Community Fellows Blog Posts

Within the first three weeks of my internship with the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, I was able to experience an event that I will remember for the rest of my life. Having a role in the logistics and facilitation of our 30th Hispanic Foundation Charity Ball was a very rewarding and memorable experience. This event is very important to HFSV and seeing all my co-workers and volunteers put their all into running an event for over 900 people showed me what true dedication looks like. I could see the passion in the eyes of all involved with the process to put on the best event possible. Seeing the donations that were given, testimonies from community partners, and feedback from attendees showed me the true power of community and its importance. The careful preparation, attention to detail, and rapid paced work that comes with planning a large event gave me lessons that I will carry with me into my professional career in the future.

One lesson that I will carry with me after my time with HFSV is to have confidence in my ability to contribute to a team no matter what role or title I possess. Throughout my internship I learned to take initiative in my role in seeking our new programs and opportunities that would be beneficial to our organization. The process of doing so was extremely beneficial for me because through my implementation of new programs, I feel a sense of pride and accomplishment in seeing the positive work I’ve done for others. This feeling is one that I really enjoy and so it fuels me to work harder to seek more opportunities for HFSV. Moving forward, I look forward to working in more team-like environments and using collaboration skills I learned at HFSV to be a good team player.

My time as a Community Fellow and intern with HFSV went by very fast and did not end like I expected it to, but as I look back, I learned so much that will be so valuable to my future. Working with a non-profit allowed me to see the connections that were in place between our foundation and community partners. I learned about the depth and history that is behind many organizations in our community and the importance of partnerships, leadership, and respect. Moving forward, it is exciting for me to know that my future employer is one that values giving back to the community and helping others through partnerships and donations. I look forward to finding ways to involve myself in these aspects of my company, while adding more ways that we can get involved with the community, because I have learned that there is always opportunity awaiting to help others in need.