Discovering my Passion for Marketing at San Miguel School

To say that I lucked out when it comes to my internship would be a gross understatement.  Through my role as Development Intern at San Miguel School in Washington, DC, I have discovered a passion that I never knew I had.  San Miguel DC is a Catholic middle school that exclusively serves at-risk Latino boys living at or below the poverty line in the district.  Therefore, we are financially dependent upon donations from poverty programs, foundations, and, most importantly, generous donors in the community.  I knew that I would thoroughly enjoy the service aspect of this internship, but I was not quite sure what I was getting myself into in terms of the "development" part of this internship.  Would I be asking people for money?  Would I just be a glorified office assistant?  Would I even feel fulfilled while working here?

The answers to those questions are no, no, and YES.  My internship at San Miguel is more than I could have ever imagined and I have the director of the MSBA program, Mr. Stewart McHie, to thank for that.  When I was first accepted to the program, I explained to Professor McHie that I desired to serve through my work as a business woman, so I was most interested in obtaining an internship at a non-profit organization.  He thought about this and then asked me if I was interested in marketing and/or development.  I told him in complete honesty that I didn't know enough about it to know if I was.  He proceeded to connect me with a former MSBA student working at San Miguel and said, "Well then, let's find out." 

My boss, the said former MSBA student, has truly taken me under his wing since I have begun work at San Miguel and I could not be more grateful.  Since beginning in August, I have been given great responsibility and have gained experience in conducting market research, producing advertisements that are catered to target donors, and writing copies that adequately reflect the faith that we have, as a staff, in the mission of San Miguel.  In just two short months, I have discovered a real passion for marketing and development when in conjunction with service organizations, and can truly see myself pursuing a career in this line of work after finishing school.