This past summer, I completed a Co-op at NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale, FL in the Development Department. It was probably one of the most enriching experiences I've ever had in terms of my professional development. Working in a fast-paced museum environment that dealt with everything behind the scenes helped me to be more assertive and confident. During my time at the museum, I worked on a project where I basically planned out a trip to New York City for high-level donors, which I later got to see the results of! It's really fulfilling to follow things through and see them come together in the end, especially with major events like that which can help cultivate relationships with the museum that will keep people supporting and coming back. I worked on interdepartmental projects that had me racking up followers on the museum's Instagram and planning for high-caliber events like Art Miami Week.

Having this experience really put me in the thick of it. I found this opportunity independently and I feel that it has helped me to make more thoughtful choices regarding where I want my career to go. I wanted to learn how funds are developed because I'm highly interested in the non-profit arts sector, and one day hope to work within the frameworks of social justice by combining my love for art with my longtime passion for prison reform. Being able to network and come up with a budget is something that I've learned is so important when trying to fund small community projects, or just seeing what it takes to plan a party like an exhibition opening! Even though that seems to be unrelated to what I'm studying, I've learned that it's never too late to change your course and pursue experiences that will help you achieve your goals and a more all-encompassing experience. It's helped me to realize what I want to do and what I don't, and that's so valuable.

This past spring/summer, I completed my first co-op at Vanguard in the Internal Audit department. I had always been drawn to Vanguard because of their incredible company culture, and I was definitely not disappointed. Vanguard gave me countless opportunities to grow myself both personally and professionally, and I feel very lucky to have done my first co-op here. I learned a lot about the kind of leadership that I want to emulate based on the leaders that I was exposed to.

At the beginning of my co-op, I was afraid to speak up in meetings or give my opinions, but by the end, I was actually able to lead meetings with our business clients. I developed my confidence so much by the end of my co-op, and I think it all had to do with properly utilizing resources and having advocates on my side.

The biggest accomplishment of my co-op was being able to meet and host an event with the Chief Diversity Officer of Vanguard. I was able to reach out to her and the North America Diversity and Inclusion Lead at SAP. This all culminated in a Diversity Summit event at Drexel that was held in October where I was able to moderate a fireside chat with these two incredible women. This was a wonderful way to wrap up my co-op experience because I was able to bring Vanguard and Drexel together for an event that addressed the increasingly important topic of diversity and inclusion. I was pleasantly surprised to see several of my past Vanguard colleagues in the audience at this event, and this made me realize how lucky I am to have gone on co-op in such a supportive workplace.

Through the support of my colleagues and leaders at both Vanguard and Drexel, I feel that I truly got the best out of my first co-op experience, and I finally feel that I have gained the confidence I need to be an effective leader in the business world.