I’ve followed the GiveLight Foundation for years because of its mission to support the most vulnerable members of society. It was the first nonprofit I thought of when I made enough money to donate zakat for the first time. When Dian announced that GiveLight was hosting its first internship program, I quickly signed up for a phone interview.

I have been a GiveLight intern for 2 months now and I have learned so much. As a Project Management Intern, I have gained experience in managing people and projects, from clearly communicating tasks in emails to drafting action items for project ideas. Managing the interns was not easy; it was difficult balancing different interest and work ethic levels. However, working with different personality types is inevitable in any organization and I am glad to have learned how to navigate this reality. In addition to being a Project Manager, I am also on the Writing Team. It is on this team that I learned about the extensive, at times cumbersome, nature of researching companies for grant information. I also learned how to write a grant proposal – another exhausting but fulfilling venture. Amid the work, there were fun moments too: listening to Rahma’s political commentaries before each meeting, Dian miraculously creating a new slogan for every project within seconds.

I deeply appreciate the skills and knowledge that I’ve learned in my brief time with GiveLight. Perhaps the most rewarding part of this internship is seeing the pure dedication of the GiveLight Team. As a Project Manager, I’ve seen firsthand Dian’s amazing ability to turn an abstract idea into concrete and manageable tasks. As a member of the Writing Team, I’ve learned from Rahma how to support the GiveLight mission by using finance and research. From both, I’ve learned how to infuse the spirit of GiveLight and its mission into everything I do. Dian and Rahma happily talk about how their long meeting hours and hectic schedules would benefit our lovely GiveLight children. 

My time as a GiveLight intern has inspired me; I learned the true meaning of balancing passion with technicality. I hope to build on the skills and knowledge, both technical and informal, that I’ve learned so far by continuing an internship with GiveLight. Above all, I look forward to serving the GiveLight children in the following months.