“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened” – Dr. Seuss
My internship with SouthFair CDC is swiftly coming to an end. It is time to go back to school. As I’m in the office this morning, going down memory lane, tears are coming to my eyes thinking of all of my experiences.
My first week of being an intern I was quickly assigned a task of helping Ms. Lilly at the First Time Home Buyers Fair. This was my first encounter with real estate. Ms. Lilly taught me the qualifications of owning and maintaining a home. From bringing me books to exposing me to my African American background, Ms. Lilly has been a vital part of my growth this summer.
One of next projects I was assigned the responsibility of making a flyer for On The Border fundraising event. This fundraiser would benefit SouthFair CDC. I collaborated with Ester. We went to On The Border and passed out the flyers to customers. Ester and I also went into the neighborhood and passed out newsletters to the residents. One of the things I learned from Ester is the importance of being professional and handling business outside of the office.
Every Thursday Andrea, who was a Housing Counselor and is also a Realtor, came into the office to assist with real estate needs. Andrea consistently reminded me of the importance of college and maintaining my GPA for scholarships. She also assisted me and reminded me of the value of updating my resume. Her words will follow me throughout college.
Mrs. Evans is the Executive Director of SouthFair CDC. She is the one responsible for assigning me my daily tasks. Week-in and week out she always gives me projects to make me think. One of the more challenging tasks she assigned was to find a company to produce a video for the organization. With this project I learned about supply and demand, and the power of negotiation. I actually had to email, make phone calls and meet with people to see who would be the best fit for making a video for SouthFair. Initially this was scary because I have never worked before. But with Mrs. Evans guidance and support we were able to pick a company that would benefit us. Mrs. Evans has helped me to think outside of the box with handling every aspect of my life. I greatly appreciate her and hope that my work on the Lawe’s Little Library will show as a token of my appreciation.
Without Dale things at SouthFair CDC will literally break down. Dale is responsible for the maintenance and up keep of the office and the resident’s homes. He helped me with the Lawe’s Little Library project by going out and picking up the library case and putting it together. The things he does may seem minor to him, but we greatly appreciate it.
Everyone has a vital role to make SouthFair CDC a success. Everyone here has touched and affected my life for the best. I will miss them all but take all that I learned on my journey.