Beyond the Fellowship

August 26, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship, Career

What the 2024 Fellows Are Doing Next

This summer, our second-year Fellows finished up and graduated from their Fellowships. Emphasizing their passion for social impact, each of our seven graduating Fellows has secured roles in the social impact sector. Learn a little more about what each Fellow is doing next, and their experience as an FAO Schwarz Fellow:

Jahmali

Upon completion of her Fellowship at Breakthrough Greater Boston, Jahmali joined the International Institute of New England, a nonprofit helping to aid, employ, and naturalize New England’s refugees and immigrants, as an Admissions Specialist.

“While my passion for eliminating classroom inequity led me to my Fellowship at Breakthrough, I’m not as close to the research aspect I was passionate about in undergrad—I now find myself addressing educational inequity research’s findings first-hand. Being able to connect the dots between social capital discrepancies, financial barriers, social belonging, and discrimination to the nuanced experiences of my caseload of Breakthrough alumni regrounded me in my motivations to expand educational equity.”

Learn about Jahmali’s experience at a Fellowship retreat and perspective on classroom inequality:

Jesse

Upon completion of his Fellowship at NYC Bird Alliance in New York City, Jesse remained on with the organization as a Senior Associate, Advocacy, while attending the Graduate Center at CUNY to earn his PhD in Environmental Psychology. 

“Over the past two years, I have built out advocacy campaigns, organized rallies, testified at New York City Council, worked with elected officials, and engaged thousands of New Yorkers in taking action for wild birds. I am most proud of my work with Dustin Partridge, PhD—NYC Audubon’s Director of Conservation and Science—to research and write a guidance memo on drone light shows for the Mayor’s Office, which will soon be drafted into city-wide legislation to protect birds and people from the harmful effects of artificial light at night.”

Learn more about Jesse’s reflections on his Fellowship experience:

Juan

Upon completion of his Fellowship at Breakthrough Greater Boston, Juan stayed on with Breakthrough as a Development and Operations Associate.

“[Breakthrough’s] devotion to long-term support for students, focusing on low-income students of color in sixth grade through college, is something that I wish I had growing up. The organization takes the valuable resources of magnet schools while eliminating the toxic competitiveness and individualistic mindset, and emphasizing key values like spirit and student-centeredness.”

Learn more about why Juan chose to apply to Breakthrough Greater Boston:

Kayla

Upon completion of their Fellowship at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Kayla stayed on with The Clay Studio as a Teaching Artist and After School Coordinator.

“Connecting with students on a weekly basis is one of my favorite parts of my job, and being able to provide a fun and safe space for students to make art and chat with friends.”

Learn more about Kayla’s experience at The Clay Studio:

Natalia

Upon completion of their Fellowship at the Museum of the City of New York, Natalia joined both the Morgan Library & Museum and Tenement Museum as a Museum Educator.

“Seeing real objects from the past, close-up and in person, is a powerful way for students to understand that the past was as real and material as their lives now… I have had many students on field trips get so excited when they see the instrument because they recognize what it is and want to share their knowledge with me and the class.  Students also see other stories or experiences that may differ from their own lives during field trips, helping them become more self-aware and understanding of others. “

Learn more about Natalia’s work on field trips at the Museum of the City of New York:

Photo #4 by Filip Wolak.

Sophie

Upon completion of her Fellowship at Audubon Mid-Atlantic, Sophie stayed on with Audubon as Senior Coordinator, Conservation Education.

“One of the most exciting aspects of staying on at Audubon is the chance to see the program I piloted grow and change as the next FAO Schwarz Fellow steps into the role… These past two years have seen me grow into a more confident educator and birder, as well as a leader. I look forward to continuing to grow as I move beyond the FAO Schwarz Fellowship, but I will take with me the wonderful connections that I have made and the support I have received from the fellowship community.”

Learn more about Sophie’s work at Audubon Mid-Atlantic:

Vanessa

Upon completion of her Fellowship at The Food Project in Boston, Vanessa joined Virginia Cooperative Extension as an Associate Extension Agent for 4-H Youth Development, an organization that encourages young people to participate in a variety of activities that emphasize 4-H’s “learning by doing” philosophy of youth development.

“One of my highest achievements in youth programming was taking on the role of Youth Development Manager for Dirt Crew this past winter. I found myself able to adapt to not only supporting the youth crew, but also leading them and running the program. This unexpected role was definitely challenging to jump into, but was so rewarding, and I realized how drastically my leadership skills have grown since I first joined The Food Project.”

