Name: Collin Wojciechowski

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: The Baltimore Partnership for College Access and Success

Location of the Organization (City, State): Baltimore, Maryland

Title of Your Position: Project Manager

Major(s)/Minor(s): Political Science [Major] Media and Communication Studies [Major] Public Administration [Minor] History [Minor]

Expected Graduation Date (Month & Year): May 2013

1. Briefly describe your internship, co-op, research or service-learning position/assignment, including your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.

The Baltimore Partnership for College Access and Success (BPCAS) is a brand new non-profit sponsored by the Greater Baltimore Urban League. The BPCAS works to place college students as paid mentors in Baltimore City Middle Schools, to help students achieve academically and guide them along the path to higher education. In my role as Project Manager, I am responsible for drafting this new organization’s Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan will outline how the organization functions now and where it would like to be in terms of funding and outreach over the next ten years.

2. What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company and what have you found most challenging?

One of the best parts of my internship is the ability to work with students. The BPCAS is based in an East Baltimore Middle School and every day I get to work with students on their various summer projects. It is so rewarding to be able to help a student on a math problem or an English assignment and then see his or her excitement when they get the answer correct. By far the most challenging part of my job is to help secure funding. Even though this organization is doing so much good, this harsh economic climate has made securing grant funding extremely difficult.

3. What have you gained from your experience that you could not have gained from another summer activity?

The most unique experience I have gained from my time with the BPCAS is the privilege of writing the Strategic Plan. Being given the opportunity to do long term planning for an organization that has the potential to have a positive statewide impact has been exhilarating.

4. How do you see your summer work as meaningful? Has it given you a chance to work on issues or with communities that matter to you?

The work that the BPCAS is doing is extremely meaningful, both to me personally and the Greater Baltimore community. By getting paid mentors into these middle schools we are not only making a positive, proven, and lasting impact in the lives of these young people but also providing fantastic opportunities for college students to be a part of Baltimore. For me, getting the chance to make a positive impact for youth in the city I love is the best way imaginable to spend a summer.

5. How has your summer experience shaped the way you think about your power to impact the world? This might involve skills you’ve gained, information you’ve learned, mentors you’ve connected with, or projects you’ve completed.

My work with the BPCAS, especially drafting the Strategic Plan, has shown me how much impact one person can have on a community, even if their just an intern. Because this plan is now in place, the BPCAS will now have a stronger, more concrete, structure that will allow them to bring in more funding and expand to several parts of Maryland. When that happens, more students will be mentored, meaning college attendance will go up, crime will go down, and Maryland will be that much stronger.