In Challenging Times, I Think it Will Be Important to Remember the Beauty in What We Are Doing
For my fellowship I am working at the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley (HFSV), a nonprofit that works to improve the lives of Latino/as in the Silicon Valley region by inspiring people to invest in education, leadership, and research. The HFSV also runs the Family College Success Center (FCSC) in East San Jose, which runs programs for low-income high school students in the area.
At work, I teach the rest of the staff how to use Salesforce and keep track of the SAT prep class at the FCSC. I am particularly excited about the SAT class because, as of this week, I'm starting to put together mini college panels between the Saturday classes. All of these students will be the first in their families to go to college, so not many of them know what to expect. Our job is to get them into college, but the college students I bring in will teach them what to do once they make it. Tomorrow, I'll go talk to the students about what it's like to be a student at SCU and I hope to find out what other colleges and programs they would like to hear about.
The people I work with are very kind and hopeful. I really admire all of the work they do because many of the students we help do not have other resources to learn about or apply for college. We help break a cycle of poverty that most young people do not escape without some guidance and I love feeling like I can make a difference.
I want to keep making a difference, but know I will not be able to go straight into the non-profit world for work. Being part of this fellowship has shown me that I can be involved in different ways. If I cannot work full time for a non-profit, I can still volunteer or serve on its board. No matter what you do, there is still a chance to give back.
For more information on why programs like the FCSC are important for students from lower-income families, please check out the YouTube video "Unequal Childhoods: Annette Lareau (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HN9ydNktAc).
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Though we spend most of our time at our individual fellowships, sometimes we gather as a cohort with our advisors. A couple of weeks ago, we were able to go on a short retreat to Pajaro Dunes. It was a reflective period to talk over what we are hoping to gain from and give to our fellowships.
On that Saturday morning, I woke up around 7:30 and went for a walk on the beach to see the sun finish rising. The tide crept in and soaked the bottom of my pants but my bare feet quickly numbed from the cold. I looked out at the horizon line and felt very small compared to the ocean.
Perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic because I am writing this post after watching several videos on poverty and inequality, but, sometimes, this is what it can feel like at a non-profit fellowship. All of our organizations exist to make others' lives better. Whether we are working on public policy in the mayor's office, helping organize a trade school's alumni, or showing high school students paths towards college, we have people we want to help. However, there are obstacles in our way and the closer we get to the obstacles, the more complex they get.
Looking at these problems can feel like standing at the edge of the ocean. It is large. It moves in ways we can't control. It gets aggravated and thrashes the shores. But it also has such stunning capacity for beauty. In challenging times, I think it will be important to remember the beauty in what we are doing. We may not change the entire South Bay's social structure or economy in the next six months, but we can still make a difference in the lives we touch.