Learn about Vanessa’s tips for moving to a new city:

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August 14, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship, Cohort, Service, Special Projects

Fellowship Reflections: Interview Between Current and Alumni Museum of Science Fellows

Jocelyn Poste is a current Fellow at the Museum of Science. She recently interviewed Kira Azulay, an alumni Fellow, and her alumni mentor, who remained on with the Museum of Science after her Fellowship ended in 2023 as an Education Associate. Jocelyn and Kira discuss Kira’s time at the Museum of Science, Fellowship memories, the importance of supporting youth, and more.

Kira now works for The Philanthropic Trust in Boston.

 

Jocelyn Poste, current Fellow: What do you do in your current position in the Museum of Science’s In-Gallery Learning Department?

Kira Azulay, alumni Fellow: Most of my work is centered on Youth Programs, which attracts high schoolers / students aged of 14 to 19 to the Museum in various ways. In the summer this can look like running our Summer Youth Intern program. In the academic year, this can be school partnerships. We have a longstanding partnership with Fenway high school where we have weekly a group of juniors come, and we do a science exploration curriculum here at the Museum. We also have larger events called our High School Science Series (HSSS) where we’ll invite Massachusetts and greater New England area students and teachers from high schools to come to the Museum for a day of exploration around a specific science topic such as: Artificial Intelligence, Chemistry, or Climate Change. A lot of different work like this, but we also do general education in the museum, so we support the education team by doing live animal shows, as well as facilitating drop-in activities. There’s a lot of variety.

You definitely get out of the Fellowship what you put into it.

JP: What did your direct service consist of as a Fellow?

KA: A lot of my direct service was the education that we’re doing on the floor like developing a live animal show and then presenting that. Working with visitors in in the halls, but also going out to the community with the community engagement department and doing drop-in activities. For example, we hosted vaccine clinics, which we turned into celebrations of science and brought activities and try to make it a joyful experience. Or going to Horizons for Homeless Children and we would do more activities for very young learners. Also, working with our high school juniors from Fenway High School every week, where we were developing a curriculum for them to explore science identity and specific science topics. It was very hands-on, working closely with a group of about 20 students.

JP: What did your special project consist of?

KA: At the beginning, my special project was researching about a youth leadership council and how that had been implemented at other institutions, then looking into how that would work at the Museum of Science. I think that because of the transition period the Museum was in post-COVID, it was not feasible to make that happen within my Fellowship time. While there’s a lot of excitement around [youth leadership councils], it takes a lot of stakeholders, so that process is complicated, but I did get to learn a lot about youth leadership opportunities. I learned how other institutions have been doing it and how they have been inviting youth into their institutions and getting them involved in a way that is more individual and not just being brought as part of a school or class. I also got involved with the Cambridge Youth Community, as well as youth workers communities, like a group called Reaching All Youth which is a monthly get-together of people that interact with youth in Cambridge in different capacities. That experience was beneficial.

Since we decided that instituting a youth leadership council was going to be difficult and not going to happen within the next academic year, my special project pivoted to running the High School Science Series and trying to create accessible opportunities. Our first couple ended up being virtual, so I was a moderator for one. We worked on getting subtitles for those and getting an ASL interpreter, and we ended up doing live captioning in English and Spanish which was important. Then, I took on more responsibility by running a whole High School Science Series myself, which I did in my second year once we had held one in person, which would have been October 2022.

JP: Do you have any favorite memories from your time as a Fellow?

KA: I think all Fellows might say this, but I really loved the retreats. I think that especially during COVID, that connection was important and the Fellowship component of having a cohort had a really big impact on my experience. I loved getting to connect with other Fellows in person because there’s not really a substitute even though we had Zoom meetings and trainings. In person connection was special and I feel like we created connections and friendships that were important. I keep in touch with all the Fellows, and especially Ryan, who’s in Boston. I think it was fun and it was good to hear other perspectives about what is happening at other types of institutions.

The Museum of Science is a bit of a different host organization from some of the others, and so it was interesting to hear about smaller or bigger places and what the other Fellows’ experiences were with their supervisor, how they were navigating problems, and whether we could share experiences around that. Also, getting to see New York and Philly and just getting to be in those places was nice.

JP: What was your most valuable takeaway from your experience as an FAO Schwarz Fellow?

KA: The youth are the future! I think people can be intimidated by and underestimate youth at the same time. Teens are people and you should treat them as such. I think treating them with the respect and understanding, that I would any other person any other adult, has gone a long way in building relationships with them. They are not kids, and they are still learning, but as an educator, we are there to support and guide their learning.

