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Give the Gift of Nourish: Kaitlin Gregg

By on December 20, 2012 in 2012, Alumni Spotlight, Nourish Office

The holidays are approaching and we all know what that means: scurrying to buy all the right gifts, attending holiday parties, decorating the house and did we mention buying gifts? The holidays are the perfect time to give the very special gift of Nourish to your loved ones. Contributions equip communities with the tools they need to pull themselves out of poverty and shape students into lifelong leaders of change. In spirit of the holiday season, this month we will be featuring some of the generous individuals who decided to Give the Gift of Nourish.

Meet Kaitlin Gregg, a Nourish International Alumni Committee member and UC Davis Chapter Founder, and learn why she Gives the Gift of Nourish:

“I support Nourish International because Nourish has done so much for me personally! Nourish prepared me for a career in the nonprofit sector; every day in my job, I use the communications and management skills I gained while directing the Nourish chapter at UC Davis. Through Nourish, I learned how to lead a team in working to support a cause and developed valuable entrepreneurship skills. My involvement with Nourish is not only one of the most valuable experiences of my undergraduate career, but also one of the most memorable.

Nourish is providing leadership opportunities like these to students across the country. One student at a time, Nourish is effecting positive change. I support Nourish International because I believe in the Nourish movement and am excited to see it grow, one change-maker and one community at a time.”

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Thankful for our Alumni

By on November 9, 2012 in Alumni Spotlight, Nourish Office

Last month, we learned about some of the scary truths that people living in extreme poverty face every day. Whether it is a lack of clean water, food or shelter, issues like these remind us to be thankful of what we have and also motivate us to make an impact in the world. Those involved in Nourish have proven that they just can’t turn a blind eye to some of these frightening statistics.

With Thanksgiving coming up, we want to dedicate this month to those individuals and groups that we are thankful for: our partner organizations, students, alumni, supporters, board of directors and National Office team. We also want this series to be interactive. Nourish community, please comment on blog posts and give your thanks for the different members of the Nourish community!

This week we would like to thank our Alumni. These individuals continue to contribute back to our Chapters, current students and the Nourish movement. Their commitment to the Nourish community shines through at the Summer Institute every year, with 15+ Alumni mentors volunteering their time and bonding with current student leaders. Their support for the movement is evident through their financial support, whether it’s through the Rice’n'Beans giving circle or by hosting a Hunger Lunch with their friends. Their dedication is embodied by the Alumni Committee, a group of five alumni leaders who volunteer their time to lead the alumni community in supporting the movement.

We thank these individuals for their continued commitment to Nourish International. Students and general Nourish community, feel free to comment and say thank you to the Alumni Community!

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Alum Feature: Felipe Moreno, OSU ’10 Grad

By on October 10, 2012 in Alumni Spotlight

Felipe first found out about Nourish when he received an email about OSU’s 2010 Project in Peru. The Project sparked his interest so he decided to attend a meeting. After his first meeting, Felipe was hooked, joining the Project team and becoming an active member of OSU Nourish.

On the project, Felipe observed that “by having community members work alongside Nourish volunteers and our project partner, Nourish ensures that the project or program will continue to exist and benefit the community. “He believes that it is this commitment to community partnerships distinguishes Nourish from other organizations.

Felipe says that participating in the Clean Water Project with Moche in Cerro Blanco, Peru during summer 2010 was one of the greatest experiences of his life.  On the Project, he was able to see how their efforts raising money and preparing the project during the year lead to having a sustainable impact on the community of Cerro Blanco. After all the preparation, he finally got to see Nourish’s work in action!

When asked what advice he has for students who are thinking about joining Nourish, he said: “If you want to help impoverished communities and learn career skills, Nourish allows you to do all of that.  At Ohio State, we had students from all majors and backgrounds in our chapter. We all learn different things from our experience in Nourish but we have the same goal – to help others.  I like phrasing it as ‘empowering students while empowering communities.’”

