Summer Intern Spotlight: Matt G.

What led you to apply for the Leadership Conference Internship?
"I attended the leadership conference the last two years and I was really excited about the idea of taking some ownership over the design and what it would look like for this coming year."

What are you working on this summer?
"I’m utilizing in the BJC’s core values (growth, learning, belonging) to develop new programming at the leadership retreat that I hope will improve cohesion and professional development. I’m also working on a professional development follow-up program. Some of my day to day tasks are schedule building, talking to Paige about ideas and plans, reviewing what we’ve done in years past, working on breakout sessions for the retreat, etc."

Does this internship connect to your academic/professional goals?
"I know that I am doing Teach for America next year, so curriculum building and analyzing what leadership looks like and how it should be taught to students will be useful for sure."

What's it like having an internship during COVID?
"It’s been challenging but also exciting to reimagine the ways that we can safely build community next year. I’ve been thinking about that a lot.” 

You've been attending Cohort Learning Sessions with staff, what's something you've learned from one of those sessions that resonates with you?
"It’s been good to hear from other interns and listen to their strategies for staying involved. I liked the difficult conversations activity we did. Anything Jake does honestly I love. I never had a Rabbi growing up, Jake is like my spiritual guide. He’s MY Rabbi.”

What's something you've learned or something that has motivated you during this internship?
"I’m motivated by the idea of bettering myself and helping other people at the same time. Taking on this internship role, I knew it would be something that helped the BJC but it also helped me build so many hard skills in an area in which I was interested."
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Matt is a rising fourth year working on planning the Leadership Conference that Hillel student interns attend before the start of the year. This year he will serve as the Jewish Leadership Advisory Board Chair, helping to build strong programming and engagement among Jewish students. Matt is a student in the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Next year, he is planning to work for Teach for America!