Talia Hoch

“The Advocacy Project plucked me from college obscurity when they showcased their Middle Eastern Refugee Quilt at my university. It was love at first sight. I fell in love with AP’s message and mission and knew I just had to work for them. After our first meeting I reached out and secured a summer internship. On my first day at the office they showed me the couch that they had and said that I could nap there whenever. From that moment I know I had chosen the right place to intern at!

After arriving I truly got to know AP’s mission and how they operated first hand. My official title was the outreach and fundraising assistant but I did more than just that. By being the outreach intern I got to meet with and Skype with many different organizations. I learned how to conduct meetings and how to work towards a common goal with these organizations. However, I learned so much more than that. I learned basic html (never thought that would be something I would ever learn or ever want to learn), catalogue design, excel, and a lot more.

I had already respected AP’s mission of working with marginalized and underserved populations but once becoming an intern I grew to love it. AP never tried to come off as ‘white saviors’ coming in and telling these community organizations what to do. Instead they strove to build the capacity and the capability of these organizations. They were also so careful to not hijack the narratives of these communities for their own gain they made sure that the voices of these people were heard loud in clear.

I am so grateful for my time with AP working with Karen, Iain, Natalie, and Bri was so rewarding. We were such a team working together to support everyone’s job to be an effective non-profit. I will miss them all dearly but I know I’ll be seeing them soon!”