Tadler Fellow Experiences: Payton Souders

Payton Souders

CLAS ‘21

Global Development Studies

This summer, I was fortunate enough to participate in the Tadler Summer Fellowship Program, offered through SE@UVA. This program is designed to match UVA students with an organization working on social entrepreneurship and/or impact investing in the Appalachian region. This work is especially important because Appalachia has been historically underinvested in and ignored by both the public and private sectors. Social issues in Appalachia have been further exacerbated by COVID and the disease’s effects, meaning this program is more pertinent than ever.

The organization I was matched with is Blueprint Local, an impact investing fund founded by UVA grad Ross Baird. Blueprint specializes in real estate investments, especially in qualified Opportunity Zones, which are zip codes around the US that give investors special tax incentives upon investment. This presents a win-win for everyone involved - underfunded communities receive the investment they desperately need, and investors receive a nice financial return. I was immediately drawn to Blueprint’s innovative business model when it comes to investment and community development.

“ I did all sorts of interesting work for this project - I toured warehouses, sifted through city records, traveled to Roanoke for meetings, [and] had hour long conversations with countless farmers.”

Currently, Blueprint is working to launch their Virginia Fund, which me and my fellow intern Jack were lucky enough to work on. We spent a lot of time working collaboratively on compiling research about the Virginia impact investing space, particularly potential partners and investors. We were also able to research potential investment projects, which was definitely my favorite part of the internship. Towards the end of the internship I primarily focused on the Food Port project, which Blueprint has been developing along with a number of local Charlottesville partners. The project includes plans for a food processing and distribution facility that prioritizes local farmers and local consumers. I did all sorts of interesting work for this project - I toured warehouses, sifted through city records, traveled to Roanoke for meetings, had hour long conversations with countless farmers, etc. I cannot thank Blueprint enough for giving me the opportunity to do such hands-on, genuinely enjoyable work.

I am so glad I chose to join the Tadler Fellowship Program this summer, and I cannot thank Mr. Richard Tadler enough for making it all possible. I learned so much this summer - everything from real estate finance to the gaps in Appalachia’s more localized food systems. I cannot wait to see how this field develops in the future, and how amazing organizations like Blueprint will transform the region.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Grace Clarke

Grace Clarke

CLAS ‘21

Economics

My name is Grace Clarke, and I am a rising fourth year majoring in economics and minoring in social entrepreneurship. Thanks to the Tadler fellowship, I was able to intern remotely with Fahe, a Community Development Financial Institute (CDFI). I was inspired to intern in the impact investing field this summer after taking the immersive J-term course, Impact Investing in Action, where I, along with other UVA students, learned about impact investing in Appalachia through a 10-day road trip. Through the Tadler fellowship, I was matched with Fahe, located in Berea, KY. Due to the circumstances created by coronavirus, I was unable to intern in person, but I still gained very valuable experience.

Fahe is a CDFI working to alleviate persistent poverty throughout Appalachia, focusing on Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama, and Maryland. They have several lines of business including mortgage lending, community lending services, membership, and loan servicing that are utilized by their members, partners, and families. Fahe is celebrating their 40th anniversary this year, and in their 20 years of operation, they have generated $1.5 billion in finance and served over 616,694 people. Even though I never met any of my colleagues in person, I was still able to see their passion and dedication to the people of Appalachia.

“After an inspiring summer, my interest in impact investing has only increased. This summer gave me more guidance regarding the career path I want to follow. ”

This summer I worked on multiple projects as the Investments Intern. These projects gave me valuable insight into the field of impact investing and CDFIs more specifically. I assisted in creating the application for a large grant called the Capital Magnets Fund. I was tasked with collaborating with members to show a strong pipeline of projects where the grant money could be deployed to create greater value. On another project, I worked with other interns to create a large database of non-profit members’ finances for the past three years. I also created a database of each member’s debts to look for refinancing opportunities. This would allow Appalachian non-profits to receive better interest rates and terms on their projects. In addition, I created a survey for members that will give Fahe insight into the demographics of those who benefit from their investments. This was important, as Fahe is dedicated to positively impacting people of color in the Appalachian region.

Interning remotely at a company that I had never physically stepped foot in was surprisingly not too challenging. I had regular video check-ins with my supervisor and had many calls with other colleagues at Fahe to learn more about what they do. They welcomed questions, and although they gave me a great deal of independence in the projects I worked on, my supervisor and other colleagues were always willing to guide me in the right direction if I needed help. I certainly benefited from the independence, as it pushed me to learn more about impact investing through experience.

I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity to intern at Fahe. After an inspiring summer, my interest in impact investing has only increased. This summer gave me more guidance regarding the career path I want to follow. I believe if impact investing continues to grow, it can do what charity work has so far failed to achieve: alleviate persistent poverty throughout the world and create a better environment and world for future generations.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Lelia Battle

Lelia Battle

CLAS ‘21

Spanish

Early this past spring, I walked into the SE@UVA office on my way to and from class hoping to find answers to my questions about this new Tadler Fellowship my professor in Impact Investing promoted. There, I sat down with Laura Toscano who graciously took the time to explain the program and convince me to submit an application. Walking out of the office that day, excited about a potential summer experience, I knew nothing of the impact the fellowship would have on me.

Thanks to funding from the Tadler family I, along with another UVA student Hannah Zaveri, spent this past summer working remotely for Appalachian Voices, a regional grassroots advocate that is leading the transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy. As fellows, we were responsible for researching two big topics… The first, to research viable pathways to integrate non-grant financing sources into the coal land restoration and redevelopment strategy. The second, to provide specific recommendations for how they can develop and implement Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) into existing or developing projects to effectively incorporate Just Transition principles in land restoration projects.

“I started out the summer with the broad idea of ‘there’s this land in Appalachia that’s been ravaged for coal and there are people in this region who have been exploited for labor. How can the community make right many of these wrongs?’”

