Learn to Be A Kid

Is it your dream to work with children in a fun and stimulating environment? You just may be able to discover and explore the world with curious kiddos at the Long Island Children’s Museum(LICM) as a CFP intern once you apply to the program. This is experiential learning at its finest, because LICM is a place that facilitates hands-on educational activities for children of all ages. You can help improve their experience by stepping aboard the CFP team. Apply now. Begin your adventure here: http://www.licm.org/.

WFLI: Women on the Move

Have you ever wanted to support the cause of gender equality and activism in education, but never knew where to start? Well say no more because the Women’s Fund of Long Island (WFLI) is the NPO you could be working with, once you have submitted your CFP application. The CFP of the Year 2013, Stephanie Lerner, is now a junior board member with WFLI after interning with them and can attest to their mission of “To ignite networks that transform the lives of women and girls on Long Island through grant-making, leadership development, education and philanthropy.” Want to make a difference? Start here: http://www.lifwg.org/.

Want More of North Shore?

That’s right, North Shore-LIJ is yet another participating NPO who you can potentially intern for when you apply to the Community Fellows Program. Take it from Kathryn Graves, a former CFP Administrative intern with North Shore. She learned the core values of the health system ranging from patient care to HR processing and last but not least, “Workforce Readiness.” If you would like to learn more about this prestigious healthcare network and how it operates then apply now! Read the rest of Kathryn’s CFP experience at: http://events.adelphi.edu/newsevent/portrait-of-a-leader-kathryn-graves/. For more info about North Shore-LIJ, click here.

Join Catholic Charities in the Regina Residency

Are you a psychology or social work major looking for the chance to put your skills to the test? Consider applying as a Community Fellows intern for the Catholic Charities Diocese of Rockville Center Regina Residency. The Regina Residence provides hosing for pregnant or parenting young mothers between the ages 11 and 24. Working here will allow you to help prepare these young women for the challenges of parenting as well as how to live independently. Even if you are not a social work or psychology major, you can still take advantage of this invaluable learning experience. 

Make-A-Wish Come True

As we countdown the days before the deadline, here is yet another reason you should apply to CFP. The Make-A-Wish Foundation will be one of the partnering NPOs this year. Make-A-Wish is devoted to granting wishes made by children diagnosed with life-threatening health conditions. You can be working alongside the teams involved in making these children’s dreams a reality. A great wish experience can be a positive turning point for a child’s health. If you want a piece of this action, then do not delay. Apply today! See http://wish.org/ for more details.

What's Holding You Back?

Opportunities are passed up every day. The decisions you make, and the time frame in which you make them in the professional world, make all the difference between "hired" and "not hired." Whatever it is that is holding you back, shake yourself free of it and move forward. Be proactive. The Community Fellows Program may be one of those enriching opportunities that you are dismissing for various reasons, many of which can be readily addressed and remedied. If it is within your control to change this situation before it passes you by, then let's get to the bottom of what's holding you back.

Speed bump #1: Procrastination

This epidemic has been around since the dawn of time. If the deadline for the CFP application clearly states Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. why wait until March 1, 2014 at 11:58 p.m. to apply? If you can dedicate an afternoon or an evening to finalizing your essay and submitting your application well before the due date, then go for it! Don't let procrastination hold you back.

Speed bump #2: Your Resume

If you're saying to yourself "I have no idea when or how I'm going to prepare my resume," then you came to the right place. Many times we let the notion of preparing and updating our resumes intimidate us which in turn undermines us from seeking out a career counselor who can help draw out our credentials and relevant experiences on paper. Stop by the Center for Career Development today to schedule an appointment or send your resume via email to careercounselor@adelphi.edu to craft thebest professional representation of yourself.

Speed bump #3: I'm not enrolled in the Internship Preparation Seminar

Several students have misread this recommended course as an automatic disqualification if they are not enrolled in it, yet have considered applying to the CFP. Don't let this discourage or even prevent you from applying! At the end of the day, you need to make the claim through your punctual and polished resume, essay, and overall application that you are more than qualified to become a CFP intern.

So what's holding you back? Take advantage of this opportunitynow. You will be glad you did.

The Fantastic Four Testimonials, Part 1

What better way to gain insight about real-life CFP experiences than asking the interns themselves? Here are four brilliant young women who were willing to share their Community Fellows Program testimonials.

