Lindsey Trimmer

Reflection:

My summer internship at Crosscut (http://crosscut.com/) provided me a greater understanding of the many aspects that go into making an organization and company have a positive effect on the community. I also learned valuable skills about project management and important insights into how professional offices run smoothly. To date, Crosscut is the most successful non-profit I've had the opportunity to work with on a deeper level and I believe that throughout the summer I positively affected the organization while gaining skills and knowledge about the non-profit world. 

There are many different aspects about Crosscut that allows it to run and create positive change in the Pacific Northwest and I was able to engage in multiple of these during my time there. For example, Crosscut does not only provide news for Seattleites, but it also hosts events to increase engagement throughout Seattle and get residents involved in creating solutions to multiple urban issues. This allowed me to see how non-profits can engage their community and create change by not only providing information for residents, but also hosting events throughout the Seattle area. 

Another insight I received during my time at Crosscut was a look into how not-for-profit companies can manage their finances and receive funds from a variety of different sources to stay afloat in our current economy. Crosscut has three main sources of funding - reader membership, donations (usually through a fundraising campaign) and grants. I was able to see the different steps, as well as time commitment it takes to run a non-profit and receive the funds necessary to survive and continue to positively impact the community. 

I selected this project to learn and gain insight to all of these aspects of a non-profit and I'm very happy that I was able to do so at Crosscut this summer. It also allowed me to consider my future career paths, as well as the goals and skills I need to get me there. 

As a Political Science major, I don't yet have a clear idea of exactly what I want to do when I graduate from University of Washington. Over the course of the past two years, I've realized that going towards the future I am interested in one of three options when I graduate - go to graduate school and continue to study Political Science, go into government work, or receive my MPA and continue in non-profit work. Working at Crosscut this summer provided me the opportunity to see what a career in non-profit management would entail, as well as allowed me to gain some important skills that will be helpful if I choose to move forward in the field. 

Moving towards the future, it won't change my coursework that much, as I already have my next two years planned in accordance to school. However, this summer gave me a greater insight into what a career in non-profit work and management would be like and it made me realize how fulfilling and interesting a life in non-profit work would be. It also allowed me to reflect on how many non-profit opportunities there are in a city like Seattle and made me realize that there are multiple organizations I would be so happy to work for and many causes that are important to me. I originally thought I would only like to work at an environmental non-profit, but after this summer I am now interested and open to working in a variety of different fields within the non-profit world. 

I was originally planning on staying on with Crosscut through fall quarter, however due to various personal reasons I am not able to. I would love the opportunity to work with the incredible individuals at Crosscut in the future. I had such a great experience at Crosscut, not only in the positive and committed atmosphere it created, but with the brilliant and unique people that work there and I hope that in the future I can work in another office setting similar to that of Crosscut. 

Through this project I learned a lot of important skills that will be useful regardless of what career path I choose for the future. I also felt as though I was positively adding to Crosscut as well, and it was really satisfying to see the work I was doing making a change in the organization. 

Through this project I learned how much I am capable of if I am passionate about the work I am doing. I created and installed the Student Voice program at Crosscut, and through this was able to learn of my abilities in creating and managing projects that I did not know I had. I also learned how important my fellow co-workers are to my happiness in an office, as well as how important positive office relationships are to the success of an organization. 

Overall, my work at Crosscut this summer helped me learn a lot about the non-profit world, as well as myself. I was able to reflect on the different skills I need to be successful in the workforce, as well as the different issues I'm passionate about and work I enjoy doing. I am so grateful I spent my summer at Crosscut and I know it will continue to positively affect my education and work endeavors in the future.

Evaluation: 

Lindsey was an incredible asset to our team, with both creative vision but also the dedication and work ethic to see those ideas through to implementation. She was a pleasure to work with, and has so much potential in her future career. While at Crosscut, Lindsey launched the Student Voice to provide an outlet for student opinions on the site. She cultivated relationships with professors, visited summer classes to present on the opportunity, managed contributions, and coordinated internally with our team on themes and selection of published pieces. Lindsey, while a great team member, was also confident in taking ownership and working on her own. She asked for input, guidance, and feedback, but was also able to take that information and chart her own path forward. She didn't rely on constant guidance to keep moving, and always found things to keep her busy and effective. I think Lindsey would do well in a communications role. She very impressively navigated both internal processes as well as external relationship, and was a conduit between our editors and students/faculty. I hope to have the opportunity to work with her again, and expect great things.