I started out the summer with the broad idea of ‘there’s this land in Appalachia that’s been ravaged for coal and there are people in this region who have been exploited for labor. How can the community make right many of these wrongs?’ Loopholes have historically allowed for coal companies to get away without remediating the land on which they mined which leaves the cost of cleanup to nonprofits dependent on government and foundation grants. Additionally, the $10 million dollars Virginia allocates to Abandoned Mine Land (AML) cleanup is limited in scope of what qualifies as AML and is insufficient to cover the need in the impacted regions. In this sense, I found our assignment to seek out more innovative financing for remediation projects and to explore legal mechanisms with which to hold developers accountable  to be incredibly meaningful and impactful. Our concluding webinars convened experts on all sides of these topics. On the demand side, we talked to social enterprises and nonprofits such as Rural Action and Coalfield Development are in the business of mine land reclamation. And on the supply side, we heard from financial institutions, investment funds, and consultants such as Coastal Enterprises, Invest Appalachia, and Opportunity Virginia match capital with rural development projects.

While I am thrilled to have gained so much valuable and relevant technical knowledge of the coal mining industry, the economy in Central Appalachia, and the Just Transition movement, most impactful to me was the mentoring from my supervisor, Adam, at Appalachian Voices, from my peers, and from Laura and others in the SE@UVA office. For instance, in order to successfully pull off two Zoom webinars, we relied heavily on the networks available at UVA and Appalachian Voices, and advising from Adam as we reached out to industry leaders to present during the webinars and prepared our own presentations.

Summer 2020 has indeed presented unprecedented challenges for schools, businesses, students, and so many others, but SE@UVA and Appalachian Voices exceeded my expectations in their abilities to communicate, engage, and mentor. I am grateful that this fellowship gave me the opportunity to stretch my skills and produce tangible work. Hannah and I are continuing to work on a new project with Appalachian Voices and we look forward to passing the project off to the next Tadler Fellow. 

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Caroline Bunch

Caroline Bunch

CLAS ‘22

Arabic Language & Literature

Public Policy & Leadership

My name is Caroline Bunch and I am a rising third year double majoring in Arabic Language & Literature and Global Studies with a concentration in the Middle East. I am minoring in entrepreneurship on the Social Entrepreneurship track, and I had the privilege of being a part of the Tadler Fellowship program beginning with the January Term course titled Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia. Prior to this course, I had very limited knowledge of impact investing outside of the pre-course materials I was assigned to read. Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia sent myself and my classmates into an intensive, hands-on learning experience that revealed the unique culture and investing climate of the Appalachian region.

During our time in Appalachia, we had the opportunity to meet both investors and entrepreneurs. One of our panels was comprised of several investment groups, including Appalachian Investors Alliance, which is based in Kentucky. After a brief discussion in the lobby with Scott Ewing, Senior Business Analyst at AIA, we agreed to keep in touch, and he offered me a position as a remote intern shortly after the J-Term concluded. I am now a Research Analyst at AIA, and my primary roles have been performing grant research, narrative writing, and investment due diligence.

“After a brief discussion in the lobby with Scott Ewing, Senior Business Analyst at AIA, we agreed to keep in touch, and he offered me a position as a remote intern shortly after the J-Term concluded. ”

While Impact Investing in Action: Appalachia provided me with the opportunity to dive into the world of impact investing, I still faced a steep learning curve at the beginning of my time with AIA. Scott offered many resources, from books to articles to reports, to assist me with overcoming this learning curve. As I continued to deepen my understanding of the uniqueness of Appalachia and the distinctive work of investors and entrepreneurs in the region, I began performing preliminary due diligence processes on companies brought to AIA. There are various basic aspects that we assess about a company in this initial screening process, including company filings and registration, funding history and intellectual property claims, qualifications of the entrepreneurial team, details of the deal/offering, and company financials. These facts, and any questions raised in the process, are offered to our investors with the option of continuing with a deeper dive into due diligence.

As I grew more comfortable with each subject of the preliminary screening process, I have most recently had the opportunity to learn how to complete our official Due Diligence Report. This process has broadened my understanding of the importance of startup companies proficiency in search engine optimization, their sales strategies, market opportunities, competitive advantages, exit strategies, and risks.

I will continue to work with Appalachian Investors Alliance throughout the school year and hopefully throughout my entire undergraduate career. One of the gaps in my learning that I have identified in my time with AIA is basic business skills, such as finance and accounting. I will be in a Business Fundamentals program at UVA this upcoming school year, and the two modules of the Fall semester address these subjects. As I learn about finance and accounting in a classroom setting, Scott and I have planned that I will simultaneously learn how to assess company financials in startups. I look forward to my future time with AIA and continuing to expand my understanding of investing and entrepreneurship in Appalachia.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Giovana De Oliveira

Giovana De Oliveira

CLAS ‘21

American Political and Legal History

This summer, I interned with Invest Appalachia (IA) – a start-up impact investment fund that seeks to direct philanthropic and investment capital into Central Appalachia. The fund is planning on investing in four different “sectors”: community health, clean energy, creative placemaking, and food and agriculture. As an intern, I was responsible for working on their impact metrics project which involved devising a list of measureable social and environmental impacts along with accompanying metrics that could be used to capture these impacts. Throughout the internship, I learned how important it is to be deliberate and intentional in devising social impact, as it holds impact investing funds and social enterprises accountable to their mission.

I worked under Stephanie Randolph, founding board member of IA and one of the instructors for the Impact Investing in Appalachia J-Term. She provided me with tremendous support as I navigated such unfamiliar terrain. By the end of the internship, I developed a social impact framework where I, along with the help of many other Invest Appalachia members, identified the metrics along with specific impacts that we wanted to see in each of the sectors. Having identified the sector-specific impacts, we also established a list of portfolio/cross-sector goals (ex: increasing access to capital for marginalized populations across all sectors). By identifying our impacts and all coming to a consensus on our specific goals, we could move forward to the next, more technical process of impact measurement.

“This experience opened my eyes to how messy the real-world of social entrepreneurship can be, especially in the relatively new field of impact investing, and how it does not always fit into the nice, neat mold that we learn inside the classroom.”

Being put on this project was very intimidating at first. I didn’t know much about the world of impact metrics going into the internship, and so there was a steep learning curve for the first couple of weeks. I tried to approach impact measurement as I would approach any unfamiliar topic in my academic courses: by researching, taking notes, and ultimately, walking away with a strong grasp of the ins and outs of the process. It didn’t end up working that way. Instead, I came to realize that there is still a lot of ambiguity around how to measure social and environmental impact, even among the most prominent and nationally-recognized impact investment funds. This experience opened my eyes to how messy the real-world of social entrepreneurship can be, especially in the relatively new field of impact investing, and how it does not always fit into the nice, neat mold that we learn inside the classroom.

