Community Partner : SquashWise Intern : Galen Shi Site Supervisor : Matt Skarzynski
What is Squashwise ? Squashwise is a nonprofit after‐school youth enrichment program serving public middle school students in Baltimore City .
Many Hopkins students don ’ t have the time or the opportunities to connect with the city during the school year and then leave the city during the summer ; CIIP offers that opportunity and more . I was able to truly connect with the city , through my interactions with my fellow cohort members , Baltimore SquashWise , and Baltimoreans as well as through my explorations of all that Baltimore has to offer , ranging from delicious restaurants to free movie screenings to the informational CIIP Bites of Baltimore weekly sessions . Spending my summer with Baltimore SquashWise has been one of my most rewarding , meaningful , and enjoyable work experiences . I could not have asked for a better organization , better coworkers , or better students to work with . I was given responsibilities but also flexibility in terms of my roles during my internship ; working at a small sized non‐profit , you realize that all staff wear many hats . I was involved in both the academic as well as the fitness aspects of the program . Being involved in both sides of the program allowed me to form deep relationships with the students and to share my love for fitness and learning with them as well . I truly have enjoyed the dayto‐day interactions I have had with the students as I worked either with other staff members or independently to conduct both academic and fitness programming . I worked with both middle school and high school age students where academics ranged from summer reading work to SAT prep and where fitness activities included squash , boxing , crossfit , among others . Along with my daily interactions with the students , I also was able to learn about the inner workings of a non‐profit through administrative work such as planning events and working for funding . Overall , this summer through working at SquashWise , I developed a deeper connection with Baltimore , gained a better understanding of the complex nature of Baltimore as well as the non‐profit sector , and built lasting relationships with many of the students who I interacted with . I am grateful to have had this opportunity and hope to continue to be an ambassador working to foster better relationships between Hopkins and the community , do my share to advocate and work towards resolving Baltimore ’ s entrenched issues , and to help mentor and assist the students that I met this summer in any way possible to the best of my abilities . ‐ Galen
Tasks :
• Planning and supe visits , service lear enrichment oppo
• Leading and supp sessions
• Conducting and c fitness activities
• Assisting with adm