Stephanie Lerner, who is working towards a B.A. in Mathematics, was among the first I interviewed. Stephanie was honored as the Community Fellow of the Year 2013. She is now a Junior Board member for the Women's Fund of Long Island. This non-profit organization that she had interned for is designed to empower women leadership in their communities by providing grants.

When I asked Stephanie, "How would you advise those who are considering applying for this internship program?" Her response was,

"Sell yourself. There is no interview, just this essay and the resume. Talk about the role you would play in the non-profit you created. A non-profit is such a big idea, so there are many pieces needed to make it successful. Each worker's role can contribute. Try to really emphasize this in your essay."

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Olivia Autry, who will be graduating next spring with a B.B.A. in Accounting, shared a valuable lesson she learned during her CFP internship,

"Teaching is almost the complete opposite of accounting, which is what I did during my internship at Cedarmore Corporation. Yet it provided me with a different learning experience than what I would have gained had I choose a non-profit organization associated with accounting.

"

Olivia continues to volunteer with Cedarmore Corporation, a non-profit that creates programs to help at risk youths. She says, "I still volunteer there because of the personal connections I made with the teens that I worked with and taught."

The Fantastic Four Testimonials, Part 2

I hope these words of wisdom will inspire you to not just apply yourself to the program, but think of ways you can start making an impact!

Anustha Shersta offered a different perspective of the CFP experience. She states, "As an international student, I initially had my own fears and reservations about working in a completely new community with a different culture. However, I wanted to make an impact and give back to the community that had given me a whole new world of opportunities. At the internship, I realized that it didn't matter where I am from, but the only thing that mattered was how I helped. I have learned what it requires to serve a community-- determination."

Anustha had the privilege of being accepted twice into the Community Fellows Program. Her first internship with Sustainable Long Island allowed her to conduct community workshops focusing on sustainable living while her second internship at Five Towns Community Chest provided her with the experience of being in public relations. She will be receiving a B.A. in Economics next May.

Valeria Mendoza will be earning her B.A. in International Studies/ Latin American Studies degree in 2015. She also had the opportunity to intern at two different non-profit organizations including Global Kids and The Fair Media Council. She described how her placement in both of these organizations enabled her to rediscover her aptitude in the fields she is currently pursuing:

“My first placement at The Fair Media Council gave me the opportunity to revisit my creative skills and sparked my interest in a concentration in Marketing paired with my International/ Latin American Studies degree. My second placement inGlobal Kids gave me the reassurance that I could make a living working for an organization that embodied my passion for social justice and that I was a professional ready for the fast paced New York City labor market.”

Valeria believes that “working for an organization that you are personally invested in” is what will make you committed to the fulfilling the organization’s mission. 

Did You Apply Yet?

Freeze right where you are! Ask yourself this simple question: "Did I apply to the Community Fellows Program yet?" You may feel prepared and confident about your application. However, make sure that you are not overlooking any details. Regardless of the fact that the Community Fellows Program is an internship through Adelphi University, you are still putting yourself out there for employers to critique. Therefore, you want to put your absolute best effort forward! Allow me to give you a little checklist of some things you should bear in mind:

• First, is your resume ready? Remember, your resume is a representation of who you are, what you have been doing, and what kind of experience you have in one or various fields. Is your resume updated, relevant to the position you are currently applying for and free of any spelling or grammatical errors? Consider having it proofread by a counselor at the Center for Career Development. In fact, go the extra mile and have your resume printed with laser jet ink on professional-looking paper. The way you present your resume  can be the deciding factor between being hired and not hired.
• Second on the checklist: is your application essay done? Avoid waiting until the last minute. Perhaps you should schedule an appointment with the Writing Center to ensure your essay is polished and that your voice clearly communicates the purpose for which you are writing it. Let this one page essay be enough to convince a potential employer that you can cast vision and organize your thoughts well on paper.
• Finally, be sure that you ask your professors for a letter of recommendation. They have deadlines to meet and classes to attend as well, therefore, the more advance notice you give them, the better. Additionally, be sure to ask a professor that has seen you grow academically and perform well in their class so that their letter reflects well on your overall application. 

Applying for the Community Fellows Program is something we are all very capable of,  but if you really want to stand out, then show it by preparing for all of these steps well ahead of time. So I ask again, did you apply yet?