I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to intern for such an amazing fund. It was inspiring to work alongside a group of people who had such a strong, deep connection to their rural communities. Even though I only met the Invest Appalachia team virtually, their commitment to improving the lives of Central Appalachians was evident. I am leaving this internship with a stronger appreciation for impact investing and using it as a tool for social and economic empowerment.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Sylvie Arnold

Sylvie Arnold

CLAS ‘23

Sociology

I was lucky enough to be a Tadler Fellow this summer and intern with Coalfield Development. Going into the internship, I had never even heard of social entrepreneurship. In fact, I had only started engaging with the concept of entrepreneurship itself my junior year of high school through a project in my AP Microeconomics class where we had to design and pitch our own business plans. My team did our best to come up with a product that would be kind to the environment in addition to filling the gap in the market we had observed, but little did I know there was a whole discipline dedicated to positive outcomes both environmentally and socially through enterprise.

When I first began to research social entrepreneurship for an annotated bibliography for Coalfield, I was elated at what I found. Having only completed my first year at UVA, I was struggling to choose what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to make a difference in my local and global communities in some way. Lucky for me, social entrepreneurship does exactly that.

Before even beginning the internship, I perused Coalfield’s website, and I was both surprised and stimulated by what I saw. Here was a company targeting a cyclical issue in an effective way! Coalfield has come up with a way to not only elevate the condition and stimulate the economy of the Appalachian community, but also help its workers achieve what they may not have found possible to achieve before. Coalfield’s 33-6-3 model was the first thing that stood out to me, and it still amazes and inspires me. Investing in its employees and their futures, Coalfield’s 33-6-3 model has its employees on a 2.5 year plan of 33 hours of paid work per week, 6 hours of education toward an associates degree, and 3 hours of personal development with the type of development varying with what week of the program the employee is currently in. This level of care for the people in their community by an employer is rarely seen, but at Coalfield it is only a small part of the plan for excellence in Appalachia.

“Having only completed my first year at UVA, I was struggling to choose what I wanted to do with my life. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to make a difference in my local and global communities in some way. Lucky for me, social entrepreneurship does exactly that. ”

In addition to the 33-6-3 model, Coalfield owns a variety of employment-based social enterprises, all with a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. Coalfield works hard to provide their employees with usable skills for the future, create jobs, revitalize rundown places and buildings, and stimulate the economy--all while utilizing Appalachia and what it has to offer. Coalfield is a great example of facing problems head on and creating opportunity while preserving the integrity and history of a place near and dear to so many lives and hearts.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Coalfield and be inspired by their efforts toward hope and change. Never again will I think a problem unfixable; with the right minds, outlook, and propensity for seeing the potential in the situation, even the most difficult situations can be approached, step by step, little by little, until a big and lasting change is made.

Through the research and writing I have done with Coalfield, I have developed an appreciation and passion for social entrepreneurship and the immense positive power it has. I am forever thankful for this opportunity and I really hope to continue pursuing this incredibly impactful discipline in whatever direction it takes me.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Hannah Zaveri

Hannah Zaveri

CLAS ‘23

Hi, I am Hannah Zaveri, a rising second year, currently planning to major in public health and sociology. When I applied to the Tadler Fellowship, I was a first year with no social entrepreneurship experience. But I wanted to learn, and I ended up applying because the Appalachia-based internships fit my desire to use my skills to make a positive impact.

Now that I have experienced a summer internship with Appalachian Voices, I can honestly say that this was an incredible opportunity! I especially enjoyed learning about the Appalachian region and the community working to rebuild Appalachia’s economy. I encourage everyone who is the slightest bit interested in this fellowship to apply. Even when faced with a pandemic, everyone quickly adapted to make the most of the virtual fellowship.

Appalachian Voices is an environmental nonprofit that aims to shift Appalachia away from fossil fuels to clean energy—to sustainably rebuild Appalachia’s economy. Throughout the summer, another UVA intern, Lelia Battle, and I worked alongside the New Economy team.

Based in Norton, Virginia, they devise and implement innovative reclamation and redevelopment projects on coal impacted lands. More specifically, we were mentored by Adam Wells, the Central Appalachian Regional Director of Community and Economic Development. Adam genuinely cared about our learning experience and created opportunities for us to engage in meaningful work that addressed real problems, which I greatly appreciated. We also worked alongside the Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition (RAC), a multi-state group of which Appalachian Voices is a leading member.

Being a first year intern, I did not expect to lead significant projects; I was ready to take on more menial tasks. However, from the beginning, Adam was clear that our work would investigate key questions, and that I would be an asset to the team. Lelia and I lead impactful projects; we published a report examining the potential applications of Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to Appalachian Voices and the RAC’s innovative mine land reclamation. We also published a resource guide on innovative financing for mine land reclamation.

“I led impactful projects; we published a report examining the potential applications of Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to Appalachian Voices and the RAC’s innovative mine land reclamation. We also published a resource guide on innovative financing for mine land reclamation.”

During the research stage, we called and met with dozens of incredible people working on the frontlines to create a better future for Appalachia, which was inspiring. I was challenged to be resourceful and ended up reaching out to and meeting all sorts of advocates. I was surprised by how willing everyone was to help with our research. As a result, we ended up facilitating two successful webinars, which showcased some of the experts that we met through our research—one webinar was on CBAs and one was on innovative financing for mine land reclamation. I loved organizing the webinars! Despite not being in Norton for the internship, the virtual events made me feel connected to the community.

My favorite part of the internship was attending Appalachian Voices’ staff calls, and the RAC and New Economy team meetings. I was fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes. As a result, I learned extensively about the professional world, and now understand the considerable planning that goes into nonprofit and social impact projects. I also learned first-hand what it means to engage in important work that people are passionate about, which I hope to bring to my future career. Through this fellowship, I was pushed to think outside the box and was encouraged to share any ideas. Before my summer working at Appalachian Voices, I was interested in nonprofit and development work, and I am still interested in it. I now have the confidence to continue exploring this field, and I look forward to meeting new people along the way.

