Name: Amelia Thomas
Class Year: 2020
Major: English
Hometown: Richmond, Va.

Internship Organization: Victor’s Vision
Job Title: Event Intern
Location: All around Philly

What’s happening at your internship?

So far, my internship has been centered around venue hunting. I’ve never had to search for venue spaces, let alone a space big enough for up to 125 guests in attendance, and therefore have been keeping myself rather busy. I’ve been touring a few promising spaces I find in person, as well as talking with event planners and managers at dozens of possible spaces I’ve found through online research. I’m now about to get started working towards finding donors and sponsors. I’ve nailed my elevator pitch for the organization, as well as a longer, in-depth explanation of the work we’re doing, all in order to find people who aren’t just willing to help us, but who are excited and proud to be a part of our mission.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because it ticks off all three directions I can see a future career following: education, nonprofit work, and event planning. Victor’s Vision is a nonprofit that works to provide an equal opportunity for education in Central and Latin America. Currently, they are based out of Chulucanas, Peru, and have a school running that is giving students a holistic approach towards education. My internship, then, is to plan their largest annual fundraiser, Viva la Vision. I’ve been interested in education for a few years now, working through if I want to go to grad school post-BMC to get my master’s in education, and therefore, become a teacher. I’ve also been interested generally speaking in nonprofit work, and what nonprofits have to do in order to thrive and complete their mission(s). Finally, I’ve also been on and off thinking about event planning, not sure exactly what that means related to education and/or nonprofit work, but now I’ve seen the three come together.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

Something I’ve learned from this internship that I didn’t expect is how expensive it is to plan events! This might sound silly, but since I’m interested in a career pursuing this, it’s important that even the smallest things have me learning. Most venues aren’t priced out for nonprofits, they’re priced for weddings and larger corporate celebrations — therefore,  trying to find a place that is happy to work with a limited budget has proved difficult!

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

Yes, and no. I’ve been doing a lot more individual work than expected, but I also work really well with that, and therefore it’s exciting that it’s different than expected in that sense. However, the tasks I’ve been working on, and the ways in which I’ve been learning to communicate about the organization and communicate with venues and donors, have been exactly as expected.