Staff Stories

Meet Sofia, Horizons Atlanta's Summer '24 Intern

Hi! My name is Sofia Nystrom and I am a rising sophomore at Brown University studying Economics and International and Public Affairs. Over the past 2 and a half months, I was an intern at Horizons Atlanta in their regional office. This job has given me invaluable experience and knowledge regarding what it means to be a part of a nonprofit organization and the different moving parts that make up a successful organization. Some of the tasks I completed while working here were making social media posts, visiting and learning about a handful of the Atlanta sites, credit card reconciliation, and creating and sending acknowledgement letters. All of these tasks helped improve my understanding of the myriad of aspects that are crucial to a nonprofit. Because of this, I have a few key takeaways from this summer internship. 

One such takeaway is that building relationships, whether it be with scholars, coworkers, donors, or other organizations is imperative to the success of a non profit. Having good relationships with others allows them to be more receptive to what you are trying to accomplish, thus allowing them to be more likely to support your overall mission. To build these relationships, I learned that communication is key, whether it be through bilingual surveys or donation acknowledgement letters. The importance of building relationships is not only relevant to nonprofit work but is applicable to all types of jobs, and even personal relationships. If you want more people to believe in you and what you are saying, you need to create meaningful connections with them. This is something that I am super grateful to have learned this summer and I plan to continue to emphasize communication during the rest of my professional life. 

Another key takeaway is that being a part of nonprofit work allows you to see the impact of the work you are doing first hand. As I mentioned, I was able to visit a handful of sights during my internship and the main thing that stuck out to me was that this program was truly making a difference in the lives of its scholars, opening up doors for them and setting them up for success in the future. Not only this, but Horizons was teaching kids in a way that made them want to learn. As a kid, I remember at least half of the kids in my elementary school classes were not excited to be at school or to learn. This is a stark contrast to the Horizons classrooms I visited where almost (if not) all students were actively engaged, participating with classroom activities, and were genuinely excited to be there. Being able to see the smiling faces of Horizons scholars is something that is priceless and serves as a constant reminder that the work that I did this summer directly had a positive effect on the lives of children that truly deserve the world. Horizons makes me excited about the prospect of its scholars growing up to shape our world for the better. 

My last key takeaway from this summer was that jobs in the nonprofit sector are extremely time-consuming, involved, and a lot of hard work. Although this was something I suspected before I had this experience, I never knew the full extent of how much work a nonprofit is, and I attribute this to the fact that it is often an overlooked sector. I really cannot overstate how many hours, phone calls, emails, lesson plans, grant writing proposals, and infinitely more tasks go into this organization. Everyone has a role to play and so many things to do at all times. Once again, I think that people who are part of nonprofit organizations are often overlooked due to where we place our priorities as a society. You always hear about how many hours go into jobs on wall street or into tech startups but you never hear about the intricacies of a nonprofit organization. Moreover, Horizons specifically is having immeasurable positive impacts on children and thus, on our future. All this to say that it's impossible for me to overemphasize the work that nonprofits do and the invaluable impact they are creating on those they aim to help. From the bottom of my heart I thank those who decide to dedicate their lives to the nonprofit sector; it is an extremely important and admirable profession that doesn’t get nearly enough credit. 

All in all, although my time at Horizons Atlanta has come to a close I take the lessons I learned over the summer with me back to college and into my future career in whatever I decide to do. I am very fortunate to have helped fulfill the Horizons mission since it’s one that is near and dear to my heart. Children are our future and Horizons Atlanta is helping them achieve their full potential. 

• Sofia Nystrom

Reflecting on the DFCS Youth STEAM Exhibition

By Rejoice Jones, Staff Member

Horizons Atlanta at Purpose Built Schools

The last field trip with a few of my Horizons students was one to remember. As we drove to Macon, having finished the summer program, our conversations were light, and full of warmth and comfort. I don't think any of us could have imagined what the next day had in store, nor did we realize how much the next day would deeply impact us. In all honesty, we really didn't have much information on what to expect, and in further honesty, the kids didn’t care to worry; they were more focused and excited by the thought of spending an evening swimming at a hotel pool with each other.

As the night ended and we discussed our hopes for the competition, the kids seemed a bit nervous to compete, but nevertheless laughter, joy, and light conversations overshadowed any anxiety they may have felt. It’s important to stop here and describe some of our scholars before I discuss the exhibition itself. The girls: Knowledge, Erinn, and Samiya, were very laid-back, sweet, and easy-going. During camp this summer, they were the ones always willing to participate, and generally kept the classroom lighthearted with their sweet smiles and angelic laughs. 

The boys on the other hand, not so much. We took four: LaFayette, Sincere, DeMarcus, and Xavier. To put in short, these boys went through the most recognizable transformation this summer. They worked really hard this summer to find their voice, and define their own ‘moods'. Frankly, they worked the hardest at communicating their disappointments, fears, and anxieties in ways other than hitting or arguing. So although I had a fun time with the girls, it was the boys that needed and were affected the most by this trip.

On the day of the competition, we walked into a conference room, jaw-dropped, and full of amazement to see so many black and brown kids surrounding STEAM projects that looked like they were built by engineers. As we all walked around the room to visit other student’s projects, all you could hear was, “Whattttt, this is so dope,” “Ya’ll made this??” Our students were astonished with what could be done, by people who were to them, ‘the same as them'. 

I can’t begin to describe the joy stained on all the boy’s faces when they learned that they could build their own Play-Station or X-box games, or how the girls giggled when they met a group of students who made wedding dresses out of recycled paper. At times their excitement was too much to contain as the exhibition judges came by our table to hear our students detail how they built a submarine this summer in robotics class. As they spoke and ‘showed what they knew,’ Sincere came up to me and said, “Mrs. Jones, we need to prepare early next summer, we need to start on day one so we can come back and win.” As I nodded to his suggestions, it hit me!! Just 4 weeks ago, Sincere was at times disinterested and non-chalant about learning robotics or anything at Horizons for that matter, now here we were planning our execution for next year’s competition.

In conclusion, I think this trip solidified my belief in Horizons' mission and core beliefs. If you provide students with a fostering environment to learn, encourage them with a growth-mindset, and surround them with teachers and advocates that are relentless in pursuit for academic equity, you will find on the other end, students just like Sincere, waiting to be heard, waiting to be loved, and waiting to be believed in. I am very grateful to have experienced the STEAM exhibition and to have witnessed true transformation in my students. Thank you!