Feb 12th, 2017
Though it feels as though this quarter has just started, looking back on the first five weeks of winter quarter I feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction with my work. Adjusting to an SOS after working independently Fall and half of Spring quarter has been a welcome change, I feel as though this quarter, even though I am only in Olympia one day a week, I have rekindled my connection with the Evergreen community.
Though with an internship comes a large commitment and responsibility, my work with CAGJ has felt rewarding and productive. Working to acknowledge systemic issues in productive ways is very important to me at this moment in time and it feels good to walk away from the international district basement on Wednesday and Friday nights knowing that even though I may not be dismantling the whole government I am contributing to the distribution of knowledge, and education of people on subjects and issues that are so often forgotten in media.
Much of the work I have done for the internship has been difficult to translate directly into my website but I feel proud of the posts I have created and the two pieces of writing I have gotten published on the CAGJ website. Beyond writing and research work I have stayed busy helping with the planning of our March 11th “Wild Salmon Cookout: Stand With Northwest Tribes to Stop GE Fish”. With the planning has come extensive e-mail writing, spreadsheet making, resource gathering, RSVP checking, Community Partner outreach, content creation, and updating of the facebook event page.
The internship has given me an inside look at the world of nonprofits and shown me how much really goes into being actively invested in the surrounding community and the work necessary for an up to date blog, community events, solidarity campaigns, and grassroots organizing. The internship has been an excellent opportunity to further expand upon my research and writing skills and has brought a sense of awareness to the work that lays behind so many of the events we attend.
Though my weeks have been jam packed with my internship, SOS work, my website and a new job, I do not regret taking on everything I have on my plate at the moment. Though at this point in the quarter, my project looks somewhat different than what I anticipated, I am happy with where I am and interested in the research and planning I have been conducting.