Thursday, August 7, 2014

Andy Meets the Interns

This summer, the Hunger Network has welcomed 4 new faces to our family! Although temporary, the Network is still so excited and grateful for their hard work and dedication. I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with each one, and I am excited to introduce you to them!

[Above: Hanging out with interns Juliana, Leah and Lauren!]

Leah Backo joins the Development Department! A Bedford resident, Leah is a recent graduate from the University of Michigan where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art & Design with a minor in Community Action & Social Change. Upon graduating, she moved back to her hometown in hopes that she could utilize her creative abilities to help those in need.  She taught art workshops in a juvenile facility in Michigan for a semester as well as in Ghana for a summer.  In her role as Summer Development Intern, she will assist the HNGC with the organization’s special events and hopes to pursue a career at a Cleveland nonprofit working on events and marketing one day soon. In the future, Leah plans to obtain a Master’s degree in either Social Work or Nonprofit Management.  

Our newest Stay Well Intern is Lauren Torkar of Chardon, OH. Lauren recently graduated from Kent State University where she studied Public Health Education and Promotion. Lauren has always been driven to help others and has volunteered for many organizations including Women’s Safe, Habitat for Humanity, Chardon Lions Club, The Red Cross and various churches. Lauren chose to pursue an internship with the HNGC to have an opportunity to help people in the community while being a part of a successful and growing organization. When asked what she most looked forward to doing while with us she responded “I believe that people who continuously give back to others are the most lively and thriving in life, so I feel this will be a great learning and growing experience for me.” Upon finishing her internship, Lauren plans to either pursue a career in the field of health education and promotion or continue on to graduate school to earn a Master’s Degree in Public Health.

As the HNGC’s Stay Well Project grows into year #3, so does their team of dedicated interns! Juliana Fishleigh joins the Network as our first-ever Dietetics Intern! She is currently an undergraduate student at Cleveland State University and is majoring in Health Science. Juliana found this opportunity as a “perfect fit” for her, as she hopes to be a full-time nutritionist upon graduation from college this December. In her second month at the Hunger Network, she has found her experience to be exciting and educational already. She receives guidance from resident dietitians and food scientists about what dietary issues relate to our monthly topics and how to best use that information to implement various demonstrations, complete with recipes and cost guides. 

Last, but certainly not least is Sonia Nagpaul! Sonia joins the Network as the Summer Program Intern. She lives in Lyndhurst and is currently a senior at Cleveland State University studying Human Resources and Communications. She chose the Hunger Network to gain some experience in the business side of an organization but she has also enjoyed volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House and Montefiore Nursing Home. Her duties in the Program Department include compiling and inputting data from client surveys and assisting with the scheduling of product delivery.  She hopes to gain a job in Human Resources with a Cleveland-area company upon graduation.

The next few months are sure to be extra exciting with all of our extra helping hands!

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