I am very grateful for this opportunity. If not for this fellowship, I may never have begun to understand the complexities of Appalachia or nonprofit organizations. I am especially glad that I did this as a first year. Now, I have three more years to continue exploring Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Virginia. I am happy to share more about my experience, so please feel free to reach out to me at hz6jsp@virginia.edu if you have any questions about the fellowship.

Tadler Fellow Experiences: Jack Clark

Jack Clark

CLAS ‘22

Hello! My name is Jack Clark and I am a 3rd year McIntire student concentrating on management with an emphasis on entrepreneurship. For the past few years I have been studying, through clubs and various classes, the field of impact investing. I have specifically been looking into for-profit organizations that have positive social and environmental change baked into their business models. When the opportunity arose to work in this intersection this summer, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to learn about what I had investigated in classrooms in a more real-world environment. I applied to the Tadler Fellowship so that I could understand the field of impact investing from a new perspective. I was lucky enough to intern for Blueprint Local, an Opportunity Zone Fund that capitalizes on recent tax reforms to direct disposable capital from wealthy individuals into low-income areas of cities across the US.

Prior to my experience this summer, I thought I understood most of the ways that private investment could make a positive social impact, however, I now understand just how many ways investment can be simultaneously influential and profitable. As an intern for Blueprint Local, I worked on big picture issues such as helping management decide which types of projects are viable in new markets. I researched and designed a plan to alleviate food scarcity in West Charlotte, providing data, contacts, and information that Blueprint will use as they work to make positive social change in that region. I also assisted in the finer details of other ongoing projects by creating databases and analyzing potential solutions to existing roadblocks.

“This internship changed my perspective on commerce, the interaction of the government and private industry, and most importantly, what I want to pursue as a career. ”

Through my experience, I learned that impact investment is messy. I also learned that that mess is what makes it so interesting. As the global finance sector begins to shift to more deeply consider the societal and environmental implications of decisions, traditional investors are in for a wakeup call. They will find that the only way to guarantee positive change is to meet the people that they are impacting. Hear their voices and understand their stories.

The Tadler Fellowship and Blueprint allowed me the opportunity to investigate some of those narratives and understand the perspectives of people championing change in their communities. I learned that impact investing is messy, complicated, simple, and straightforward all for the same reason, the people.

I want to thank the Tadlers for giving me the incredible opportunity to learn more about my passion. I also want to thank Ross Baird from Blueprint and my boss Maegan Moore for teaching and guiding me.

This internship changed my perspective on commerce, the interaction of the government and private industry, and most importantly, what I want to pursue as a career. If you have any questions about the fellowship or Blueprint Local, feel free to reach out! Thanks for reading.

ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW TAYLOR KAMHONG DISCUSSES HER SUMMER INTERNSHIP

Taylor Kamhong

CLAS ‘21

Environmental Science

This summer, I had the privilege of being part of SE@UVA’s 2019 Royster Lawton Cohort. Funded by Jill Royster and Drew Lawton, the Royster Lawton Fellowship Program is designed to support students interested in pursuing an internship with a social enterprise. Upon acceptance, student fellows receive a $3000 stipend and professional coaching. When I read this, it seemed almost too good to be true: getting paid to make a real impact in the lives of others? But it turns out it isn’t: SE@UVA’s mission is to “cultivate the next generation of social innovation leaders” and the Royster Lawton Program is one of many opportunities for students.

In the beginning, I was nervous about finding an internship; some of the members of my cohort already had positions lined up, but I was still struggling to find something I was really passionate about. So, I went in to the SE office to have a brainstorm with Laura Toscano, the Associate Director of Social Entrepreneurship.

First, let me say Laura is one of the most amazing and hard-working people I’ve ever met. With extensive experience working in the realm of Social Entrepreneurship, she is an incredible asset to the Batten Community and has been one of my personal role models. During our mini coaching session, she gave me advice on job hunting, edited my resume and helped me refine my interests.

The next week, I attended SE@UVA’s Advisory Board meeting (another perk of being a Royster Lawton Fellow). There, I met the amazing team of change makers, one of whom, would become my future boss! Monica Logothetis is the cofounder of the national non-profit DreamWakers and it just so happened that she was looking for a summer intern

To provide some background, DreamWakers is an Ed Tech non-profit that uses video chat technology to connect unique and dynamic career professionals to the classroom. Speakers range from entrepreneurs to super models to employees of the United States Institute of Peace (and everything in between!). My big summer project was creating new lesson plans that bridge the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what employers want in the workforce. For instance, one of my lesson plans taught students how to set up their own LinkedIn profile and another explored the importance of diversity and emotional intelligence.

“My favorite part of being a Royster Lawton Fellow was experiencing Social Entrepreneurship first hand. It’s one thing to learn about SE in the classroom, but completely another thing to be on the ground.”

My absolute favorite part of interning with DreamWakers was that I was doing meaningful work that added value to the company; not once did I fetch coffee. Mrs. Logothetis genuinely cared about my professional development and gave me work that not only benefited the company, but also left me with deliverables I could show future employers. My projects were tailored to my passions and personal skill sets, so I was always working on something I loved. As for the job itself, I had the best of both worlds: I worked on the front lines, hosting video chats with children, as well as created the magic behind the scenes, developing new content and helping the organization expand its outreach. Oh, and did I mention I worked alongside six BA women? (talk about a #DreamTeam!) It was everything I could have wanted in an internship and more.

My favorite part of being a Royster Lawton Fellow was experiencing Social Entrepreneurship first hand. It’s one thing to learn about SE in the classroom, but completely another thing to be on the ground, asking the tough questions like, “how do you quantify something that is qualitative?” and “how do you go about influencing systemic change?”

I’m really grateful for this opportunity; without the support of the Royster Lawton Program, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue an internship with a social enterprise. I was able to spend all summer doing what I loved. And, although my experience working with a social enterprise was incredibly fun, it was challenging and made me think critically about some of the most pressing issues of the 21st century. Though the summer is over, I look forward to continuing my involvement with SE@UVA and welcoming the next cohort of Royster Lawton Fellows.  

If you’re on the fence about applying for the Royster Lawton Program, do yourself a favor and just go for it. Being a Fellow comes with a lot of perks (such as financial support, an abundance of networking opportunities, personalized coaching, and much more), but it’s also a chance to immerse yourself in one of the best communities around Grounds. I know I grew tremendously both as a young professional and as a person, and I hope you seize this opportunity to do the same.

