KIB INTERN HALL OF FAME

What past interns have to say about Keep Indianapolis Beautiful!
 

Interning at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful was a game-changer for me. And not just because I ended up dedicating the next 6 years of my life to being a KIB employee. When I started as an intern at KIB I was fresh out of college and ready to put all of my theoretical knowledge about urban greenspace to real use. I was ready to dig in. But after just a month of "digging in" at KIB, the phrase took on a whole new meaning for me! As the assistant to KIB's outdoor classroom director, my four month internship was a crash course in native plant identification and selection, landscape design, site preparation and volunteer management. And after the massive outdoor classroom was built and my job was "done," KIB asked me to manage a planting of 50 trees by 50 high schoolers on the south side. At KIB I learned how to say yes to new challenges, to believe in my leadership just as others trusted me with important work, and best of all, to plant trees!

Sarah Grain
Former Adopt-A-Block Program Coordinator, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc.
 

My KIB internship was fantastic! In the summer of 2009, I served as a Fund Development and Public Relations Intern while I was pursuing a Masters of the Arts in Philanthropic Studies and Masters in Public Affairs at IUPUI. Not only did I get the opportunity to work on several great projects, but I met so many great people. KIB is an asset in the Indianapolis community and I am so happy that I can continue to be an advocate for the organization. I currently work as a Resource Development Officer at MCCOY (The Marion County Commission on Youth). My project focuses on the early intervention and prevention of child abuse, child neglect, and juvenile delinquency in Indianapolis.

Alyssa Starr Newerth, MA MPA
Resource Development Officer, MCCOY, Inc.
 

I was an intern at KIB as part of an undergraduate summer program with the Center on Philanthropy. Although I had volunteered with many organizations, KIB was my first professional experience working within a nonprofit. Little did I know how many went behind creating all my meaningful volunteer experiences! The internship provided me with the opportunity to learn first-hand about project planning and volunteer management. It was also my first introduction to the Indianapolis nonprofit sector where I now work as a Program Officer with The Clowes Fund and volunteer as a board member with the Latino/a Youth Collective, Inc. and La Plaza, Inc. I continue to admire the passion and dedication of KIB staff and volunteers – your work is felt and seen throughout this city!

Katherine Souchet-Moura
Program Officer, The Clowes Fund, Inc.

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful is THE nonprofit to work for in the city. Recognizing that I wanted to be a fundraiser, I sought out an organization that was on the cutting edge of constituent engagement. KIB does a great job of engaging committed volunteers and turning them into donors while balancing unique relationships with the city of Indianapolis and numerous local and national foundations. This is great internship for someone seeking broad experience in development with a group of people who genuinely care about the success of the organization.

C.F. Callihan II
Associate Development Officer, Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
 

I interned for KIB in Fall 2008/Spring 2009 writing grants and helping with other development work. Interning with KIB was one of the best work experiences I've had and it helped me transition into a new career path. Not only did I get to do real work with KIB, I got to sit down with numerous people that work for and are affiliated with the organization to ask them about their career paths and what they did to get where they are today. Partially because of influence of the great people I met at KIB I am now a second-year law student in Colorado focusing on sustainable development, renewable energy, and water issues. Even having moved away from Indianapolis (for the time being) the experiences I had and individuals I met at KIB are still helping me today.

Matt Brodahl
Student, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

While working with KIB, I enjoyed seeing how people from different backgrounds bring differing opinions to a project. Experiencing finance minds combine with PR minds and environmentalist minds enables a fascinating mixture when working for a common goal. Working in an office that puts the environment and community first was a great place to start after college in order to tie together my personal values with my professional ones. I truly enjoyed working here at KIB and would love to come back in order to make a difference in Indianapolis communities.

Michelle Ray
Jr. Designer and PR Liaison, at Seasons Gardens

Interning at KIB the summer after I graduated was the best decision I could have made. I knew I wanted grant-writing experience, and at KIB I had the opportunity to get just that as well as a huge amount of experience with other development and PR projects. I was able to work with passionate people who loved what they did for a living and who also wanted to help me achieve my goals, which made for an unbeatable office environment. Although my time at KIB was short, the impact it has made on my career path is immense. As I move forward, I use KIB as the template for the type of place I would like to work for and I would encourage all others to get involved in this incredible organization if they get the chance.

Anisha Vichare