Shared Effort

“I am beginning to understand how special the PP55 community is and I am so excited to get to be a part of it.”
“I had never realized how amazing the PP55 support system is. I feel very lucky that it is in place and look forward to using it and contributing to it.”
“I feel more aware and more prepared for the transition to a job from school.”

These anonymous survey responses reflect the impact PP55 was hoping to achieve with our 40 new fellows at the Welcome Reception and Fellowship Orientation on May 15-16.

PP55, alumni, and friends celebrated the fellows at the Friday evening Welcome Reception, which proved to be a wonderful opportunity for fellows and alumni alike to meet each other. Remarks from Bill Leahy ’66, PP55 Board President, and Stephanie Mirkin, PP55 Fellowship Program manager, kicked off the evening. Jamie Sparano ’08, 08-09 PP55 Fellow at CASES, also addressed the fellows. Jamie delivered an inspiring charge to take advantage of the fellowship year, the alumni community, and the opportunity to learn and to give back. With alumni spanning the generations in attendance, our new fellows could begin to experience the PP55 community firsthand.

The day-long orientation on Saturday was marked with presentations from alumni, volunteers, and staff designed to prepare fellows to enter the fellowship program, their placements, and the PP55 community. Fellows were given a context for their work in the public interest through an overview of the nonprofit sector presented by Kim Hendler, former Executive Director of PP55. Andrew Goldstein ’06, PP55 Board Member and former fellow, led a panel of current and former fellows sharing their experiences in budgeting, finding housing, networking, and other topics to ease the transition into the fellowship. Dana Warren ’03 and Kristen Smith ’03 imparted their wisdom on working with supervisors and staying away from office politics. Fellows were also seated by their fellowship location, so that they could begin to build relationships that will grow throughout the fellowship year. With some context of what may come in the next year, fellows ended the day by reflecting on their goals of what they personally hope to achieve through their fellowships. Thanks to the hard work of our alumni volunteers and staff, the fellows are better equipped to serve society professionally in the coming year. We wish the best to all the 09-10 PP55 Fellows!