Something that is important and valuable is that the youth have a voice and they have opinions. You can have conversations with them that you might not be able to have with a younger learner. It’s a good thing to get the perspective of teens and see what they think. Everyone is coming in with their own life experiences and people show up differently, so I have had to learn that not everyone’s learning or listening style looks the same. I had my own preconceptions of what it looks like for students to be paying attention and engaged and that may not always be the case, so I have had to learn a lot from the youth. If you talk to the students they’ll tell you, “Hey, I have a lot going on right now so what would be best for me is just sitting over here and I’ll listen,” or talking to them about their interests.

They are interesting and fully formed people and are capable of a lot more than people think. They just need the like trust and support to do it, but they can do cool things. The youth at the Museum have done like a lot of projects here that are interesting to me, and they come up with and execute these ideas themselves. For example, we had interns over the summer that made an educational activity to talk about wildfires and different things about the ecology of wildfires. They make these different things that are so cool, unique, creative, and are effective at communicating and teaching. It was amazing to see what they could do in just seven weeks. They just needed the space to do that, so it’s been exciting and energizing and a cool experience to watch the youth do amazing things and see them grow over time.

JP: Do you have any advice for current/incoming/prospective Fellows?

KA: You definitely get out of the Fellowship what you put into it, and there are some important things that can impact it. You want to have a good relationship with your supervisor, and I think that is a huge factor in how your Fellowship goes, so you want to make sure that you’re communicating with them and that they are an advocate for you. Related to that, if you are excited about things and intentionally participate, then you’ll have a good experience. If something is not working for you, speak up and you can change things—this is good career advice outside of the Fellowship as well. I know there are Fellows who have worked with their supervisor to take on projects to explore different interests.

Also, huge advice, talk to Priscilla! She is a great advocate for all the Fellows, and she really cares, so I know that she’ll be a resource and will do whatever she can to be supportive. Priscilla will do anything in her power to support your success.

Be brave! Apply!

JP: If you could describe your Fellowship experience in 3 words, what would it be?

KA: Growth, Supportive, Fun (Honorary mention: Grateful)

JP: Having Kira as an alum mentor and working alongside her has taught me a lot, both personally and professionally. Kira has contributed endless efforts during her time at the Museum of Science, as an FAO Schwarz fellow and post-fellowship. I know Kira will bring even more creativity, energy, and wisdom in this next journey of hers!


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Jocelyn Poste

Jocelyn (she/her) is the FAO Schwarz Fellow at the Museum of Science in Boston.

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June 12, 2024 In Beyond the Fellowship, Service, Special Projects

Nothing Short of Life-Changing: A Reflection on Two Years as a Fellow at NYC Audubon

When I began my fellowship on July 12, 2022, I knew I was interested in the world of urban wildlife, but lacked direction and a point of view. Not to mention, I knew nothing about birds. Throughout my time with NYC Audubon, I have been given opportunities to learn about urban wild bird conservation, develop my own perspective and questions, and practice my developing expertise as a social scientist of urban wildlife conservation.

My position at NYC Audubon has been split into two distinct but related halves: Advocacy and Engagement. These halves have also served as a distinction between my Special Project and Direct Service work. My Special Project has been developing NYC Audubon’s advocacy initiatives for city- and state-level bird-friendly legislation. My Direct Service work has involved engaging directly with the public at NYC Audubon’s seasonal environmental center on Governors Island. 

My experience as an FAO Schwarz Fellow and a member of the team at NYC Audubon has been nothing short of life-changing.

Over the past two years, I have built out advocacy campaigns, organized rallies, testified at New York City Council, worked with elected officials, and engaged thousands of New Yorkers in taking action for wild birds. I am most proud of my work with Dustin Partridge, PhD—NYC Audubon’s Director of Conservation and Science—to research and write a guidance memo on drone light shows for the Mayor’s Office, which will soon be drafted into city-wide legislation to protect birds and people from the harmful effects of artificial light at night. I have also developed, coordinated, and conducted nature—and conservation—related programming for children and families on Governors Island and developed the analytical groundwork with which to measure progress as NYC Audubon continues developing bird outings and programming that engage the whole city and reflect the organization’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. 

With the development of experience and knowledge from the Fellowship, I acquired research assistantships with faculty from Rutgers University and Colorado State University to better understand the formation of hemispheric approaches to shorebird conservation, which will result in at least one published academic paper, a conference presentation in Canada, and a research trip to observe shorebird migration—and the people who study it—at the Delaware Bay this May. And, after a long and tasking application process, I am thrilled and honored to begin my PhD in Environmental Psychology at The Graduate Center at CUNY this fall. I plan to study the political ecology of queer cruising geographies in New York City as habitat for wild birds and sites of contestation between people and institutions/agencies. I will also continue to work at NYC Audubon part-time in a new role mainly devoted to advocacy.

