I am also in what is considered the "honeymoon" phase. I love everything and everyone, I feel useful in the organization, and I am getting constructive and positive feedback for my work :) As I review the past month, I hope you can forgive my poor memory and enjoy the pictures I have been able to take.
Following my last blogpost, I attended a Latin American Festival celebrating the culture, costumes, and food of various countries only one of which are represented in this photo. It was a gorgeous day!
Work:
Board Public/Private Meetings & Board Engagement
One of the best parts about my job is meeting the Board Members, note-taking in some private meetings, and really understanding what role the board plays in shaping the mission of the agency. It was such a wonderful learning opportunity, and my notes played a role in the creation and implementation workplan and Next Steps following the Board retreat. There is also now a great emphasis on strategic calendaring (meaning making sure speaking engagements and other activities that the CEO/Board engage in are consistently presenting CNCS key messages in a strategic way). I am very lucky to hear how our agency is able to think about these sorts of issues.
MLK Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service has been a huge part of the Corporation’s tasks, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the federal holiday so we are making it big. President Obama already doubled the number of participants through his call to serve last year, but this year we want to do even more. I will be managing the workplan and timeline of each working group (as there are many pieces to make this event successful), and I will be heading our ambassador program. The ambassador program is one where we reach out to folks who play a large role in their communities or who have many constituents/platforms to reach out to others (such as actor/actresses, comedians, authors, etc.), so this will be quite time-consuming but very interesting.
Service Events on Veteran’s Day
I have also simultaneously picked up tasks surrounding Veteran’s Day. I was tasking to find opportunities to serve, and thanks to ServiceNation, All for Good and other websites, it wasn’t too hard to find. My grandmother was in DC for this holiday so I was excited to show her what we do on the ground. I hope you all had a chance to get out there and serve our veterans and military families!
Strategic Plan: Education + Veterans and Military Families
So, every agency must put together a strategic plan that acts as a guide and informs the work of the agency. CNCS has been working diligently on its strategic plan and even has its very own strategy office with extremely talented people heading the whole process. I am very lucky to be able to work with them. More specifically, I am the strategy office lead for the education focus area and the veterans and military families focus area. This means I am working on a broad strategy that will inform how our programs (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve) will focus on measurable outcomes within education, and veterans and military families.
Diversity Month + Halloween Party!
This is quite random, but I decided to put this here because I wanted to brag about how awesome CNCS is. Diversity month has been filled with wonderful performances, food events, and other miscellaneous activities (I was dancing salsa, listening to great panels, and just having fun!). The Halloween party was a wonderful ending to the month!
Other fun events I attended:
NATs game
Outside of the work environment, life has been a bit crazy! I went to a NATs baseball game (I know, shame on me…), but I am still proud of the Giants ;)
AIDs Run fundraiser + VA Winery
For a friend’s birthday, we ran approx 3.5 miles in 35 minutes for an AIDs benefit, and we went to a winery in Virginia! This was fabulous and we even got some free wine for singing her happy birthday. The best part was meeting the owner and hearing about his philanthropic efforts with Habitat for Humanity. I am definitely hoping to go back here.
Hiking in Shenandoah
Wow, so basically Shenandoah is awesome! We did a 5 mile hike, took tons of pictures (courtesy of my roomate) and I drove the whole way there and back. I am so ready to make a weekend trip and camp out there. We even saw a REAL black bear!
Mt. Vernon Bike Trip
Meanwhile, I also completed about a 35 mile bike trail with a friend of mine. This was AMAZING! And, to top it all off, we saw George Washington’s estate! It was a perfect day, and we enjoyed Alexandria that evening.
Hair! At the Kennedy Center
As if my month wasn’t already fun-filled, I saw the musical Hair! At the Kennedy Center. It brought be back to the olden days when I used to be in musicals and man was it good. Let the Sun Shine was the best song because the cast invited us on stage and I got a beautiful daisy to take home with me.
The 2010-2011 Gardner Fellows: Happy Bday Kevan! + other outings
The Gardner Fellows have definitely been hanging out whenever we can. From dinners to birthday celebrations to coffee, we have been having a ball when we aren’t working our 8-12 hour days. Yes, you better believe it. In catching up with many of them, it seems like some agencies require a lot more time than others. We often ask ourselves, when do people eat lunch? But, it is really important to keep that work/life balance and we have definitely taken opportunities to make sure we go out and have fun. I love our group!
The White House:
White House Gardens Tour
I was very lucky to go to the WH gardens tour and it was so exciting to see the vegetable and rose gardens! First Lady Obama has really done a great job with their organic vegetables :) The White House is so beautiful- the pictures say enough, no?
WHF Leadership Conference
This section may need a little bit of context. The White House Fellowship was something started by President Lindon B. Johnson and John Gardner (then Secretary) for professionals (normally already into their careers and over 25) to understand and work in government for a year. They go through a rigorous application and interview process and they are basically superstars. Twenty five years later, John Gardner started the John Gardner Fellowship for graduating UC Berkeley and Stanford students (what I have). So, a few years ago, the White House Fellows Association began inviting John Gardner Fellows to the WHF Conference, a 2-3 day event complete with very exciting speakers (this year General Colin Powell and Justice Sotomayor were highlights!). I took both days off work to attend the whole event and it was wonderful! I made some great contacts and hope to learn more from these leaders as time passes. There was also a service day culminating the experience – coincidentally, my agency among others (DOE, DOT) were also represented (see below).
Make a Difference Day with KaBOOM!
On Saturday, Sept 23, it was make a Difference Day. To hear more about what we did and check out the video, see our blog post: http://www.serve.gov/stories_detail.asp?tbl_servestories_id=436
I was literally in the dumpster a good portion of the time (trying to sort out the piles of thorny vines, leaves, trees, etc. It was so fun! And I can’t wait to build a playground again.
In the end and as always, I am continuing to learn during my time here.
Lessons Learned:
- Your work will be rewarded if you take the time and effort to make it your best; don't be afraid to express your ideas.
- Your ideas are worth something; just make sure you present them in a way that makes sense and is not obnoxious.
- When you are sick, bring a lot of tissues ;)
- Congratulate yourself (treat yourself), even if no one else does. AND, when they do thank you or congratulate you for your work, tell them how appreciative you are of that.
- STOP! STEP BACK! Never get so comfortable that you interrupt others; wait for the opportune moment to give your opinion, or just don't give it, or give it offline to a staff member. YOU ARE NOT as qualified as everyone around you- you have to earn it.
- Don't forget to reflect!
- Wow, in the places you thought the least, you can find a really connected/important person (Kaboom Event)
- Respond with thank you’s to all business cards (re: WHF Conference)
AND! This weekend I went home to celebrate my birthday- and it was the best ever! Because my grandmother is visiting me for this week, I will be plenty busy, but stay tuned for the next update!
Thank you for all of your support- I am so grateful for all of you!
