The HBS Summer Fellows Program enables students to apply their classroom training as they explore career opportunities in roles or regions where compensation is generally lower than the traditional MBA level. This summer, we are connecting with some of our 70 Social Enterprise Summer Fellows, who are working around the world to develop skills and knowledge while having significant responsibility and high impact.
What are you working on this summer?
I am spending this summer working at City Fund in Washington, D.C. through the Education Pioneers fellowship, which places fellows in organizations driving systemic changes in public education. City Fund partners with local leaders across the country to build innovative public school systems aimed at moving children out of poverty and into thriving adult lives. My role this summer involves supporting City Fund with scaling their impact by evaluating ways to better support their nonprofit partners across the country, specifically by improving knowledge sharing across their nonprofit partners and identifying focus areas where City Fund can provide additional guidance.
Why did you choose this internship for the summer?
I have always had a deep interest in education as a catalyst for social change and I am passionate about addressing the systemic inequities in education that perpetuate poverty and income inequality. I was drawn to this internship not only for the opportunities to learn about and contribute to meaningful advancements in public education across the United States, but also because of the community element of the Education Pioneers fellowship. The fellowship has connected me with a supportive and diverse group of individuals and mentors both in DC and around the country who are committed to tackling challenges and inequities in education.
What are your goals for this summer?
I had several goals for this internship. Firstly, I wanted to deepen my understanding of the education sector, including its diverse stakeholders, like public, private, and nonprofit organizations. Secondly, I wanted to explore how I could leverage my strengths and interests to address major challenges in public education. Lastly, I wanted to clarify my aspirations for where I thought I could have the most impact within the education landscape, specifically by understanding what type of work would make me feel most energized.
How has your MBA skillset prepared you to be successful in this role?
The HBS MBA program has given me essential tools to tackle complex and broad problems. It taught me how to deconstruct large problems into manageable components and how to think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions. In addition, City Fund is extremely data-driven in how they measure and validate the impact they have on the communities they serve, so the first-year course Data Science for Managers has been instrumental in allowing me to effectively leverage data for decision making and strategic initiatives.
How has the summer influenced your thinking on future involvement in social enterprise?
My work this summer has reinforced my belief in the foundational power of education to break the cycle of poverty. Working with diverse stakeholders has deepened my understanding of the complex interplay between political systems, public institutions, private organizations and philanthropy within public education. Despite the challenges of operating in this landscape, this experience has solidified my commitment to advancing equity in education through my career.
How can someone learn more about your organization?
You can learn more about City Fund by checking out their website here (https://city-fund.org/). Education Pioneers is the fellowship organization that placed me at City Fund this summer, you can learn more about them on their website here (https://educationpioneers.org/).
This article was originally published on the HBS Social Enterprise page.