Tara Delcarmen: Fall ‘22 Semester Highlights
ARNOVA 51st Annual Conference, 2022
I have been with Girls Inc. of New York City since my Freshman year of high school. Even as a current sophomore in college, I am still very involved with the organization, as Student Ambassador, member of Project REACH, and Communications Intern, and have received an abundance of opportunities and made many amazing, lifelong connections. Being a part of Girls Inc. of New York City gave me the courage to go for opportunities I wouldn’t have even imagined participating in, and I will be highlighting some of them in this article!
Over the summer, one of my professors nominated me to participate in a conference award and scholarship opportunity with a professional association he is a part of known as ARNOVA (the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action). One of the organization's initiatives is called the Undergraduate Diversity Scholars Professional and Leadership Development Program, which provides an opportunity for undergraduate students from groups that are historically under-represented in the philanthropy and nonprofit field to come to the conference, meet each other, attend professional development sessions and learn about careers as researchers in nonprofit organizations and philanthropy. Upon applying and being accepted into the program, I attended ARNOVA’s 51st annual conference in Raleigh, North Carolina and was able to go to panel discussions pertaining to nonprofits in relation to race, gender, and more, and network with professionals and graduate students in the nonprofit sector. Additionally, I was able to speak with individuals who are social workers themselves or attend schools with top tier social work programs. As someone who wants to become a social worker, this experience was very rewarding.
Last but certainly not least, this Fall I applied for and was accepted into a fellowship with a woman-led organization called Her Bold Move, which seeks to change the way women are perceived and supported in American politics, by helping and fundraising for women running for office across the United States. As someone who has always had a strong passion for advocating for social justice and equality, being a part of an organization that is run by women–who are also passionate about these topics–for women candidates–who are just as passionate–is incredibly inspiring. Being surrounded and raised by such resilient, hardworking, and amazing women all my life, I want to ensure that women just like them are elected into positions in politics that have always been run by men who, for the most part, could care less about women and marginalized communities as a whole. As a fellow, I learned from those working actively in politics and government by engaging in meaningful discussions with them each meeting, and developed my own fundraiser for Her Bold Move and raised $453 for the organization. A part of Girls Inc. of New York City’s mission is to prepare girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers to advance to a more equitable world, through educating us and advocating for us. Her Bold Move seeks to place women in positions of power that care about us girls and want to create an equitable future for us, which is why I was inspired to apply.
Before being a part of this organization, I would have been too consumed by fear of rejection or failure to even think about applying to certain things or diving head first into different opportunities. But as a young woman having been a part of Girls Inc. of New York City for almost six years, I have felt empowered and more confident in my ability to take healthy risks and join different programs that would ultimately be beneficial to my growth, not only professionally, but personally, because of the amazing and supportive staff of the organization. Project REACH especially has been a program that has helped me develop the professional skills needed to network with individuals and organizations, and how to apply to different opportunities by building a concrete resume and cover letter. Overall, I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given and am looking forward to the many other opportunities I will receive in the future.
