Hello! My name is John Mulunda and I am a rising sophomore in Mathey College. I’m planning on studying economics with a certificate in french. Outside of school I enjoy going on runs, watching sports, and playing music (violin, drums, keyboard, and a few chords on the guitar).
This summer I interned virtually for Break A Difference (BAD), a non-profit located in Baltimore. BAD’s strives to engage individuals and institutions in service to bring about positive change in various communities around the US. This mission is accomplished through a host of programming including disaster deployments and alternative breaks for college students. Recently BAD has focused on serving communities in Puerto Rico, many of which are still suffering from the destruction of Hurricane Maria, and the communities around Paradise, California, which suffered one of the deadliest wildfires in US history.
My main task this summer was to research and plan future alternative breaks (weeklong service projects BAD hosts for college students). This task included researching the spring break and winter break dates of over 450 universities around the country. This helped BAD decide the best time to host alternative breaks and also where to recruit students. Additionally, I helped create a network of alternative break alumni to facilitate fundraising and make alternative breaks more accessible for current students. My secondary task was to research companies that participate in the dollars for doers program ( a program where companies donate money to nonprofits where their employees volunteer). This will help BAD gain funds for work the work volunteers are doing in the warehouse.
Outside the weekly staff meetings and daily communication with my supervisor over slack, my day to day included working individually on my computer. Yet despite the challenges of working virtually, I enjoyed the internship because it allowed me to make meaningful a connection with an organization that does positive work. Additionally, this internship allowed me to hone my communication and teamwork skills, better positioning me for my future endeavors!