For anyone interested in learning more about the program or SE@UVA in general, feel free to email me at tay@virginia.edu.

I’ll see you around the hub!

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW? CHANDLER COLLINS SHARES HIS SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Chandler Collins

CLAS ‘20 - Global Development Studies

Batten ‘20 - Leadership & Public Policy

For myself, the area I’m most passionate about is technology, and more specifically, about how large tech companies’ products harm both individual well-being and society. Through my summer internship, I wanted to dive deeply into a technology company to learn how they function and to use my perspective as a Royster Lawton Fellow to bring in an ethically and socially-minded lens. Before I talk about this summer, I’d like to share a bit about who I am.

Hi, I’m Chandler. I’m heading into my fourth and final year at UVA and am studying Public Policy and Leadership and Global Development Studies. I was raised in a small town in Alabama and I came to UVA because I was fascinated by questions of governance––how do governments make effective policies? How do you weigh competing policy options and make a decision when we live in a world where most issues lie in gray zones with no clear answers?

“How do governments make effective policies? How do you weigh competing policy options and make a decision when we live in a world where most issues lie in gray zones with no clear answers?”

These sorts of questions drew me to UVA, and they’re ones that I’ve continued to grapple with throughout my time here. I’ve been drawn in to technology policy specifically since it’s both omnipresent and seemingly omnipotent in our modern lives. Yet, few people truly understand the complexities of subjects like net neutrality and artificial intelligence. Of course, neither do I, but I was drawn in by the challenge. And so, these dual passions for policy and technology’s impact on society led me to the Royster Lawton Fellowship and to my internship this summer at Yext.

In a nutshell, Yext works with large companies and organizations to make their information accessible, no matter where you’re searching. For instance, imagine you’ve just moved to a new state and you need to find a new doctor, so you search something like “primary care physician near me who accepts Aetna.” Well, Yext works with healthcare providers to make the patient process easier by making sure that your query would bring up physicians who match that description, no matter if you’re searching on Google or YellowPages or asking Siri.

As a Technical Project Manager Intern, I would work directly with clients like the healthcare provider above to explain how the back-end technology functioned and how we could work together to improve the patient’s online experience. In the future, I hope to leverage this experience to work towards other more purpose-driven technology companies. Specifically, I’m interested in blending my passion for both technology and policy and would love to find a company like Jigsaw or La Victoria Lab which seamlessly combine the two. 

I’m immensely grateful to the Royster Lawton Fellowship for allowing me to be a part of this extraordinary program and for the support provided to me over this last summer. The Royster Lawton Program allows me to continue grappling with important questions in a group of like-minded, inspiring students who share a passion for ensuring that our creations are purpose-driven and rooted in social impact. Additionally, the Program has provided me with educational opportunities including lecture series and dinners so that I can get feedback on my future direction and hear about what other members of my cohort are involved in.

 In the coming year, I will be applying to companies which are driven by purpose rather than profit. While my experience as a fellow has only lasted one summer so far, it has shaped my values and priorities at work which I hope will last a lifetime.

ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW MAGGIE HIRSHLAND REFLECTS ON HER SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

Maggie Hirshland

Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy ‘20 - Public Policy & Leadership

Curry School of Education & Human Development ‘20 - Youth & Social Innovation

“Through my experience this summer, I have affirmed my desire to pursue a career in Education Policy, and have received more clarity on the different ways to make an impact in this field, as well as gained confidence in the path I hope to take.”

I’m Maggie Hirshland, a rising 4th year double majoring in Youth & Social Innovation in the Curry School of Education & Human Development, and Public Policy & Leadership in Batten. I’m interested in pursuing a career in the Education Policy field, however when I was starting my internship search last school year, I was not sure what that would look like for a summer internship. I was considering a plethora of related yet distinct paths and options, ranging from government internships, to schools, to non-profits/NGOs, and looking at organizations with a variety of focus areas, such as youth, education, policy, community development, and affordable housing. With all of these options comes the need to make a lot of decisions, which felt overwhelming at times, especially since the public service field can be difficult to navigate, without any streamlined processes.

The Royster Lawton Program provided indispensable mentorship, guidance, and support throughout this search. The Social Entrepreneurship staff’s vast experience and knowledge of the social entrepreneurship field helped inform recommendations and advice on where to look and apply. With multiple advising sessions, I was able to talk through and map out my academic and extracurricular interests, and translate them into different organizations and position openings. One of the positions I was most excited about was at the XQ Institute, a non-profit dedicated to engaging communities to rethink high school. This organization matched my interests perfectly, being in Batten and Curry this was a perfect combination of education and policy, but I was initially hesitant to apply, considering it was based in Oakland, CA, and far from UVA and home (which is Boston, MA for me). However, with the guidance and encouragement of the SE staff, I had the necessary confidence and assurance to apply, and ultimately make the move out to Oakland for the summer.

I’m so thankful I did decide to apply, and had the opportunity to intern at XQ. I’m so inspired by all of the work XQ and its partners are undertaking, as well as by everyone I had the pleasure of working with this past summer. XQ’s mission is to fuel America’s collective creativity to transform high school so every student succeeds, and since their launch in 2015 they have partnered with schools across the country to support and inspire efforts to rethink high school. Their work includes building capacity and momentum in schools and communities, advocating for policy change, and creating open-source resources to make schools fit for the 21st century. As the Strategy and Engagement Intern, I supported the development of school profiles, researching local and state context & policy, school design, and school leadership, as well as expanded the team’s network of community based organizations to strategize future outreach. I was also able to attend XQ’s annual conference, where hundreds of our partner schools and districts sent staff, teachers, administrators, students, and parents. I’m beyond grateful for this chance to learn from and talk to innovative educators across the country, and will carry with me their passion and lessons for effective school reform. Through my experience this summer, I have affirmed my desire to pursue a career in Education Policy, and have received more clarity on the different ways to make an impact in this field, as well as gained confidence in the path I hope to take.

I’m looking forward to continuing my involvement with the Royster Lawton program and Social Entrepreneurship team at UVA this upcoming year and beyond, and am excited to receive their continued support as I begin to consider my post-grad endeavors. I am thrilled to be a part of this ever growing network, filled with dedicated and passionate individuals, and I am looking forward to seeing the work my cohort peers pursue!

