Last July, we had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Dowgin when she volunteered at Summer Academy. From day 1, we knew she was something special; intelligent, talented, passionate, and loads of fun. Perfect for Leader's Challenge. We immediately asked her to come on board as a Program Team Intern, where she's proven to be an invaluable asset.
As the school year comes to a close, Liz is preparing to leave us for broader pastures, but not before doing time as a second year volunteer at our upcoming Summer Academies at the Colorado School of Mines. As she wraps up her internship, we thought it would be nice for her to share her experience with the rest of the LC family.
Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to participate in Leader’s Challenge as a student, so my first experience with the organization was when I volunteered at the 2007 IGNITE Summer Academies. I immediately fell in love with the students and energy I was surrounded by, and in August, accepted a position as the Program Team Intern.
In my ten months with LC, I've attended Monthly Challenges, the Abominable SnowMansion Retreat, and several fundraising events. I work at the LC office in Westminster three days a week, where I've taken on projects such as coordinating principal meetings, managing the program completion process, including portfolios and computer pick-ups, organizing the Beyond the Challenge Celebration in December, and redesigning the Final Challenge Project workbooks. I've also been given the opportunity to work directly with two high school teams - Arrupe Jesuit and CEC Middle College - for the last few months of the school year.
While I've certainly learned a lot about working in the nonprofit world, my favorite part about my experience has been interacting with students. I look forward to seeing their familiar faces at events, and its been a pleasure watching them learn and grow.
Leader’s Challenge provides a real external community for their students. My extra curricular activities in high school were limited to school sports and clubs; I envy LC students who experience real community and civic issues before college.
As my year with LC comes to an end, I am reminded of how wonderful the organization really is. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the staff members; they have been both friends and role models to me. I also look forward to keeping in touch with my students, and volunteering at LC events in the years to come.
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