What A Co-Director At Minds Matter SoCal Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Non-Profit Industry
Beth, a retired Co-Director at Minds Matter SoCal, emphasizes the significant "enormous time commitment and emotional commitment" required, a crucial aspect that she wishes she had known before starting. The rewarding work with low-income students, however, makes the extensive hours worthwhile, resulting in remarkable student success despite occasional challenges.
Time Commitment, Emotional Commitment, Working with Students, Nonprofit Work, Career Fulfillment
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Beth Garfield
Co-Director, LA Senior Program
Minds Matter SoCal
Stanford University, 1974
University of Michigan Law School
Psychology
Law, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Legal
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. It's a huge time commitment, requiring many hours beyond a typical full-time job.
2. Working with low-income students is emotionally rewarding but can also be challenging and sometimes heartbreaking when students face setbacks.
3. The commitment to students' success is significant at all levels of the organization; it's not just about academics but their overall well-being and future plans.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
It's a huge time commitment. Fortunately, because I'm retired now, I'm in a situation where I can do it, and I love doing it. My husband, kids, and I talk about it all the time; it's like lots and lots of hours of time. But it's wonderful, and I love it.
When I retired, I was very deliberate in terms of what I wanted to do. I wanted to find something like Minds Matter, something working with young students, preferably low-income students. I feel blessed that I was able to find it.
When you get involved at any level of Minds Matter, you need to understand that you are making an enormous time commitment and an emotional commitment because we all feel such a commitment to our students' success. This is true at every position at Minds Matter. Everybody feels that way.
Sometimes it doesn't work out, and that can be kind of tragic. But almost all the time, it does. Sometimes there are difficulties or blips in the college process, but once they get there and figure out what they want their life to be, it's just remarkable.