What I did for my Practicum:
For my practicum, I took the course PLCY 213: Foundations of Nonprofit Leadership & Social Innovation. In this class, we learned about problem diagnosis, strategy development, decision making, persuasive writing, and oral communication. This class took place twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30-10:45. I class we would start will an overview of our class, then have lecture, then go into breakout rooms to discuss different prompts, and then come back as a whole class to share what we discussed in our breakout rooms. We have readings every week that would determine what we would be lectured on and what we would discuss in our breakout rooms. We have one exam and three papers. We had one paper on interviewing someone who works at a nonprofit. One paper on the Do Good Challenge and a final memo. The midterm exam was on material we learned about in lecture and in our readings.
What I Learned from my Practicum:
I learned about about the nonprofit sector from my practicum. I am now very knowledgeable on how it functions. I also learned how to be a better leader. I learned how to apply different leadership skills we learned about to my own life. Also, I learned to be more confident in speaking in small groups and asserting my ideas. I did not let other people talk over me. I made sure to get my opinions across. Overall, I learned how to be a better leader and a better version of myself. I hope to learn more about the nonprofit sector and volunteer for a nonprofit someday soon.
How I have Grown:
I think I have grown as a student, leader, and professional. I have learned a lot from my practicum experience about what it means to be a leader of a nonprofit and that type of traits leaders typically exhibit. My new knowledge has allowed me to gain new traits and become a better leader. I have improved as a professional because I learned about many different professionals in the nonprofit field. This taught me a lot about what it means to be a professional. I have improved as a student because of the papers I had to write for my practicum. One paper in particular that shows my improvement is my Nonprofit Shadow and Analysis Paper. I choose this paper because it shows how I have changed and improved as writer over my time in PL. Also, it shows my deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and why I feel inspired to be a part of it.
How can I Apply my Experience:
My practicum experience will be very beneficial to me if I ever have a deserve to work for or with a nonprofit. I have learned about the ins and outs of how they functions and feel confident in my ability to work for one. Also, I have discovered a desire to volunteer for nonprofits because of my practicum experience. I feel like I will be a very beneficial volunteer because of my background knowledge about how nonprofits function.