Marquette.edu // Trinity Fellows //
Graduate Program: M.A. Communications, Certificate in Digital Storytelling
Undergraduate Degree, Institution: Environmental Studies & French, Loyola University Chicago
Trinity Nonprofit Agency: Menomonee Valley Partners
I spent just over a year at Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing in downtown Chicago, first as an AmeriCorps VISTA and then as a full time employee in the development department. Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH) provides free, comprehensive legal representation so that renters have a trusted advocate in court. While there, I spent my time planning fundraising events such as the annual Hearts for Housing card tournament, coordinating newsletters and other outreach materials, and working closely with the executive director to ensure smooth office operations.
I had a great Trinity Fellowship experience. While I was pursuing a degree in Communications and a certificate in Digital Storytelling, I was able to directly apply what I was learning in my communications classes to the work I was doing with my placement. My role as communications coordinator put me in a position to experiment with new technologies and find new ways to engage with the public. My supervisors were open to my ideas and helped me implement them on a larger scale than I imagined possible.
My time spent with Menomonee Valley Partners was a time of growth and opportunity. Not only was I able to continue to exercise my skills in event planning and community outreach, but was able to challenge myself to tackle larger projects such as a city-wide engagement campaign to gather public opinion on the future of the Menomonee Valley. Working at MVP was an exciting way for me to discern best practices in the nonprofit workplace. In addition to working closely with my own executive director, I was able to interact daily with leaders in the Milwaukee community who are already making a difference. These interactions with leadership were helpful in my decisions to continue to work in the nonprofit field after graduation.
After graduation, I will continue to help Menomonee Valley Partners gather public opinion for their planning process and expand my services to help the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail rehabilitate their web presence and online communications strategies. I hope to one day find a job in either Milwaukee or Chicago, Illinois.
Administrative Services Manager, SaintA
Carolyn Swabek, Director (414) 288-0637 carolyn.swabek@marquette.edu
Alisha Klapps Balistreri, Assistant Director (414) 288-0260 alisha.klapps@marquette.edu
Peggy Mead, Program Assistant (414) 288-5473 peggy.mead@marquette.edu