Week #1

Alejandro,

You knew you wanted to begin this internship opportunity by hitting the ground running. It also looks like your organization did as well when they handed you the work you needed to get through over the next week. While the amount of paper work is large in volume, it is also large in importance. The hard work you put into manually inputting the information into spreadsheets will help you make the case to those in your community that your cause is the right one. You are very lucky to be put into an organization that has the shared vision of improving your home. You began studying economics to then be able to help minority and immigrant communities thrive, now is a great opportunity to give back.

While you are no stranger to hard work, this is new territory for you. The information needed to carry out your new tasks will need to be found using new tools you will be introduced to in the days ahead. It is important you use the resourcefulness you have to make the most of what is in front of you. Furthermore, it is important that you demonstrate your ability and willingness to be of assistance both to your supervisors and your community. Whether it is manually entering data or meeting business owners one on one, it is imperative that you learn to be flexible to the changing needs of working with a nonprofit.

As a son of a small business owner, your experience at the Southwest Detroit Business Association as well as with the DCBRP, should give you a new perspective on what it means to survive as an entrepreneur in the city. While some areas and businesses are seeing growth, you may see where there are weaknesses and faults in how the city treats businesses and vice versa. You have an opportunity to gain new insights so that when you come back to dedicate your full time to helping your community, you will have the knowledge you need to hit the ground running.

Siempre,

Alejandro Navarrete