*-Why_did_you_decide_to_volunteer_with….md

# *   Why did you decide to volunteer with…

  *   Why did you decide to volunteer with BUILD?
  *   What were the highlights of your experience?
  *   What surprised you most about getting involved?
  *   Tell me about the kids you worked with.
  *   What questions or concerns did you have going in as a mentor - how did those concerns play out during your volunteer time?
  *   How does BUILD compare to other volunteering efforts you've been involved in (if any)

First heard of build - left college, didn’t see the opportunities to volunteer
events organized about cultivating volunteers
volunteer match dot com
economic empowerment
youth
entrepreneurship

combined all these things I was looking for
2014 in bay area
BUILD had too many volunteers

Kept following up
I want to fill in
we need someone to help

It was a whirlwind - no training
Legal analyst at a hedge fund

Tax prep volunteer through the VITA
don’t need tax prep experience
run by the IRS
partners with non profit entities
Did it through Mission Economic Empowerment Agency
also did small business loans
how to buy property

didn’t speak spanish myself but also through people yeah

point to things

Found it while taking dance classes in Mission
use my professional skills in a way
Wasn’t like pick up trash - using skills that cost money

New York Cares runs it in NYC
Starts in January and runs through April

BUILD - started in October goes through June
Tax Prep on the evening or on weekends

School organization
Had a conversation with my employer
This is something I need to make time for
Fortunate to work somewhere that supports this

here in NYC we have 10 schools and each has a different personality

be a judge for a idea pitch competition
at my previous campus

CA - students didn’t have feel comfortable speaking to adults
yes they might be shy, but they don’t know how to write professional emails

Here in NYC
students are very different - they have a lot more confidence with adults
loud, want to be involved, not timid, jumping up and down, different thing to navigate
before it was pulling teeth, here its like 

Other mentors in your program
Thought they would be like me - young professionals
But I was 22, 24, the next one was 29, and retirees

But I think that’s cool for the students
Annoyingly, some of my students
I thought I could take advantage

surprised at depth and variety of backgrounds
here in New York, 8 mentors - people in finance, lawyers, venture capitalists, construction, real estate, all different industries and life backgrounds

most students are coming from low income backgrounds, 

social 
last year in Bay Area - we would do dinners after mentor sessions
now it is harder for me
I’m also the co-chair of the associate board
Now that we are half way through the year
retention
professional development speaker series
they do happy hours
round tables after some mentor sessions
share ideas on what’s been working

The relationships is what’s kept me connected to BUILD

Probably 5 people in case of an emergency (when I started living here)
Now I’ve met so many people
Talk to Chymeka almost every other day
last year my co-mentor became really close

first semester just teaching kids how to build businesses - learning skills

Also relationship building, switching it around.

People talk about who they’ve connected with mentor (and students, etc)

once idea is selected - paired with students to work 

Day of the election results - one of the girls was very upset, she reached out and texted to talk bout it.