My experience as an FAO Schwarz Fellow and a member of the team at NYC Audubon has been nothing short of life-changing. I’m looking forward to seeing the ways in which this experience continues to guide me in my career.

 

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Jesse McLaughlin

Jesse (he/him) is the Advocacy & Engagement FAO Schwarz Fellow at NYC Bird Alliance (formerly NYC Audubon).

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May 13, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship, Career

From Volunteer to Fellow: Reflecting on My Reading Partners Fellowship Experience 

Back in college, I wanted to get more involved with my community and give back. I stumbled across a VolunteerMatch posting from Reading Partners. I went to volunteer at an elementary school in Queens. Every Thursday for about a year, I would trek to the school after college classes and work with a 7-year-old student who was sweet and sometimes got frustrated with the difficulties of learning something.

Fast forward to graduation time in 2018, my supervisor at Baruch College recommended an opportunity through the career portal at school. When I logged in to my account, I was surprised to find Reading Partners on the screen. I felt like I was coming back to a familiar place. This was the start of becoming part of a cohort of fellows and the start of my professional career.

At Reading Partners, I gained experience working with a multitude of elementary school students and supported their learning growth around their literacy skills. As a fellow, I was able to provide service to the schools in South Jamaica, Queens. My work also involved recruiting volunteers, which became an area of interest of mine, and I went to work for two other non-profit organizations in this area of work. I was a volunteer coordinator for three years after my fellowship experience and honed my skill set in this area.

Currently, I work as the Foundation Programs Coordinator at the ICSC Foundation. After working for three years in volunteer management, I wanted to pivot my next step in an area of non-profit that I had worked closely with but never taken a leadership role in. And I love it. I enjoy working with students as we connect them with scholarship and mentorship opportunities. I still work with volunteers, as it is key to our work. I hope to grow in the programmatic area of my work for years to come. Furthermore, I thank the fellowship for supporting my growth and my career as I progress in the landscape of mission-driven organizations.

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Erika Apupalo

Erika (she/her) is the Foundation Programs Coordinator at the ICSC Foundation. She was a Fellow at Reading Partners New York City from 2018-2020.

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March 21, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship

Q&A with Fellowship Alums

Each year, as a part of our newsletter, we ask alums to reflect on a series of questions about the Fellowship and social impact. Check out their responses below, and be sure to continue on to read the full newsletter!

What advice would you give current or soon-to-be alumni Fellows as they're beginning their careers?

Clara Monk ‘22: Ask people you look up to at your org to have coffee with you! While they might not initiate and ask you, in my experience they are always happy to be asked and willing to chat. It’s been a great way for me to build relationships and get career advice!

Molly Blake ‘19: There is no time like the present to try everything. I just switched careers and it is still so exciting and thrilling every single day. Don’t be afraid to shadow people, ask for help, network, and try everything. It is never too late. 

H’Abigail Mlo ‘22: Find joy, rest, and community outside of work. 

Jen Benson ‘17: Over the last two years you’ve set strong foundations to continue to grow your careers. Lean on your experiences, cohort, network, and learnings from the Fellowship, and don’t be afraid to reach for the positions, organizations, and work of your dreams. 

Sara Wilson ‘13: Be kind to yourself, and reflect on your professional goals and aspirations. 

Samantha Perlman ‘19: Be open to new opportunities, be willing to take risks and follow your interests and passion. Your career is just beginning and the FAO community is here to support you as you flourish.

Bianca van Heydoorn ‘09: Experiment early and often in your career. Be willing to make mistakes so that you stay in the practice of innovating and out of what can become a familiar rut. 

Joyce Kim ‘20: Seek out opportunities to try new tasks or roles even if it’s not something that’s officially a part of your job description so that you can have a better understanding of what you enjoy in your work!

Michael McNeill-Martinez ‘14: Be available, open-minded, and build a network of people whose perspectives you appreciate

Lauren Brincat ‘12: Maintain and grow your professional connections and never underestimate the power of a written thank you.

Khari Graves ‘17: Don’t be afraid to call on and leverage the network you have built both through the Fellowship and your organization. Even if it is an alum you have never met before, they are almost always more than willing to help you in any way they can.