 

 

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Alum Feature: Allie Gates, UCLA ’10 Grad

By on August 16, 2012 in Alumni Spotlight, Nourish Office

UCLA ’10 graduate Allie Gates first heard about Nourish when a friend and Nourish exec member, Steven Davenport, invited her to Ventures. They were always so much fun that  when the time came to round up a new crew for the upcoming year, Allie jumped at the chance!

Allie loved how Nourish promoted thinking outside of the box, which helps Chapters develop Ventures that cater to the particular environment on campus and in their city. For Allie, Nourish is unique because “people tend to think of business as antithetical to development, but Nourish combines the sustainability of ventures with the bottom-line of do-gooding in order to create relevant, interesting change that is accessible to both students and partner communities.”

After graduating from UCLA in 2010, Allie headed to Argentina for grad school. “Nourish prepared me for this adventure in a number of ways; from executing the chapter project in Bolivia in 2010 to the constant adaptation required to launch successful ventures, getting my hands dirty in Nourish was an important learning experience in designing innovative interventions.”

To those students who are just getting involved in Nourish, Allie has a few words:

“There’s this great Nelson Mandela quote that sums up my feelings about the type of work you can accomplish in Nourish: “Your playing small does not serve the world.”

The problems that face the world today are ones that are solved not by passive talking, but by coordinated action.  If you are looking for a way to try out your most ambitious ideas with the help, hands, and hearts of other like-minded people, Nourish is the place for you.”

 

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Featured Alumnus: Audrey McKenna

By on May 11, 2012 in 2012, Alumni Spotlight, Nourish Office, UT Austin

In 2008, Audrey decided to attend an information session for a new organization on her campus, something called UT-Austin Nourish International. After just one meeting, she was hooked. “I loved how enthusiastic Natasha, the Chapter Founder, was about the whole thing. I loved the message and the idea behind it! I think the model of an undergraduate organization raising money throughout the year to send their own members on a project is pretty neat.”

Audrey held the International Projects Director position for two years in her chapter, and she loved that the chapter was like a family. “Being the IP Director, I always tremendously enjoyed all the project planning, and then watching it all finally unfold after months of work. I also loved the feeling of camaraderie, when we were all holding emergency poker-dealing tutorials before Casino Night or something. Everyone was really committed to helping the chapter succeed.”

Since graduating in 2011, Audrey has moved to Houston, Texas and joined the working world. Her main advice to students thinking about joining Nourish is pretty easy to follow: “Do it! In addition to being a great organization, it’s a great opportunity to grow. The skills you use in Nourish are directly transferrable to your life post-graduation. How many 23-year-olds can say completely honestly that they have a strong background in project-planning and budgeting? Plus it’s so rewarding to be around all these people that are all passionate about the same thing. You really develop a community together!”

 

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Featured Alumnus: Paul Szurek

By on March 30, 2012 in Alumni Spotlight, Nourish Office

In the Spring of 2010, Nourish Staff reached out to Wake Forest University in search of undergraduate leaders to found a new Nourish International Chapter.  ”I knew that my school needed to be a part of this organization, and I knew that I wanted to help make that happen,” thought Paul Szurek, who later became the Chapter Founder and Chapter Leader of the Wake Forest Nourish Chapter.

Paul is passionate about Nourish because it gives students an outlet for innovation and valuable teamwork and because he believes that Nourish brings a more unique and creative approach to international development.  ”My favorite part of the Nourish experience was seeing how much passion and enthusiasm this work sparked among my friends and peers.  I never would have suspected that so many of the people I went to school with would be so interested in social entrepreneurship, but people just get really excited when they know that they are making a difference – and that is when exciting things happen”.

Paul currently works as a management consultant for Bain & Company.  Paul uses the skills he learned as Nourish Chapter Leader daily and mentions that he now knows how to approach challenges with creativity and perseverance.

As advice to all future Nourish International Chapter Members, Paul suggests, “If you want to do something that will truly benefit the world around you – and have a lot of fun at the same time – you won’t find a more rewarding experience than what Nourish can offer.”

 

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