My Internship at
the CIE
I have enjoyed working as a grant writer intern at the Center
of Inclusive Excellence (CIE). Through the guidance of Millie Gonzalez and
Chon’tel Washington I have been given assignments introducing me to the AACU guiding principle of Inclusive Excellence.
My first assignment was to research and write a report on the
multicultural centers in several Massachusetts state universities including the
FSU sister universities. Research on
these centers educated me about the many diversity workshops and programs
available to state university students. Comparing
these multicultural websites also provided information on another assignment to
review the CIE website and make recommendations.
Another assignment in my internship has been to research a
grant to fund a coordinator for a cohort-based mentoring program at CIE for
underserved and under-represented college students. The grants I researched
included the AmeriCorps VISTA federal grant and Open Door grant from The Boston
Foundation. I also spoke with the Associate Director of a similar four year
mentoring program at UMass Lowell to gather more information. Community
partnerships and engagement are an important part of grant writing and funding.
Even with grant funding, financial assistance and in-kind donations from local
businesses and non-profits are necessary to provide additional support for FSU
programs.
Meeting with grant writer, Patti Bossange and then with Executive
Director, Eric Gustafson, of Development and Alumni Relations have given me insight into the
possibilities of different career paths that exist within the field of grant
writing. Working with Kim Dexter, HR Officer of Equal Opportunity to write a
draft for the Equality Fund grant for an LGBTQ event has also been a beneficial
experience. The principle of Inclusive Excellence has provided a framework to understand
and learn how universities and colleges integrate diversity, equity, social
justice, and educational quality efforts into their missions and institutional
operations. In all, this internship has given me the valuable
opportunity and challenge to use my technical writing and research skills as a
bridge into grant writing.