Allie Negron ‘18: Don’t be afraid to ask questions, stay curious, and make suggestions! I was promoted within my current organization out of a need to formalize and professionalize the management of the Agency’s project pipeline. While I didn’t necessarily have a ton of project management experience, I had ideas for how we could improve the current process and be clearer and more transparent in our communication. If a responsibility or role you want doesn’t already exist, see how you might be able to carve your own path!

Meredith Jones ‘21: When I think back to my first few years after graduating college, the one thing I wish I’d done differently was to be more patient. It’s a weird time and it’s ok to just let it be weird! Things will change, and while it’s important to plan, you really never know what might come your way. 

Barbyose Noisette ‘09: Become comfortable with being uncomfortable. Sometimes embracing discomfort is a catalyst for significant growth.

Joanna Steinberg ‘08: Let your direct service and special project work inform the other! The fellowship provides an amazing opportunity to develop skills and experience in both of these areas.

Abi Mlo ‘22: Since joining TPL, I have learned and grown immensely. Prior to the fellowship, I’d never worked in this field. Now, I can’t imagine not working towards environmental justice in some capacity. Before completing the fellowship, TPL offered me to stay on and I’m thankful I did. I have led new projects and programs, built new partnerships, and strengthened existing ones. 

Karen Wilber ‘18: One thing that the fellowship helped me do is always think about what I wanted to learn next and how my skills could help my organization grow. This mindset has helped me to continue expanding my skillset in a way that has led to career growth as I’ve stayed at my host organization now for more than 5 years after my fellowship concluded!

Serena Salgado ‘22: Working for a non-profit before becoming a social impact consultant gave me so much context for the work I’m doing now and made me realize that I wanted to remain in the social impact space for my career!

Ellie Sanchez ‘17: I never expected to step into a career in politics/government, but my experience with the fellowship definitely helped me grow and showcase leadership and project management skills that made the transition into this world seamless. I hope that my experience can show current and future fellows that the opportunities after the fellowship are endless, and you can leverage the skills you learn here in a multitude of ways.

Khari Graves ‘17: The fellowship influenced my career path by showing me that the theories and ideas that I studied in school could be applied in a vast number of ways to support my community in their everyday life and material reality. It gave me a chance to grow existing skills and learn new ones in a setting that was incredibly supportive. To this day, I am still supported in my professional and community work by colleagues from my FAO placement. 

Kayla Jones ‘19: The fellowship connected me to other like-minded social impact leaders and accelerated my career growth. It felt great to gain such extensive community engagement and advocacy experience as part of my first job out of college. I went to graduate school after finishing the fellowship and decided to stay within the social impact sector because of my experience at Jumpstart. I look back at my time in the fellowship with fondness because I got the unique opportunity to help so many children and families throughout NYC.

Sara Wilson ‘13: Book banning, reproductive rights, and climate change are important social challenges to solve since they have much larger impacts on society. 

Nicholas Mitch ‘20: I believe it’s always important to take a systems approach to considering the context and effect of our work. To create equitable change, we need to understand the forces that shape the physical, economic, and social environments of which we’re part. 

Sarah Kacevich ‘16: Humans’ relationships with the environment currently need a lot of healing. When we investigate the deep interconnections between racism, slavery, capitalism, and environmental exploitation, it becomes clear that we must work together to envision a future that centers a more just and reciprocal relationship between humans and the Earth.

Ryan Corrigan ‘25: The most important thing to address is economic inequality. It bleeds through everything from access to education, the ability to pressure the government to make positive change, the ability to live a safe and secure life, and it maintains the power structures that reinforce climate change and racial inequity. 

Michael McNeill-Martinez ‘14: Both validating and appreciating identity, and what that means for people from all walks of life. 

Jahmali Matthews ‘23: I am committed to solving social challenges revolving around addressing the root causes of classroom inequality and dismantling systemic barriers that hinder the educational and societal progress of working-class individuals. By advocating for equitable access to education, resources, and opportunities, I believe we can contribute to a more just and inclusive society where everyone has the chance to fulfill their potential.

Sara Wilson ‘13: Frontiers in Social Innovation: The Essential Handbook for Creating, Deploying, and Sustaining Creative Solutions to Systemic Problems – was an interesting read. 

Mariah Peebles ‘11: I highly recommend Matthew Desmond’s new book Poverty, By America–there is a great episode of the podcast Vibe Check where they interview Desmond and discuss the main themes of his latest book. It is so good! 

