Name: Kelsey Donnellan

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: Just Food UMBC | Title of Your Position: Founder and Director

Major(s)/Minor(s): Interdisciplinary Studies, Degree title: Community Health and Nutrition

Expected Graduation Year: May 2015

Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research, or service-learning opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

I launched Just Food UMBC, an organization to promote a just and sustainable food system at UMBC. Along with three interns, I work with various stakeholders in our on-campus food system. Each week I am tasked with establishing goals for each of the interns, reviewing the intern's work, hosting staff meetings, and arranging 1:1s with each intern.

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

The project has been a passion of mine for over a year, but I struggled to gain traction. As I transitioned out of a leadership position with The Garden, I focused on our campus food policy. I met with Vivian Armor and Christine Routzahn to discuss getting internship credit, which was a different structure as I started the organization. With their approval, I went to other departments to recruit interns. Two interns are fulfilling their Health Administration and Policy Program internship requirement and the other intern is completing an independent study in Political Science. From there we asked Jill Wrigley to serve as a faculty mentor, and she graciously agreed.

Which of the following resources did you use to find your current experience?

Faculty Connections

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Launching Just Food UMBC has pushed me to think critically about long-term goals and my management strategies. The staff works hard week in and week out to develop our research, write policy reviews, and connect with the community. While I am the Director, I prefer to work collaboratively with the interns and actively listen to their ideas. I believe allowing them to use their strengths has only made our organization thrive.

What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another opportunity?

I learned management skills and effective communication skills, which I could not have gained from another opportunity. If I do not communication the weekly goals well, the interns may do redundant or incorrect work. Much of the responsibility falls on me, and I take it seriously. In the beginning the interns were given the opportunity to advise me on what platforms and methods of communication they preferred. Now I am able to create their goals list with their preferences in mind.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Think creatively about opportunities and ask for support.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / the internship placement process.

"I feel it is an obligation to help people understand the relation of food to agriculture and the relationship of food to culture." - Alice Waters

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