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Describe Your Service Experience:
I have always felt called to live dedicated to faith in action. I have found participating in service to be a mutually beneficial experience as it gives me the opportunity to give my time to those who have not always been afforded the same opportunities as I have and it often teaches me new things. While my service experience challenged me in many ways, I found it to be a formative time in which I learned how to treat others with greater empathy as I lived in community with them.

I knew about the Trinity Fellowship from my time as a Burke Scholar. I thought the Trinity Fellows Program would allow me to pursue my master’s in English and decide if I wanted to pursue a PhD while also allowing me to gain some work experience and pivot out of academia if I wanted to.

Describe Your Trinity Fellowship Experience:
My experience with my academic program taught me the value of putting forth my best effort even if I did not feel completely invested in the program. I have always loved Milwaukee and feel that it provides enough things to do while not being too big of a city. My highlights include my wedding, buying a home, my participation in The Commons, and winning the award for best paper by a master’s student in the English program. The Trinity Fellows Program has provided me with a support system of like-minded professionals looking to make a positive impact in Milwaukee and across the nation to whom I can reach out at any time.

Plans After Graduation:
This summer, I will be working with The Commons as an Innovation Fellow, after which I hope to find a long-term position in which I can make a positive social impact. One thing the Trinity Fellowship has taught me is that striving for social justice is a mindset that can be utilized across a number of different sectors. I plan to utilize that mindset to make an impact on any workplace that I end up in.

Full-time Service Experience, Years Served, Location:
I served for two years as an AmeriCorps member with College Possible. College Possible is a leading national non-profit that focuses on college access and success for low-income and first generation students with a focus on ACT preparation, college application guidance, college and career counseling, and financial advising. I worked as a College Coach with College Possible at the University of Minnesota and St Catherine University where I served a cohort of 65-100 college students providing personalized counseling and coaching focused on college persistence and retention.

Trinity Fellowship Experience:
During my two years as Trinity Fellow I had the great fortune to work with the Sponsor-A-Scholar program at the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee. During this time I was able to expand my previous experience with College Possible and work towards creating a diversified skillset and a comprehensive portfolio that I am now proud to bring with me to any new job. My placement during the Trinity Fellowship help solidify my direct experience by providing me with opportunities to develop skills in program management, communications and marketing, volunteer coordination, event planning and development. The mentorship and leadership provided both by the Trinity Fellows staff as well as the staff at my placement allowed me to create a strong and expansive network throughout the community.

The academic atmosphere provided at ÏòÈÕ¿ûÊÓƵwas challenging and supportive throughout the entire program. As a Trinity Fellow I was allowed to tailor my program to fit my unique career goals and was provided ample opportunity to discover the ways in which my discipline and non-profit business issues overlap. Additionally the academic atmosphere within my department fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, open communication and conversation, and a strong sense of community. I feel so lucky to have been given, through the Trinity Fellows Program, such an invaluable opportunity to be part of a holistic and collaborative atmosphere that valued my unique perspective and work with me towards my personal, academic, and professional goals.

Plans after graduation:
After graduation I am hoping to explore jobs within higher education with a focus on Academic Advising or Admission and Administrative support to marginalized populations in their goals of attaining a college degree. However I am also looking at working with non-profits that work with similar missions in program management and/or development.

Current Position:
Advisor, TRiO/SSS Program, Black Hills State University