Michael McNeill-Martinez ‘14: “Becoming a Totally Inclusive School” by Angeline Aow, Sadie Hollins and Stephen Whitehead 

Adriana Moran Garcia ‘22: Currently reading the 100 Year War on Palestine 

Jesse McLaughlin ‘24: The most interesting book related to social impact and my work in the environmental field that I’ve read recently is Decolonizing Extinction by Juno Salazar Parreñas. This book traces the ways in which colonialism, decolonization, and indigeneity shape more-than-human relations at orangutan rehabilitation centers on Borneo. Parreñas asks, “could conservation biology turn away from ultimately violent investments in population growth and embrace a feminist sense of welfare, even if it means experiencing loss and pain.”

Kira Azulay ‘23: The most interesting book I have read recently is Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. As the Museum of Science focuses on climate change, it was helpful to me to learn about different ways of interacting with and understanding nature and the place of humans within the natural world. 

Sarika Tatineni Doppalapudi ‘25: One of my favorite books I’ve ever read is “In Search of Our Mothers Gardens: Womanist Prose” by Alice Walker. I first read this book seven years ago, and it has come to shape much of my work. “In Search of Our Mothers Gardens” is a collection of essays, reviews, and speeches, and there are two essays I revisit frequently. Alice Walker’s writings in “In Search of Our Mothers Gardens” and “Looking for Zora” challenge our notions of what archives can, and should, look like, and the importance of finding holistic ways to archive the work and lives of those who have been historically left out of traditional archival spaces.

Read the 2024 Newsletter

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Alumni Fellows
March 14, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship, Career

2024 Annual Fellowship Newsletter

Each year, Fellowship alums share personal and professional updates, which make up our annual newsletter. Fellows from cohorts since 2008 share what they’re up to, from promotions to new roles, and from new degrees to new family members. 

Here’s a taste of what alums have achieved:

  • Became an executive director
  • Started a new role in restorative justice
  • Moved from Serbia to Zambia
  • Finishing their Master in Social Work
  • Starting an MBA in July

… and so much more! Read our latest Fellowship newsletter to learn more about what our amazing alumni are up to across the spectrum of social impact, and beyond!

 

Read the 2024 Newsletter

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January 3, 2024 In Alumni, Beyond the Fellowship, Career

A Strong Foundation: How the FAO Schwarz Fellowship Shaped My Career

Seven years since graduating from the FAO Schwarz Fellowship and 9 years since the start of my fellowship, the formative experiences, support system, and friendships developed within the fellowship have been foundational for finding and building my professional path.

The value most visible from the surface is a means of accessing a two-year, salaried, entry-level position at a leading non-profit organization. Finding entry-level jobs in the social impact, education, or environmental non-profit space is extremely challenging. Following a long and challenging search, I was hired in 2015 for an FAO Schwarz Fellowship at Riverkeeper, a non-profit organization with a mission to protect and restore the Hudson River from source to sea. After graduating from the fellowship in 2017, I remained on staff at Riverkeeper in various advocacy, volunteer management, and community engagement focused positions for another 5 years. My passion for environmental advocacy, community engagement, and the Hudson River watershed was fully realized while at Riverkeeper and has remained my focus ever since. The FAO Schwarz Fellowship program not only provided an opportunity to enter my desired field, but also provided opportunities for professional development, reflection, and an invaluable cohort experience.

Reflecting upon my almost decade-long career, the influence of the FAO Schwarz Fellowship is clear. I’ve been better positioned to navigate the professional landscape, including salary and benefit negotiations, job applications, creating job descriptions and hiring, and project management.

Below the surface, the FAO Schwarz Fellowship is much more than a means of entering the non-profit sector. 

What isn’t as visible is the relationships you grow within the fellowship network and through the cohort experience. Each year, 6-7 fellows are hired to work at youth- or young-adult-serving nonprofits in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, creating a cohort who goes through the program together and connects through formal methods such as planning and experiencing retreats, working on shared projects within the fellowship, professional development sessions, and informal means inside and outside of retreats. By spending time together, fellows develop friendships within their cohort, and within the cohorts above and below them. These relationships have been invaluable both to my professional development and to me personally—from having understanding and listening ears to talk through how to navigate the dynamics of professional environments, to sharing time-management tools, to finding life-long friends.

Another major component of relationship building within the FAO Fellowship is mentorship: each incoming fellow is paired with an alumni fellow who often shares a career focus. Alumni mentors provide advice, share about their career paths, and support the fellows in thinking through career next steps. These relationships often continue beyond the fellowship, with mentees and mentors connecting at bi-annual reunions and keeping in touch over the years.

