Community Fellows Blog Posts

As a senior, I couldn’t be happier to have joined the Leavey  Fellows Program and to be working with the San Jose Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs (OED) as a business development intern. Although I’m originally from Sacramento, I often see how marginalized communities are affected by big corporations, and in particular how small businesses are displaced. These patterns drew me to this role because I wanted to apply my skills as an accounting major to help the communities around me. 

In my first few weeks, my team introduced me to much that was unfamiliar: business grant software, working in Downtown San Jose, the small businesses around City Hall, the causes of displacement, and, most importantly, how grants help sustain small businesses. As a business development intern, I organize previous grants in a spreadsheet so they are easier for readers to understand, and I process new grants while prioritizing support for the businesses throughout the grant process. It has been inspiring to watch the OED meet with small business owners and offer help by asking what they need. 

The OED includes many departments, each working on different projects that collectively benefit San Jose’s communities. Having met many of my colleagues, I admire how insightful and caring they are, and how they support one another’s goals. Their projects are often interdependent: one department might process grants while another handles marketing to make sure businesses receive full encouragement and assistance. 

I look forward to serving as the OED’s business development intern for the rest of the school year, in an environment that supports the growth of both the people in the office and the small businesses of San Jose. I am excited to help make the grant process more efficient for business owners and organizations, and I am equally eager to immerse myself in the community and learn from the OED as a whole- the economic challenges the city faces and how the team collaborates to solve them. Most of all, I look forward to meeting small business owners, seeing how the OED’s support has helped their businesses grow, and contributing to the growth of San Jose’s community.