INTERNING AT LAST - By LA Fellow, Jo Ellen Krumm

As I head for work – my LA Fellows internship at Valley Village in Winnetka – my energy rebounds and I look forward to the afternoon. This is my first internship. My college didn’t have an intern program back then and I was busy working on the school newspaper, studying, and just plain working. As a magazine editor, I mentored many journalism interns, but this is my first time as the intern.

I am thrilled to be working at Valley Village, which serves developmentally disabled adults. I’m working with two great professionals -- Jenny Daniels Freese, director of marketing and development, and Anush Sumian, development coordinator. I’m learning about the valuable programs here and how important all of the funding is to our clients. I’m also helping to put together grant proposals and letters of intent, and finding out about the long days and many meetings of development professionals.

Another first about the LA Fellows program is that I had a wide choice of well-managed nonprofits to which I could apply. It’s like having your choice of dream jobs available, and I thank our LA Fellows staff for that.

With my journalistic skills of research and writing and my LA Fellows training in nonprofit management and funding, I think I can make a difference in the nonprofit sector. I look forward to my new career.

Jo Ellen Krumm, center, participates in a visual representation of "LinkedIn" during a class presentation.