Leading EDGE: End of Summer 2023 Recap

August 17, 2023
Shelby Truxon
Blog, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Leading EDGE Employers, Leading EDGE Students

Cohort 2 of the Leading EDGE Internship Program.

We made it to the end of the second Leading EDGE Internship cohort! It’s been a great summer working with these amazing students and employers. This year, seven dedicated employers hosted nine interns for ten weeks over the summer:

Kayla Tingley with Capital Area Food Bank
Gracemary Allen with Capital Area Food Bank
Michelle Castro with Impact Communications
Helina Mesfin with Fuse Fundraising
Zainat Abubakar with Moore Digital
Timothy Azucena with Moore Digital
Amelia Jansen with Trinity Missions
Afraah Goshu with PMG
Leah Woldemariam with Further Digital

Read more about our interns here.

This year, interns gained hands-on experience in various fields including community outreach, digital marketing, direct marketing, and fundraising. Many also attended industry conferences, hung out with colleagues after work, and networked with young professionals during their internships. Some even had the opportunity to lend their skills in photography and copywriting to various projects during their internships.

Click to read Helina Mesfin’s blog post.

In addition, interns were introduced to industry professionals through Leading EDGE Lunch n’ Learns and webinar events. Topics included an overview of the nonprofit sector, nonprofit fundraising, succeeding in a remote work environment, and how to navigate the work world as Gen Z. For the second year in a row, students from all over also attended our “What I Wish I Knew” webinar and the “Next Gen Webinar Panel & Speed Mentoring” events!

Truly another great summer for Leading EDGE and cohort #2! Next up is cohort #3 in both D.C. and New York for summer 2024.

Read more about our program on tnpa.org/leading_edge/ and stay tuned for 2024 open enrollment.

Intern Kayla Tingley-Renaudin (from The Catholic University of America) working at Capital Area Food Bank.

Intern Michelle Castro Lemus (from University of Maryland) working with Impact Communications. — Intern Kayla Tingley-Renaudin (from The Catholic University of America) working at Capital Area Food Bank.

Special THANK YOU to everyone who helped this year:

Internship Hosts

Jacqueline Neal
and Kathy Swayze
Impact Communications

Alexis Lahr, Austin Chikwendu,
and Laura Jeske
Capital Area Food Bank

Jaime Grams
PMG

Bethany Riley
and Shelby Steere
Further Digital

Aimee Nichols
Trinity Missions

Dana Drever
and Courtney Lewis
Fuse Fundraising

Bonnie Huey
and Mike Crump
Moore Digital

Steering Committee

Tom Cook
ROI Solutions

Kim Postulart
Alzheimer’s Association

Lance Slaughter
The ALS Association

Lori Archut
K2D Strategies

Elizabeth Góral-Makowski
SOAR! Support Our
Aging Religious

Diane Hardy
Audience First Media

Dara Igersheim
Avalon Consulting

Shayla Titley
Public Theater

Guest Speakers and Mentors

Tabetha Karydas
Queens Public Library Foundation

Seiko Yoshitake
USA for UNHCR

Max Vierengel
Denver Dumb Friends League

Kristin Dlesk
Avalon Consulting

Megan Ritter
Everytown for Gun Safety

Margot Oleary
Avalon Consulting

Rose Richtmyre
K2D Strategies

Alec Bandzes
Wildlife Conservation Society

Devin Denny
Asian Cultural Council

Nicole Franklin
Nest

And CONGRATS to our amazing interns! Wishing you all the best for your future endeavors.

Ready to invest in the next generation of nonprofit industry professionals? Learn more here or email struxon@tnpa.org to ask about sponsorship opportunities!