Community Fellows Blog Posts

This past weekend, the Community Fellows had a retreat at Pajaro Dunes, right beside the beach. We had time to reflect on our experiences in the program and think about how we felt when we started, how we’ve grown, and what we want to take from this experience once the fellowship is over. One of the thoughts that kept popping up for me was the idea of leaving a lasting impression.

For the past few months, I’ve been working at the San Jose Office of Economic Development (OED). Since starting, I’ve become more and more comfortable managing the Storefront Grants Program, which gives money to small local businesses to aid in permit costs and renovations. The program has been a success and the budgeted funds have gone to several well-deserving businesses that will help spark economic development across San Jose.

Now that all the grants have been processed, I have had more time to explore the city and check in on local businesses - some that have received grants, and others that could be candidates for the coming year. Even on my drive to work, I pass by several businesses that we have helped with the Storefronts program, and it’s wonderful to see the improvements that the businesses have made using the grant money. I know that by giving these grants, my team and I have left a lasting impression not only on those businesses, but also on the community of San Jose. Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a groundbreaking ceremony in Japantown for a mixed-use community center. The project has been in the works for several years and there have been over 100 public meetings called to discuss the project. The ceremony brought together people from City Hall, developers, financers, and Japantown community members. Emotions were high and it was evident that there was a tremendous amount of hard work and passion put into making sure this project would be built. This center will feature living spaces, retail spaces, as well as a community arts center to support the local artists of Japantown.

Visiting these businesses and being a part of this groundbreaking ceremony reminded me that results aren’t always instant. Leaving a lasting impression takes time and effort. Even though it may seem at times like you aren’t making the changes you want to see right away, the results will eventually become evident if you put in the hard work and passion.