By Enrie Legaspi
The newest addition to the volunteer highlight series is Katherine Blandon. She is a Colombian native who, after an internship with Asante Africa Foundation, decided to stay as a volunteer and continue to help with additional projects. Her internship also helped her land a job in a non-profit organization in San Francisco. Her amazing personality, HR skills, and experience help us manage our volunteers. We asked Katherine few questions. Here are her answers:
Why did you apply for internship at Asante Africa Foundation? What makes this organization different?
“I applied for an internship at Asante Africa Foundation because I wanted to get experience in Human Resources, and new management skills. At the same time, I am passionate about helping people to improve their life opportunities. I wanted a position in which I could learn and also do what I really love and this was a good opportunity.”
After your internship, why did you choose to stay? How did your internship help you?
“During my internship, I learned about the amazing work that the teams were doing and after this great experience I wanted to continue supporting Asante Africa Foundation in its beautiful mission.
The internship helped me a lot! It was my first work experience in this country and I wanted to learn more about American organizations. When I was looking for a job, the work experience I got helped me to build my resume and Asante Africa Foundation provided a reference for my new job.”
What did you learn from Asante Africa Foundation?
“I am still very surprised how an organization can work with many diverse and talented people from all over the world. I learned how interns and volunteers are a vital part of achieving goals in every department and play key roles in Asante Africa Foundation ‘s success. I believe they would not be where they are today without their fantastic teams!
I learned about Africa, its families, its kids and its needs. Every single story made me feel our work was huge even though I was really far away from there. I learned about recruitment, orientations, teamwork and how to have fun at the office or laughing in our virtual meetings.”
What was your best/unforgettable experience so far?
“I really love our virtual meetings and our parties to meet the new people. Most importantly, I got new smart and talented friends.”
How will you describe Asante Africa to new volunteers?
“If they love our mission, they will love to work for Asante. They will learn a lot and it will be a great experience to share.”
What are you willing to share/give to Asante?
“I want to support Asante with its events, be part of the volunteer management team, plan new strategies to grow, and, most importunately, help more kids in Africa. I will spread the word and continue to help people get involved.”
