PERFORMANCE & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
Catholic Charities Chicago
ABOUT ME
Kira Lee Hutson
I am a 4th year student at Loyola University Chicago studying Advocacy and Social Change, Women's and Gender Studies, and Psychology. This Learning Portfolio focuses on my 2019-2020 Internship at Catholic Charities Chicago's Performance and Quality Improvement (PQI) Department, my work with Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI), and includes the assignments I have made for the Social Justice Internship course.
MY EXPERIENCE
Final Reflection
Coming into this internship, having some experience with research and no real experience working at a nonprofit agency, I really didn't know how I fit in with Performance and Quality Improvement at Catholic Charities. Throughout the year I have been given the opportunity to really let my interests guide my work which allowed me to contribute to my fullest extent. I gained valuable experience in implementing and evaluating a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative, something I didn't think I'd have the opportunity to do as an undergraduate. I also designed and created a series of employee training videos pertaining to PQI. Throughout the process, I was able to collaborate with many people across all departments which helped me understand the functions of the various social services and departments and receive specific feedback based on their expertise.
I learned about how a large nonprofit operates, how to use my perspective to inform my individual contributions to a group, and how to take initiative to engage in the work I believe is most important. I grew my confidence as an employee and worked past internal barriers to success like imposter syndrome and being unsure of how I would be perceived in this new environment. I opened up with my colleagues and fostered relationships with them, realizing that human connection is always part of any job description and inherently a part of my job satisfaction and fulfillment. I pushed myself beyond my own department and valued the collective knowledge we could share through the process of collaboration.
Ultimately, my job performance, career goals, and understanding of mission-driven work will always be shaped by my experience at this internship. It was a wonderful opportunity to see how I could contribute to a team and allowed me to value my skills and point of view in a way that I would not have been able to express in a classroom environment. I am leaving this experience with a better understanding of my work and what I have to offer the world, and I couldn't be more excited to start my professional journey with that mindset.
