Dear Rakira,
Wow. Is it really the end already? I bet you would have never imagined that these nine weeks would be over so quickly. As I reread my letter to you I couldn’t help but smile as I remembered all of the nervous and excited feelings that arose got during your first week interning at Friends of Parkside. Who would’ve thought that your predictions for this summer would be spot on!
How does it feel to know you’ve grown so much in such a small amount of time? I already know the feeling is surreal. Remember how nervous you were about making phone calls to residents to remind them about an event or give them updates on upcoming programs? And now you’ve led several workshops where you were able to teach small groups about some of the skills you have under your belt like managing Google Applications and using Gmail. I honestly could not be more proud. I know that this was not what you had imagined in the beginning, but none of that matters now because you have certainly had a worthwhile experience. I know that this is only the beginning of all of the amazing things that you are set on a path to be apart of.
Well I can’t say that every prediction you had was correct. I know in the beginning you were a little hesitant about forming relationships and connections through virtual settings, but honestly all of that has changed now. You definitely had an amazing team working at Friends of Parkside. Zachary, Star, Areon, Jevonda, and Sharonda provided a network of support that would allow for any individual that worked with them to prosper. To the other DCERP fellows, thank you for your constant commitment and energy you brought to the meetings. I honestly cannot wait to meet all of you in the fall!!
I am so glad that you decided to continue this journey with DCERP despite it going virtual. I know this summer was a little tough for you, especially with taking classes but you did it! I hope that you cherish this experience forever. My. major goal for this summer was to be able to work in my home town and get to know parts of the city that I knew nothing about. Mission accomplished!
With that being said, I am looking forward to the step in your path. I can see many more great things ahead for you!
Peace and Love,
Rakira
Rakira,
I’m so glad your expectations exceeded your reality this summer. I too was in distress at times during the summer thinking I couldn’t live up personal expectations in my head or find a way to move out of my comfort zone with the format but I think it gave me a safety net in a sense because it was like baby sets to live interaction which I appreciated. It’s very bittersweet that this is my last comment and your last blog actually because this summer just flew by in every possible way. Anyway I’m glad DCERP was a good experience for you and I can’t wait to hear more about Friends of Parkside if you continue working for them.
(Side note: Peace and love reminded me of Ms.Green from high school lol)