My co-op at uAspire

Derek Lin Sociology

Spring 2014 co-op

Why co-op at a non-profit?

• Value-driven organizations are filled with self-motivated and enthusiastic people

• Emphasis on service guided by mission and vision rather than monetary incentives

• From my [now confirmed] understanding, non-profits are never overstaffed

• Happiness

Why uAspire?

• College affordability and accessibility is a pressing issue garnering national attention

• Education should be available for everyone, especially in America

• The college application and decision process is not something 17-19 year olds should navigate alone

• College should be an option for everyone

Goals for my first co-op, Goals at uAspire

• Treat co-op like a full time job

• Take on responsibility and workload of a regular employee; understanding the restrictions of being part time

• Establish a better understanding of the work place and organizational operations specifically in a non-profit

• Be a memorable coworker

• Sharpen computer, tech, and writing skills

Goals cont’d… • Assist in grant writing process

• Get my foot in & through the door with anything related to marketing/branding

• Increase Social Media presence

• Get into classrooms (Early College Affordability Awareness)

• Become the webmaster

Responsibilities

• Collaborative Efforts

• *Website Management

• HR Heavy

• Social Media

• Data Entry

• Misc. Tasks

• Front Desk Duties

What have I learned about the college affordability issue?

• Huge grey area for low and lower-middle income households

• Discrepancy with EFC

• Some students just do not file Financial Aid profiles because they do know about them

• Inadequate information for students (ages 17-19) making a life changing decision

• Schools do not have the capacity to meet every student individually

My Growth at uAspire

• First experience working in an office setting for an extended period of time

• Improvements in Soft skills

• Teamwork, communications, organizational skills, multi-tasking, time management, confidence in my work

• Hard skills

• Salesforce, Excel, Outlook

• HTML, CSS

• Writing

Challenges I faced, Suggestions for future co-ops

• First day I was told I would get a new supervisor

• Old office setup left me isolated

• But new office is amazing; I see more faces, work with more people

• Didn’t get a chance to have a sit down introduction with folks at start due to manager leaving

• Would have got to work on more projects, with more people

• Coming up with a new Salesforce password each month…

• Making this a full time position would be awesome

My takeaways from uAspire

• Without a doubt my biggest takeaway from uAspire is the power of non-profits.

• The people, the work, the commitment

• Student-Centered, Collaborative, Excellent, Dedicated, Systems-Focused

• Always be composed and prepared- cannot always control everything

• uAspire inspires and empowers teenagers to be proactive, taking on their own responsibility- coming into and meeting with advisors

Looking forward from a personal standpoint

• Marketing or branding at a sportswear/footwear company has always been something I have been interested in

• Working for uAspire has opened my eyes, heart, and mind to pursuing a career in non-profits

Societal Inequality – what I noticed

through my job

• Vast majority of students uAspire served across the Commonwealth are racial minorities

• These individuals come from lower-income households where caregivers often have minimal post-secondary educations

• Inequality in work force demographics- white, blue, pink collars

• Every workshop I have been to consisted of African American, Asian, and Hispanic students

• Many will be the first in their family to go to college, others from a lineage of college-goers have an advantage in what to expect

• Some of these students have to navigate the financial aid process alone because of parents who do not speak English

Societal Inequality (continued)

• Understanding these inequalities adds another level of importance to the work we do because inequalities should have no place in modern society

• uAspire aims to arm everyone with the financial “know how” to find a way to afford college

• Essentially we are breaking down inequalities so everyone can have a path to and through college