THOMAS ROBERTS REFLECTS ON HIS SUMMER INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE AS A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW

Thomas Roberts

CLAS ‘20 - Foreign Affairs

MPP ‘21 - Accelerated Masters of Public Policy

“I worked on an initiative seeking to invest in refugee entrepreneurs and refugee-supporting businesses to help integrate the flows of displaced peoples from the Northern Triangle into southern Mexico”

This summer, I used the Royster Lawton Fellowship support and network to intern with the Refugee Investment Network (RIN), a DC-based impact investing collaborative dedicated to creating durable solutions to global forced migration. By drawing on the principles of blended finance and refugee investing, the RIN forms networks of refugee entrepreneurs, refugee-supporting businesses, government institutions, and private investors in order to direct capital flows towards the long-term economic integration of refugees. At the RIN, I focused mainly on preparing the organization for its public launch earlier this summer, developing an investor training curriculum on refugee investing, and assisting the Managing Directors with a fund initiative in Mexico.

Working with issues in Central American forced migration was especially salient this summer, as real-time political decisions and consequences had tangible impact on our day to day project functions and objectives. Through the RIN’s partnership with the Mexican government, I worked on an initiative seeking to invest in refugee entrepreneurs and refugee-supporting businesses to help integrate the flows of displaced peoples from the Northern Triangle into southern Mexico. Since the project required a certain level of coordination to achieve success, I quickly learned the importance of aligning goals and methodologies across implementing partners and individuals.

“The combination of the internship and DC-specific experiences solidified my interest in impact investing and finance for social good, and, thanks to the Royster Lawton fellowship, gave me the first-hand practical experience necessary to open the doors to future opportunities in the field.”

The RIN’s size and startup culture allowed me to work across a variety of different areas, which opened my eyes to both the agility and intensity of working at a startup. As a small organization, the hierarchy was incredibly flat, allowing me to join and contribute to meetings about organizational strategy and potential partnerships. This access, unique to startups, came with a set of opportunities and challenges. Playing an active role in decision-making made me both more invested in and responsible for specific project successes. For example, as the only team member with video-editing experience, I was given a lot of autonomy to make creative decisions for promotional videos and to execute them independently from start to finish.

In addition to the professional experience, my summer in Washington D.C. gave me unparalleled access to conferences, talks, and decision-makers working on migration policy and international development issues. This ability to interact with social issues across a variety of positions and fields really opened my eyes to how frequently both public and private institutions are starting to turn to social entrepreneurship in order to maximize their impact while maintaining or improving fiscal sustainability. At the RIN’s official launch, I listened to organizations like the World Bank, OPIC, and other development finance institutions express their interested in utilizing impact investing and social entrepreneurship concepts for refugee integration and other pressing humanitarian concerns.

The combination of the internship and DC-specific experiences solidified my interest in impact investing and finance for social good, and, thanks to the Royster Lawton fellowship, gave me the first-hand practical experience necessary to open the doors to future opportunities in the field. As I begin a Master of Public Policy at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, I am so grateful to have prior social entrepreneurship experience to contextualize my professional degree, apply my coursework, and, ultimately, to pursue a career in the field.

PAYTON SOUDERS SHARES WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW

Payton Souders

CLAS ‘21 - Global Development Studies

““I spent my summer in New Delhi, India interning for Mrida Group, an up and coming for-profit company that specializes in rural development and creating market linkages for rural artisans and farmers.””

Hello, my name is Payton Souders, an incoming third year student at UVA, majoring in Global Development Studies and minoring in Social Entrepreneurship. I spent my summer in New Delhi, India interning for Mrida Group, an up and coming for-profit company that specializes in rural development and creating market linkages for rural artisans and farmers. Mrida has brought electricity to over 3,000 rural Indians, as well as job training, microloans, and feminine hygiene products. Specifically, my job was to work with a group of 13 women in rural Uttar Pradesh, India that operate a stitching center in their village. Over the course of the summer we worked together to develop three new products: a wrap skirt, a pajama pant, and a wrap pant. I also helped implement internal stock keeping and costing for the pants. I never envisioned myself working in fashion, but completing these projects showed me that I am more capable than I thought.

On top of all of the amazing experiences I had in my internship, I was also able to travel every weekend with the other three UVA interns I lived with in Delhi. Some highlights were white water rafting down the Ganges river, seeing Mount Everest up close from a plane, and of course, visiting the Taj Mahal. Through these travels I was able to experience the diversity of Indian culture up close and personal, and all of the amazing people I met along the way will remain in my memory forever (as will the food). Although we saw six different cities in Northern India, there is still so much left for me to see, and I cannot wait to return.

My favorite travel destination had nothing to do with tourism, however. The company that I worked for in Delhi was kind enough to send me to the village in which the women I worked with lived, called Faridapur Inyat Khan. On two separate occasions I sat with the thirteen young women as they worked on new orders, including the new pants we had designed together. Although there were huge cultural and language barriers, connecting with these women and their families was such an invaluable experience for me. Before this experience, I had always known that I was interested in development work. After meeting these women and hearing their enthusiasm to work and break norms in their village, all of my ambitions were confirmed. Now that I am back at UVA, I have a better understanding of how to plan for my future and fulfill my dreams after college - all thanks to this summer.

““Everything in India seemed outside of my comfort zone at first, but by the end of those two months, I could not have felt more in my element. A global internship is such a good way to discover yourself professionally and personally, and I could not have done so without the support of the Royster-Lawton fellowship.””

I learned so much during this internship and had experiences I never could have dreamed of - such as bargaining with our Delhi fabric sourcer or practicing Hindi with the village children in Uttar Pradesh. Everything in India seemed outside of my comfort zone at first, but by the end of those two months, I could not have felt more in my element. A global internship is such a good way to discover yourself professionally and personally, and I could not have done so without the support of the Royster-Lawton fellowship. Thank you for reading about my experience, and if you have any questions about global internships, the fellowship, or anything else, please feel free to reach out! 

CHARLOTTE MCCLINTOCK REFLECTS ON HER SUMMER INTERNSHIP

“More than anything, this summer let me explore styles, modes, and methods of working and thinking about using technology to advocate for marginalized communities and uncover meaningful trends in important issues.”

