into my sublet before heading back to Ohio, "If you can't be entertained and happy in New York, then you will never be happy and entertained elsewhere." Life is what you make out of it, and in a city like New York there is as much, or as little, to do as you decide. What was most surprising about working 9-5 was how exhausted I felt after coming home from work. The first couple of weekends were actually spent sleeping since I had little energy to do anything else. Nevertheless, I made sure to join my bureau's softball team, which is actually tons of fun, and have tried various meetup group activities (all of which have been equally enjoyable). My body finally adjusted by the third week of work, and was off exploring flea markets and various local coffee shops.

One of the advantages about working for the City at the District Attorney's Office is that we receive discounts on transportation, and as it turns out on fitness (we get a special discount at the New York Sports Club.) Consequently a lot of my free time during the week has been spent doing yoga, pilates, and spinning classes. The apartment hunt, however, has also cut into much of my free time. For current PP55 graduates I highly recommend joining one of the regional listservs via TigerNet since there are constantly ads for individuals looking to sublet their apartments, or even adds from people looking for roommates to renew current apartment leases.

Work has equally been a busy, challenging, and enthralling experience. My ability to multitask has been enhanced tremendously. Normally in college you have set times for everything, such as class from 10-10:50am, grab brunch, practice, and then study History, French, and Politics. In the work world, you can be interrupted while in the midst of one project, and be expected to drop everything to pick up another more pressing project. One of my favorite aspects about working in Appeals is the variety of cases to which I'm exposed. Already, I have proofed briefs ranging in subjects from drug busts to assault, and am currently in the process of writing my own brief in response to a defendant's appeal that his sentence was excessive. There is only so much that books and classes can teach you, so far it has been incredibly rewarding to gain an appreciation for how organizations, in my case a form of bureaucracy, works to ensure structure and stability in the real world. Also, for anyone who has been following the DSK case on the French or national news, or who watches suits on USA, then you've probably seen the entrance to my office and/or scenes from areas that I pass on a daily basis when walking to work!

The Land of Acronyms: Finding NSOC's for CEP in DC

To be entirely honest, I spent the entire summer dreading July 18th, which was the day I started working for Character Education Partnership. Not that I wasn't absolutely thrilled to have a fellowship there—from my initial interview at CEP, which involved meeting the entire staff, I knew that I would love to work in an office that places such a heavy emphasis on practicing what it preaches and treating all coworkers with kindness and respect. It was simply that I was just not looking forward to adjusting to a 9 to 5 schedule and losing the fun and freedom so deeply associated with college life. However, July 18th rolled around despite all my wishes to the contrary and so, half an earlier than necessary, I nervously made my way via metro for the first time to downtown DC to begin my new life as a working girl.

Fortunately, my fears quickly subsided due to a number of factors. The first has been my coworkers. Because CEP is such a small organization (though with very widespread national outreach), I directly interact with every staff member on a daily basis, from the president/CEO to the summer interns. Everyone has played a role in ensuring that I was warmly welcomed and that right off the bat I felt like I was part of the team. Without a doubt, however, my main source of reassurance in the office has been my fellow fellows! CEP has two fellows this year—Carol Dreibelbis and myself—and Leif Johnson, one of the fellows from last year, has overlapped with our fellowship year for the past two weeks to finish up his work here. It has been so wonderful to have someone to ask my stupid questions to and to escape the frigid industrial air conditioning with to soak up the sweltering DC sun during our half-hour lunch break. I love both of them, and I was very sad to say good-bye to Leif on his last day today!

The other major factor has been the work itself. Going into my fellowship, I had only vague answers to the relentless questioning regarding what my plans were for the upcoming year. I knew CEP was dedicated to helping schools develop comprehensive character education initiatives, but I was not entirely clear how they went about doing so, nor how I would contribute to their efforts. Two weeks in, I am much more knowledgeable, slightly overwhelmed, but very excited by the work I will be doing. On my third day, I learned that I would be taking over Leif’s position as the fellow concentrating on fundraising and development. I report directly to the director of resource development, who tells me which foundations and corporate giving programs we should be targeting and how much money we should be asking for; gives me a skeleton for the grant proposal; and leaves most everything else up to my discretion. It is an enormous amount of responsibility: I essentially write or edit everything that leaves the office, from letters of inquiry to grant applications to position papers to donation appeals to thank you notes. Needless to say, I am never bored, and at times I have wondered how I am going to be able to do all of the work I am assigned, especially when told that I would also be expected to find all of the vendors for the Exhibit Hall at CEP’s National Forum on Character (which requires an entirely new post to explain). But I am also excited to be entrusted with such important work in my first year of work and to be developing new, practical skills as an English major! (this was another source of concern for me…) So, despite all of my fears, my second week flew by, and I look forward to learning more and meeting new people in the coming weeks.

