Welcome back to my journey with L.A.C.E.S.! I recently introduced myself in an intro blog as the 2022 Summer Communications intern, and am back again to share a reflection of my experience with you all!
Angelica's L.A.C.E.S. Recap
My time with L.A.C.E.S. has been one of the most eye opening experiences of my life, and through the duration of my internship, I have gotten to be a part of countless learning opportunities.
Since joining the L.A.C.E.S. team, Seren, Marc, and Leah have been incredibly supportive in helping me explore the areas of nonprofit communications that I held particular interest in, such as producing feature articles for our blog content, conducting interviews with members of the L.A.C.E.S. team, and even going as far as co-writing an article with Marc on the importance of supporting community-based organizations, which was recently accepted for publication!
Along with gaining new skills and real world experience in the communications area, my favorite part of my internship experience so far has been the opportunity to speak with L.A.C.E.S. co-founders James and Pastor Roberts in a one-on-one interview.
I had an understanding when I first joined the L.A.C.E.S. team of what their work meant to the people it impacted, but through my conversation with James and Pastor Roberts, that meaningfulness only gained more clarity.
I initially entered the interview with the same mindset as I always do, that questions will be answered, responses will be recorded, and we’d say our respective goodbyes. However, what I thought would be a quick twenty or thirty minutes turned into one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life.
We spent at least an hour together, where both James and Pastor Roberts shared stories from L.A.C.E.S.’ beginnings to their future goals.
Something I had been particularly interested in learning about was L.A.C.E.S.’ feeding program, how they provide meals for the youth in their programs. It was a service that stuck out to me, seeing an organization that provided regular nutrition for its members.
I made sure to work it into my questions, and listened carefully as they explained the concept. Many of the youth have no reliable source of nutrition, one of the main reasons they turn to the streets. James explained that the program would not be successful in helping the children return to their homes and families if this was not remedied.
As James and Pastor Roberts began sharing stories of the transformation they’d seen in the youth due to the feeding program, it caused emotion to well up inside me and I spent the rest of my day processing just how much L.A.C.E.S. actually does for the youth it serves, and how important it is to their futures.
What's Next...
My internship with L.A.C.E.S. has meant so much to me in terms of not only my professional, but personal growth as well. I’m incredibly thankful to the entire L.A.C.E.S team for their mentorship throughout my time here and for their support in helping me reach the goals that I had set for myself.
My summer internship is coming to a close, but I won’t be a stranger just yet! I’m happy to share that I will be returning again in September as the Fall 2022 Communications Intern! I’m so happy I was able to have such an enlightening experience and can’t wait to continue my L.A.C.E.S. journey when I return.
See you soon!