Charlotte McClintock, CLAS ‘19 & ‘20

B.A. - Statistical Analysis of Social Behavior

M.A. - Research Methods in Psychology

I spent the summer working for two really stellar organizations using technology for good: Brightest and Caravan Studios.

Brightest is a technology platform for progressive organizing – bringing people together to create positive change. At Brightest I was charged with starting a research series focused on using data to inform progressive climate movements. I did everything from scoping stories to analyzing and visualizing data, writing data stories, and pitching them to news organizations. It was a stellar learning experience to be in charge of every aspect of my work – while I reported to the CEO, I was essentially my own boss and directed my own work. It was challenging at first to adjust to the responsibility of tasks I had never undertaken before, but I learned so much along the way. We published three data stories on climate politics and activism – one, comparing the predicted impacts of climate change to the states taking action, was even covered by Vice! It was an incredibly experience seeing my work in a national media platform.

Caravan Studios builds technology solutions that “help communities organize, access, and apply local resources to their most pressing problems.” At Caravan Studios I worked on using data and analysis techniques to understand trends in engagement with the Safe Shelter Collaborative platform. The Safe Shelter Collaborative allows domestic violence shelters to gather information about the location of shelter beds when they’re at capacity and would otherwise have to turn a survivor away. The platform allows a service provider to send a request to all other participating agencies in the collaborative. The platform has a really excellent participation rate – most requests are responded to within less than a minute, and most request have a ‘possible bed’ response within less than three minutes. I used their internal administrative data to write a report of exploratory insights looking at agency participation, demographic trends, and outcomes to understand how they might iterate on or expand their existing model.

More than anything, this summer let me explore styles, modes, and methods of working and thinking about using technology to advocate for marginalized communities and uncover meaningful trends in important issues. There are so many possible ways to engage with technology for good, and this summer taught me so much about what productive engagement looks like.

Caravan and Brightest both focus on designing with their clients and communities. Caravan uses a participatory design process and focuses on human centered design. Brightest constantly updates their platform to better suit the needs of organizers and movements.’ I learned that centering humans and human behavior in the design process is absolutely crucial to building useful tools and identifying necessary insights.

This summer taught me that technology can be a part of the solution, but is generally not the whole solution. Technology needs to be accompanied by changes in policy, in resources, in communities, and in systems in order to be an effective tool to move the needle. We need technology and data science to accompany community organizing efforts, policy advocacy, and the stories of affected communities.

On a more personal note, this summer really taught me about the importance of work life balance. Working remotely, especially on work you care deeply about, can lead to work taking over your life. I learned to take breaks when I needed them, walking to the park to sit in the sun, and learned the value of rest in being able to be productive.

I am deeply grateful for the experiences my Royster-Lawton fellowship has brought, and I’m so excited for the doors that have been opened as I’ve developed new skills and built new relationships.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW? Ask Frank Valdez, who interned at Comp-U-Dopt in Houston, Texas.

““I have lived in Houston for over 19 years; however, I have never seen it like I did this summer. I have always noticed the poverty and the inequalities between communities, but this summer I witnessed more hope and empowerment than ever””

This summer I had the opportunity to intern at Comp-U-Dopt in Houston, Texas. Comp-U-Dopt is a non-profit that provides technology education programming for elementary, middle, and high school students and donates laptops to economically disadvantaged students after the completion of one of their programs. Comp-U-Dopt focuses on disadvantaged communities to close the gap in technology and after school programming accessibility in the Houston area. I pursued this internship because I have always been passionate about education accessibility. I give a lot of credit to where I am today to the non-profit academic programs that supported me growing up. I hoped that this internship would give me exposure to the non-profit industry as I have always dreamed of opening up a community center in Houston to connect underprivileged communities with the resources they need to persevere. Instead, I received a lot more. I started as a Program Intern where I helped with the logistics of the summer programming and coordinating the program celebration. I ended up also being a teacher assistant and a teacher when I was needed. It was a very rewarding experience to be able to teach and mentor high school students. I learned that I have a strong passion for mentoring. Many of the people I worked with were former teachers which opened my eyes to the education field. I realized how much of a difference a teacher can have in a student’s life. Teachers have the power to inspire and empower students directly. I have lived in Houston for over 19 years; however, I have never seen it like I did this summer. I have always noticed the poverty and the inequalities between communities, but this summer I witnessed more hope and empowerment than ever.

I also enjoyed working in a small non-profit environment. I was fortunate enough to work with a group of ambitious and energetic individuals who were passionate about their work. It was fascinating seeing how a non-profit runs on a day to day basis. I was able to observe the process of applying to and receiving grants. I was also able to sit in on meetings with other non-profits in the Houston area. Through this experience I was also able to learn about the historical issues involving the gentrification of Houston neighborhoods and the problems that it has left to this day.  Learning about this made me realize how access to quality education needs to be tackled in various ways. Programs that empower disadvantaged communities are amazing, but it is also important to work towards a permanent solution so that the future generations of that community do not face the same problems. During my time at the internship, I was able to connect with community leaders working towards making policies and laws to protect the members of the community. I have lived in Houston for over 19 years; however, I have never seen it like I did this summer. I have always noticed the poverty and the inequalities between communities, but this summer I witnessed more hope and empowerment than ever.

““As I return for my second year at the University of Virginia, I hope that my summer internship experience gives me a new perspective in my studies, especially in the field of Economic Development””

I hope it makes me a better critical thinker when it comes to understanding how to erase the disparities in a community without pushing out the underprivileged population.

LUCY KRASKER REFLECTS ON HER SUMMER AS A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW

““Venture capital is a unique blend of financial and entrepreneurial skills. It’s exciting and empowering to watch a concept develop and grow from early stages. I know I want to have a hand in the growth of social enterprises””

This summer I worked at JUMP Investors in Los Angeles, California.  The founder and Chief Executive Officer of the venture capital firm, Randall Kaplan, is a co-founder of the innovative Akamai Technologies and was an early stage investor in Google and Lyft.  He consistently finds value in supporting the growth of firms disrupting technology industries, and as a lifetime entrepreneur, continues to develop lifestyle brands and concepts.  As an entrepreneur and venture capitalist simultaneously, he has advised over 50 startups in their development and financing.  His strategic vision is instrumental in these companies’ success and growth, and I was fortunate to gain insight on business decisions.  Kaplan taught me that investing in a company financially is often not enough.  If you want to see a real and meaningful return on an investment, it is crucial to advise the company’s executive management over time.  His hands-on investment strategy also emphasized a key takeaway: any enterprise is a social enterprise if the firm sees business as a tool to build community value.