From Astoria to Fifth Avenue

The New Home

When you grow up in Eastern Europe with American movies, you are likely to think that living in New York City means living in Manhattan. I had to face the reality of NYC geography - and more importantly NYC apartment rents before moving in. I spent a few months determined to live in Manhattan, even if I had to live on 195th street, until lucky circumstances brought me to Astoria to check out my (now) roommate's apartment. Alejandro and I have an interesting apartment setup."Our bohemian abode," as Ale likes to call it, is far from luxurious and the issue of proper curtains or extra plates is a little touchy, but we make it work and have a good time.

Not to mention… There are apparently no Americans in Astoria. There are, however, a whole lot of Greek immigrants. In practical terms for me this means that I can buy Bulgarian food at a nearby supermarket, which I would otherwise have to order online at very high prices. The neighborhood is full of families and feels very safe even late at night – when I make treks to the conveniently located fair trade grocery stores that is open 24/7! Avocados cost $1 here; they cost up to $4 per piece in other areas. Thus, my erratic eating habits provided for, I have nothing to complain about. Except maybe the little child that starts screaming in the backyard under my window at 7am on weekends. Or the train service sometimes, which brings me to my next point:

Subway extravaganzas

The phrase "planned service changes" has become the bane of my existence. On any particular line these three little words are code for unpredictable adventures. Service changes are usually planned only in that they are known to some MTA employee somewhere, but not to ordinary subway users. On the rare occasion that notes about changes are posted at respective subway stations, they are intentionally unintuitive and no less complicated than tax laws. The N subway won't be going to Manhattan from 5:01pm to 12:01am. Great, I can still take the Q! Not so fast... When they say N, they really mean both the N and the Q. And when they give you specific hours, really they mean the whole weekend. And the next one.

Work?

My fellowship only truly started a few days ago due to circumstances that neither I nor The Rockefeller Foundation had the power to influence. Once Immigration Services issued my work permit, I immediately started working… sort of. My first day at the Foundation was in fact the annual picnic held by the various Rockefeller philanthropies. It was a full day at the family’s estate in Tarrytown, with a lot of free food and casual interactions in the sun (which were a bit awkward for me at first, given that I didn’t know a single person present). The picnic also included a free tour of the Kykuit home-turned-museum which houses a collection of antiques and works of art that any small or even medium-sized museum would envy.

At the office the next day, everyone was eager to meet me and talk to me and try to attract me to work on their respective teams. I found a giant bouquet of beautiful flowers on my desk with a cordial note from my supervisor (refer to the low-quality picture taken with my phone). My cubicle itself is the size of my single at Princeton last year. The office overall is splendid and, as I’m located on the 21st floor on Fifth Avenue, the view is a killer. While my colleagues have treated me with a great deal of special attention to help me adapt to the world of the Foundation, everyone has also been addressing me as an equal despite my lack of work experience. They all seem genuinely excited to have me, which in turn makes me genuinely excited to be here. Moreover, as I found out over the past few days, the timing of my joining the Foundation is quite peculiar. Not only is the hundredth anniversary of RF approaching, but there are also a number of brand new programs which I have the opportunity to work on and help shape during my fellowship year. RF’s leadership seems to trust Princeton fellows with complex and responsible tasks that could really educate and enrich a young professional, while preparing her for the dynamic world of public interest work.

I will save writing more about the concrete work I will be doing for later because, frankly, I haven’t done much work so far. Between attending orientation meetings, reading up on the Foundation’s initiatives, and eating free food, I have barely started to understand the intricate relationships among the various projects and programs currently underway. For example, today I was invited to a lunch panel on building up “resilience” in poor and vulnerable communities in the world. The panel took place after the champagne breakfast we had in honor of one of our distinguished colleagues who is leaving to work for USAID. After work, there is a staff gathering at a restaurant nearby. All in all, I’m loving my first days with The Rockefeller Foundation!

