**This is the second in a series of four posts written by the summer 2017 Honors internship fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**
Author: Lily Patterson
This summer I had the joy and privilege of working at a non profit organization called charity: water as a Water Programs Intern. charity: water works, through fundraising and implementation of those funds, to bring clean water to people in rural areas all over the world.
The Water Programs team is responsible for working with local partners in the field and ensuring that each donor dollar is used to promote the mission of the organization. I was given incredible opportunities to sit in on phone calls with potential new partners and complete many other tasks that normally would not be given to interns.
I had worked at charity: water during my junior year in a different capacity than this summer, and while I grew to love c:w I had not been as passionate about my previous work. I had been looking for a way to come back to c:w in a more exciting role, but it did not make sense for me to work as an unemployed intern in New York during the summer, so I had ruled that out. For me, the Honors Summer Internship Fellowship came at the perfect time. When I saw the email from Dr. Keller in my inbox I jumped at the opportunity. I would not have been able to have the experience this summer that I did and be so confident in my desire to work in the nonprofit sector if not for the Honors Fellowship, and I am so so grateful.