The following is a guest post written by Yarelie Magallon, an intern on the Summer Search National Marketing team.

Hi everyone! My name is Yarelie Magallon and I’ve spent my summer as a Marketing Intern working at Summer Search’s national office in San Francisco. Throughout the course of the summer, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a number of Summer Search staff, including two other Summer Search interns, and I noticed something: all three of us (interns) have a similar background and had no previous affiliation with Summer Search, yet we were drawn to join this organization.

Why? I find that within communities of shared experiences, there is some sense to give back to those who have gone through the same thing. Each of our histories led us to where we are today. Here is just a little bit about who we are, why we chose Summer Search, and what we do!

Who We Are

From left to right:

Monique Taylor – Student Development Administration (M. Ed), Seattle University

Rahim Raja – Fulbright/Sutton Trust Scholar, University of Chicago

Yarelie Magallon (Me!) – Political Science, California Polytechnic State University – SLO

Why We Were Drawn to Summer Search

Yarelie: For me it was really a no-brainer to apply, I found myself relating to the stories of the students that Summer Search helps. I felt that I would have benefitted from this type of program when I was in high school. Many students who lack resources may be afraid to reach out for help, or simply have no one they know that they can reach out to. Summer Search provides that resource that helps them not only navigate their future plans but also provides summer experiences that allow for growth and development.

Rahim: My participation in a similar program drew me to apply to a position at Summer Search that also has a mission I believe in. As a low-income student from the UK, I have shared experiences with the students from Summer Search and for this reason wanted to be able to part of an organization that allows students to reach their full potential, just like Fulbright helped me.

Monique: This internship had several leadership opportunities that excited me! I am always looking for ways to grow my leadership skills and Summer Search is a great place to learn and grow. Also, I am generally interested in working in nonprofits after I graduate so I felt this position would be a great way to gain additional experience.

What We’ve Been Doing

Yarelie: I am a Marketing Intern at the national office in San Francisco. I have mostly been helping with Summer Search’s social media — organizing content, brainstorming new ideas, researching industry trends, and of course, posting! Having a social media presence for companies is crucial now, as much of the content people consume is online. Especially for a nonprofit trying to broadcast its message, having a platform that allows supporters to see what they are up to is important.

So far it has been a fun and educational experience. I came into this role with limited marketing experience, as my previous internships were within the government sector. But Summer Search has provided me with a supportive environment in which I have been able to succeed. As my time here went on, my role in projects has gradually increased and I am happy to be a part of something bigger than myself! I am just overall thankful for the opportunity and I have learned a lot, not only about nonprofits and marketing, but about my abilities.

Rahim: My official title is Research and Evaluation Fellow and I am based in our Summer Search Philadelphia office. I work mostly with data and use it for research as applicable to my projects. For example, I created a pipeline income report which looks at students’ demographics and I follow them throughout each step of their Summer Search journey. Using this data, I am then able to run statistical tests to show differences in the program years, giving valuable information as to what we are doing right or wrong, or what is changing.

Another project is an incoming students’ characteristics report which includes information such as income, household information, gender etc. A third project of mine is called “Philadelphia Student Population Project” that uses GIS to note where branches have served in the past and then using the incoming students’ characteristics report am able to distinguish patterns and find which places might benefit from having a Summer Search program. So far, I have loved working with data in this scale, and I enjoy the Summer Search atmosphere, especially seeing the interactions between mentors and students.

Monique: A big piece of my position has been planning and executing this year’s Rites of Passage event, which took place at the beginning of August. The event aimed to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2019 recent high school graduates and to provide them with important information to help with their transition into their post-secondary path. Outside of the event I have been supporting student matriculation activities, and I am currently helping plan the student Leadership Committee Retreat which will take place in September.

Our Plans for the Future

Rahim: I plan on majoring in Physics and/or Molecular Engineering with a possible minor in Computer Science. After that, going to grad school, and maybe after work in a place like Summer Search. I am still unsure if I would like to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector as related to my current position, or solely focus on research. But working at Summer Search has been very beneficial as it gives me experience in a different field.

Monique: I am going into my final year of grad school in the fall. My next step is to graduate and I hope to find a position working for a community-based organization afterwards.

Yarelie: After the summer I will be heading back to school for my last quarter! As I prepare to graduate college and start the next chapter of my life, I am juggling different ideas of what I want my next move to be. One thing I am sure of though is that I am thankful Summer Search provided me with the opportunity to be part of an organization that helps those who come from under-resourced communities and I would love to continue a career in this realm.