First Mentor/Mentee Meet-up

On Tuesday, I received an email from Social and Alumni Relations Committee Co-Chair Andrew Protain with the subject line: "Your Project 55 Mentor." Finally! How exciting!

I immediately wrote to my newly appointed mentor, Carol Lee '03. Several emails later, we set up a mentor-mentee-meeting for Mexican food down in Murray Hill (alliteration...). We met last night, and I really enjoyed our conversation. I found out that Carol had also been a mentor for ETM's former fellow Julie Rubinger '09 (I love it when my Project 55 connections come full circle like that). We talked about Carol's own experience as a San Francisco fellow and how she found her way back to the East Coast and now works for KIPP NYC. We also talked about my own interests and future career goals, and I am definitely looking forward to the PP55 seminars that might focus on some of these areas.

All in all, it was a great talk. To all of you fellows out there, if you haven't yet met with your mentor, definitely get in touch. Otherwise, you're missing out!

Looking forward to the fellows' happy hour event next week. I hope to see all of you New Yorkers there!

A Night at the Ballpark: Baseball, Food, and Princeton

Tonight I joined past and present Princeton AlumniCorps fellows for a Camden Riversharks baseball game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. The event was hosted by the Princeton Club of Philadelphia. It was a fun night filled with delicious food and exciting baseball. Besides watching a good baseball game (the Riversharks walked away with a 4-3 victory that went into extra innings), it was also a great opportunity to meet other Princetonians in the Philly area.

One of the things that I have learned since being in Philadelphia is that even though you may leave Princeton, it is never too hard to find Princeton wherever you are. Joining the Princeton Club of Philadelphia has allowed me to stay connected to the University while also meeting new people in the area. I encourage all fellows and recent graduates looking to stay involved to join and participate actively in their regional club.

The things I've learned after my first week:

I arrived in DC one week and two days ago, and I've been working at Character Education Partnership for exactly one week and one day. Here's what I've learned so far:

1. People are nice. I have been "homeless" for the duration of my fellowship (since I don't move into my permanent apartment until this coming weekend), but people I didn't even know that well have provided me places to stay. I arranged to stay for a few nights with with my co-fellow Sarah and her roommates Hillary (also a fellow) and Alana, as well as with my boyfriend's brother's ex-Princeton-roommates. It was just so nice of them to let me stay with them--thanks guys! Also, the doorman to my office building is so cheery and always greets Sarah and me quite enthusiastically. And then there's the President and CEO of CEP who gave me a high five the other day.
   
2. Washington, D.C. is a hot place. I know there were record-breaking temperatures all over the region during this past week, but I must say, it has been unbelievably hot in the city. Luckily, my office building is (extremely) air conditioned and the apartments I've been staying in have both been air conditioned. I can only imagine what it would be like to be one of the many truly homeless people I pass on my way to work during a week like last week.
   
3. Walking is nice. I've been doing a fair amount of walking now that I live in a walk-able city and have to get to work, and it's great. I recommend that everyone walk to work or walk during their lunch break if they are able--it's such a calming yet energizing way to start the day. I'll be taking the metro to work once I move into my apartment in Arlington, but I'm going to make it my goal to make the trek to work a few times each month!
   
4. Working for someone is much different than working for myself. When I was at school (remember Princeton?), I was in charge of my work; at CEP, my supervisor is in charge of my work. When I would write a paper for a class, I would follow my own rules and decide on my own what was appropriate or necessary to write; at CEP, I check everything I write or work on with at least two other people. I haven't decided yet if I do or do not like the very collaborative and collective writing/working process at work--I'll keep you posted.
5. I'm really glad to live in a city with a core group of people! I had a great time at the DC area welcome gathering the other day--we went to Zorbas to meet up with the other fellows and get acquainted with one another. It was great hearing about everyone else's jobs so far and comparing our 30-second elevator speeches about our jobs. It also reminded me that I have a whole community here already, and that's pretty cool.
   

It's been a hectic but fun first week. Thanks to everyone who helped me through it!

