Community Fellows Blog Posts

From my ministry experience, I’ve found it rewarding to support others in tangible ways. Studying business felt like a way to turn that passion into skills that could have a lasting, sustainable impact. Being a Programs Fellow at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV) has strengthened that belief. It has shown me, in a very real way, how what I’m learning in the classroom applies directly to nonprofit work. 

One moment that stood out was when I organized student data for outreach. The information came from three different datasets, each formatted differently, and I needed to identify which students to contact. Because I couldn’t delete or permanently change the data, I used filters to isolate students who had attended community college and track where they transferred. I created a simple color-coding system and hid irrelevant rows to focus on the information that mattered. 

Consolidating this data made it easy for the program coordinator to reach out to potential mentors for her program. What initially felt overwhelming became organized and actionable, showing me how even small technical skills can directly support a team and its mission. Working on tasks such as consolidating student data also helped me identify where processes could be streamlined. Business classes teach you to think about how systems work, and this perspective allowed me to approach the spreadsheet more intentionally, creating a workflow that could be reused and easily understood by others. 

This fellowship has reinforced why I chose business in the first place. Passion is important, but lasting community impact also requires organization, coordination, and thoughtful systems. I’m excited to continue developing these skills and using them to turn passion into lasting impact.

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