The Executive Director of the FAO Schwarz Family Foundation is a tremendous resource. Priscilla has a deep well of advice, support, and kindness to offer as fellows navigate their fellowship roles, but also as alumni navigate future career moves within and outside the nonprofit sector. Priscilla’s support and advice have been invaluable—and her relationships with the alumni network allow her to make networking connections between fellows and alumni.

The Fellowship retreats, which take place twice each year and rotate between the cities where fellows live and work (New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia) are a blend of experiencing the work of each host organization, professional development sessions shaped by the needs and interests of the fellows, and unstructured time for the fellows to connect. Examples of professional development sessions include: disability accessibility and inclusivity at museums, how direct service and systems change work complement each other, personal mission statement development, exploration of leadership styles, and more.

Reflecting upon my almost decade-long career, the influence of the FAO Schwarz Fellowship is clear. I’ve been better positioned to navigate the professional landscape, including salary and benefit negotiations, job applications, creating job descriptions and hiring, and project management.

Advice from Priscilla and others in the FAO network helped inform my decision to return to school part-time in 2019 to pursue a Masters of Environmental Policy at Bard College, which I completed while working full-time.

More recently, in July of 2023, I became the new Director of Environmental Action at the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a regional environmental non-profit organization with a mission to protect the Hudson River by inspiring lifelong stewardship of the river and its tributaries through education and advocacy. My role sits at the nexus of advocacy and community engagement—collaborating with communities, individuals, and other organizations to protect the Hudson River, and is one I hope to hold for years to come.

Whether I’m between jobs, hiring interns, managing advocacy campaigns, or educating the public, the foundational skills and experiences I had during my time as a FAO Fellow have been foundational to my career, and personal and professional development.

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Jen Benson

Jen Benson (she/her) is the Director of Environmental Action at the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a regional environmental non-profit organization with a mission to protect the Hudson River by inspiring lifelong stewardship of the river and its tributaries through education and advocacy.

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December 4, 2023 In Beyond the Fellowship

Taking Notes From Birds: They Change Their Behaviors Based on the Season, Why Shouldn’t We?

I went for a walk in my local park the other day, and took out my earbuds (something I, and most people my age, rarely do when not accompanied by others). Immediately, I noticed how eerily quiet it was. Gone were the various bird calls that I had tried to identify with my newfound passion for birds and birding this past summer. Instead, I was met with occasional squirrel chatter and the sounds of children on the playground. 

It took me a couple of seconds to realize that we had reached the end of fall bird migration season, the time of the year when approximately half of the world’s birds fly south in search of food, water, shelter, and in some cases to escape the extreme conditions that can come with winter. Although many aspects of bird migration are still not fully understood, it is widely believed that they know to start relocating when the days start to get shorter.

For those of us who are stuck in place for winter, what can we do to make it more bearable?

I was explaining the phenomenon of migration and how birds know to start their often long and treacherous journey to a group of second graders just a couple of days after we set our clocks back an hour. It was then that I finally made a connection between the frustration I had been expressing to friends about the days becoming shorter (especially when one doesn’t want to wake up at 5am to get some sunlight) and birds’ behavior in the winter.

Even though it gets dark earlier in the day in winter every single year, I still find myself shocked when it starts to get dark at 5pm in November. Every year, I have the same conversations, complaining about the lack of sunlight after work days and the impact it has on mental health. However, it seems that many people are finally starting to take a hint from birds and start changing their behaviors in the winter to make the best of the darkest and coldest months of the year.

While some of us are able to migrate to warmer places in the South, like the birds, for the winter–such as many east coast grandparents wintering in Florida for the winter–not all of us have that luxury. For those of us who are stuck in place for winter, what can we do to make it more bearable? 

One recent trend that has been going around social media is “hygge.” This term refers to “a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being,” and is widespread throughout Scandinavian culture, originating in Denmark. This idea of adapting your behavior in the winter and slowing down seems to go against the current worldwide spread of hustling all the time and keeping a rigid routine, despite the weather, temperature, or number of daylight hours; but it completely aligns with the natural world.

Although migrating birds are the first natural phenomenon of response to seasonal change that comes to my mind, those who don’t work in the world of birds may think of others first. For example, many animals hibernate in the winter–slowing down their heart rates and essentially sleeping the entire season away. Many trees lose their leaves and seem to be almost dead before coming back to life in the spring. 

While humans may not be able to take it to this extreme, we can take this advice from nature and slow our pace for the winter months. Maybe this means adjusting our schedules so that we are awake earlier in the morning and go to sleep earlier to allow for more daylight hours outside of the work day. Maybe this means taking our meetings as walking meetings so that we can spend more time outside in the sunlight. Or maybe, taking a note from the concept of hygge, it means leaning into colder months by warming our homes with candles, warm drinks, fires in the fireplace, and fuzzy blankets. 