District Attorney’s Office Town Hall Meeting

“When I visit town-hall meetings and school assemblies, I often ask the same question: ‘What is the one thing that most people who get arrested in Philadelphia have in common?’ The answer: They did not graduate from high school.” – District Attorney Seth Williams

On Tuesday I went to a town hall meeting organized by our office for the Fairmount community. Hosted by the Great Exodus Baptist Church, the meeting opened up with introductions by the Rev. Sydney Flores, City Councilmen Bill Greenlee and Darrell Clarke, District Attorney Seth Williams, and all the DA’s Office staff in attendance. The focus of the town hall meeting was crime prevention and safety. One of the recurring themes of the evening was finding ways to improve our school system so that Philadelphia’s youth do not get caught up in the criminal justice system. As District Attorney Seth Williams noted Tuesday night and on several previous occasions (including in the article that he wrote for philly.com on the impact of truancy), there is a correlation between truancy and later criminal behavior. By keeping children in school, we can keep them from going to jail, and in the long run save the money that it costs to incarcerate them.

The District Attorney also highlighted the significant improvements in our office. Whereas a few years ago 59% of cases were getting dismissed by judges at the preliminary hearing stage, now only 4% are being dismissed. This is due to a revamping of the Charging Unit. Before, the Charging Unit was where they sent prosecutors who were underachieving or inexperienced. The Charging Unit is now comprised of the most senior level and accomplished district attorneys who skillfully decide which cases to prosecute. The office is also now exercising much more selectivity in the cases that it chooses to prosecute—they are only going forward with cases that they are certain they can prove. The improved statistics of our office are also largely due to the move to zone prosecution. Inspired by cities that were seeing success through zone prosecution, District Attorney Williams changed the way Philadelphia prosecutes crime. The City now prosecutes crimes based on geographic location—or zone prosecution. The different zones now coincide with the geographic territory of police districts; East, Central, Northwest, Northeast, South, Southwest bureaus handle crime in their respective territories. The goal of community-based prosecution is that prosecutors, police officers, and community residents are better able work together to target repeat offenders versus those who might benefit from a diversion program. Through zone prosecution, cases are handled from start to finish by only a few prosecutors who ensure that it is effectively being prosecuted. Because crime patterns are often geographically based, zone prosecution enables our office to more effectively prosecute violent crimes by being more engaged with the communities we seek to protect.

Also instrumental in saving the City money is the Small Amounts of Marijuana (SAM) program. Whereas before the office and City were spending thousands of dollars prosecuting cases involving possession of small amounts marijuana ($10-$15 worth), now many of these cases are getting diverted at the pre-trial level. Non-violent, minor, and first-time offenders are being offered a summary citation instead of being charged with a misdemeanor. In exchange, offenders agree to attend a one-day, three-hour education course about the effect of drugs on individuals and the community. Fiscally this program makes sense and from a social policy standpoint, it is helping to reverse the incarceration problem that is crippling the City.

The savings that the City has experienced because of these new initiatives amounts to approximately $6 million. District Attorney Williams would like to reinvest these savings in similar initiatives, arguing that “justice reinvestment” will help to improve public safety and reduce corrections costs.

Inspired by the Brooklyn DA, District Attorney Williams opened up two Community Action Centers (CACs). These centers are designed to provide resources for residents who seek guidance on how to make themselves and their communities safer. While stronger gun laws need to be passed in Harrisburg, the overall takeaway from the evening was that Philadelphia residents need to be responsible for working with the police department and the District Attorney’s Office to reduce crime and make our communities safer.

While this was the good news of the night, during the question and answer segment of the evening, several community residents highlighted the struggles Philadelphia is facing with drug-related gun violence. Philadelphia leads the nation in gun-related homicides. These crimes have the overall impact of reducing the quality of life in these communities. A teacher, community activist, and ward leader spoke about the detrimental impact these crimes have on the quality of life in their neighborhoods. Two businessmen also spoke about the real economic impact that these crimes have and the difficulty they present in attracting business to the City.

Overall this meeting was a great opportunity for me to better understand the issues facing Philadelphians. While there has been significant progress, much more work needs to be done to make sure that people feel safe in the communities in which they live, work, and play.