Whatever taking cues from the natural world means to you this winter season, I would suggest at least taking a gander at it–the birds have certainly been around a lot longer than we have, and I think we could stand to learn a thing or two from them. 

 

Sources:

Altman, A. (2016, December 18). The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-getting-cozy

Runwall, P. (2021, May 5). Bird migration is one of nature’s great wonders. Here’s how they do it. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/bird-migration-one-of-natures-wonders-heres-how-they-do-it

Picture of Sophie Becker-Klein

Sophie Becker-Klein

Sophie Becker-Klein (she/her) is FAO Schwarz Fellow at Audubon Mid-Atlantic's Discovery Center in Philadelphia.

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Vanessa poses with members of The Food Project's Dirt Crew in a community garden they built.
October 26, 2023 In Beyond the Fellowship

Tips for Starting Life in a New City

When moving to a new place fresh out of college, there are many tasks to keep in mind, some essential and some less urgent. Although there are plenty of lists like this one out there, I wanted to build advice for incoming Fellows based on what I learned from my own personal experience starting the Fellowship — both through mistakes made and personal successes. So here are some things you may want to keep in mind when joining the FAO Schwarz Fellowship!

The experience of beginning again in a city can teach you so much about yourself and what you want out of future living experiences

1. Set up your new Primary Care Provider early

While establishing your healthcare in a new place might be an obvious important step to settling in, it is helpful to prioritize this process in your list of tasks after moving in. Personally, I put off choosing my Primary Care Provider until maybe the second or third month I spent in Boston. Unfortunately, I got quite a rude awakening when I found that new patients can face waiting times up to six months for an initial appointment with an available clinician.

 

2. Consider subletting housing before signing a lease

When moving to a completely new city, it can be difficult to get all the information you might want about your future housing — while video tours and roommate interviews can give you a better sense, nothing can teach you about a new city as well as living there. Signing onto temporary housing, such as a sublet, allows you to try out a location, and scope out the rest of the city, without committing to a full, year-long lease right away.

In Boston, the majority of apartment leases have a September 1st start date, so I sublet a room for my first summer before finding longer term housing. This gave me the chance to see which neighborhood I might like best here, factoring in my commute, things to do in the area, and neighborhoods with more young people to get to know.

 

3. Study the local metro map

For the first few months of living in Boston, I would spend parts of my daily commute looking over the map of our subway and bus system, the MBTA, while listening to music. Even though it was not the most entertaining way to pass the time, it gave me a good sense of how to get around Boston early on during my time here.

Then, a couple of months after I moved to Boston, the MBTA had a sudden emergency shutdown during my commute home, stranding me downtown. This forced me to quickly find a different route home, amidst the masses of other commuters also trying to get on board temporary shuttles. Since I had been often studying the metro map during my commutes, I was able to jump onto one of these shuttles with a destination of a station that I had never been to but vaguely knew was close enough to home.

 

4. Regularly visit spaces that reflect your interests

One of the best ways to make friends and build community in a new place is to often go to places built around your personal interests and hobbies. If you enjoy sports, join a sports league. If you like gardening, join a community garden near you or volunteer at a local growing center. Additionally, I like keeping an eye out for posters around the city with information about public events I might be interested in. Even if I cannot make a specific event, I will usually follow their socials to keep updated on future events.

 

5. Take walks off your normal route

I would have never found some of my favorite places to visit in Boston if not for random walks off my usual path. For example, I discovered my favorite store, a secondhand craft supply store, after accidentally taking a wrong turn on the way to buy groceries. Now, I try to often take walks around the neighborhood where I have not been before to find new places and foods to try.

 

Moving to a new city can certainly be an overwhelming experience, especially if, like me, you have never lived in a large city before. However, trying early on to familiarize yourself with both the unique and mundane aspects of your new home — as outlined in the tips listed above — can help you start to feel more comfortable sooner and to make the most out of city living. Plus, the experience of beginning again in a city can teach you so much about yourself and what you want out of future living experiences. Personally, I have learned from my time in Boston how much I appreciate living in a walkable neighborhood and having regular access to outdoor spaces. Thanks to this opportunity, I now know more of the values I would like to see in the next place I live. So while moving can be a great challenge, it also provides a valuable experience that is well worth starting anew.

Picture of Vanessa Barragán

Vanessa Barragán

Vanessa (she/her) is the Build-a-Garden Manager and FAO Schwarz Fellow at The Food Project in Boston.

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