As a Venture Capital Intern, I studied the investment techniques and strategies of my boss.  On a first-name basis since the first day, he emphasized the importance of mentorship.  He gave valuable and sage advice during daily discussions of investment decisions, the pillars of entrepreneurship, how to best channel the entrepreneurial spirit, and career advice.  He is a strong supporter of his interns’ ambitions.  I worked with a group of 30 other college students from schools across the country, all pursing degrees in Business, Economics, Commerce, Marketing, Computer Science, and Data Analytics.  My co-workers truly became some of my best friends, and we build a supportive network within the office.  We completed assigned projects in deal teams and collaborated to deliver the best quality product as efficiently as possible.  We were under the guidance of Ricky Horwitz, a stellar associate at JUMP.  He became a mentor to everyone in the office and oversaw our personal research projects, which were catered to our individualized interests.  It’s through these projects that I learned the beginning steps of due diligence and market research.  I performed due diligence on a number of companies within the cryptocurrency and environmental sustainability spaces.  Kaplan has high expectations for all of his employees, and he held interns to standards that improved our business writing, fine-tuned our business communication via email, and grew our networking skills.  My daily duties focused mostly on Sandee, one of JUMP’s portfolio companies.  I explored different marketing and information technology strategies for brand development.  I became a search engine optimization (SEO) expert and fine-tuned pertinent data analytics and aggregation strategies. 

““I explored different marketing and information technology strategies for brand development. I became a search engine optimization (SEO) expert and fine-tuned pertinent data analytics and aggregation strategies””

Kaplan encouraged us to branch out into the Los Angeles business and philanthropic scene.  He brought interns to nonprofit events, including the Anthony Barr Foundation Gala to benefit educational programs for children of single parents.  Kaplan himself developed The Justice Ball and The Imagine Ball to benefit legal services for the underserved.  I personally attended a cryptocurrency panel discussion with experts from the Ethereum Alliance and DNA Fund.  At these events and through my research, I began to understand the power and potential of cryptocurrencies in the social entrepreneurship space.  Young and dynamic product and technology innovators strive to make financial industries more accessible and adaptable to the masses, an exciting trend I’m interested in continuing to follow.  Engaging opportunities within a new community was also a valuable suggestion of Royster Lawton career advisors.

“Venture capital is a unique blend of financial and entrepreneurial skills.  It’s exciting and empowering to watch a concept develop and grow from early stages. I know I want to have a hand in the growth of social enterprises.”

As a strong member within the Los Angeles community, Kaplan hosted guest speakers and lecturers weekly.  We even had the chance to tour Snapchat’s headquarters and hear about the company’s vision from the Vice President of Technology. Hearing from elite entrepreneurs and business leaders helped me realized that I want to pursue a career in venture capital and more specifically impact investing.  Especially transformative presentations were from Brian Lee, founder of Legal Zoom, Shoe Dazzle, and The Honest Company; Eric Manlunas of Wavemaker Partners; and John Ciasulli of Uptake.  Venture capital is a unique blend of financial and entrepreneurial skills.  It’s exciting and empowering to watch a concept develop and grow from early stages. I know I want to have a hand in the growth of social enterprises, and venture capital’s dual focus allows for a dynamic career with respect to learning more about innovative technologies, consumer products, and business development strategies.  Thanks to the Royster Lawton Fellowship, I feel confident about the trajectory of social entrepreneurship and my role in its future.

COLE CHISOM DISCUSSES HIS EXPERIENCE AS A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

What is it like to be a Royster Lawton Fellow? Ask Cole Chisom, who worked as fellow in Clockwork, a Charlottesville-based early stage financial services company.

I first learned of the Royster Lawton Fellowship while stumbling around the SE@UVA website in an attempt to find more information about course offerings. I was drawn to one of the main premises of the program -- providing an additional stipend to allow students to pursue opportunities no matter their financial feasibility. I had found an opportunity at an impact-oriented early stage company that simply would be unable to provide the salary of larger, more established companies. Fortunately, I was accepted into the fellowship and began my work at Clockwork in June.

Clockwork is a Charlottesville-based early stage financial services company that provides due diligence for early stage investors, performs portfolio monitoring, and provides operational support for startups. During my time at Clockwork, I was able to perform diligence on nearly fifteen early stage companies that ranged from sustainable living platforms to ecommerce marketplaces to organizations targeting high achieving, low-income students. In short, my experience was broad as I was exposed to a multitude of unique business models, ranging levels of social impact focus, and various stages of the venture capital process.

“I was able to perform diligence on nearly fifteen early stage companies that ranged from sustainable living platforms to ecommerce marketplaces to organizations targeting high achieving, low-income students”

Working at an early-stage, constantly developing company further opened my eyes to the potential roles I could take on within an organization. In addition to my deal work, I picked up a personal project analyzing various metrics around Clockwork’s deal efficiency. I was given significant freedom to craft the project as I saw fit and felt that I was making an operational impact for the company. During my time, I was also able to pick up ad-hoc projects supporting early stage companies, which included market research, assisting in budget modeling, and critiquing pitch materials.  

Clockwork is a bit unique in that its full time team members are dispersed across New York, Charlottesville, Uruguay, and Mexico. While I was unable to visit other offices during my time, I did get to meet all four partners over the course of the summer. Also, as one of the founding partners was the only other team member located in Charlottesville, I was able to listen in on calls, take part in meetings, and, more generally, watch an entrepreneur run an early stage company.

Beyond simply enabling my experience at Clockwork, the fellowship also meant being a part of a talented cohort of individuals pursuing other socially-focused opportunities. My cohort’s experiences ranged from startups to the public sector to the venture capital and nonprofit spaces. I was consistently able to bounce ideas off others and hear about experiences in other sectors that may be of interest moving forward. The program provided additional support around networking, resumes, and interviews. The Royster Lawton Fellowship allowed me to take on an impactful role at an early stage, local venture that otherwise likely would not have been possible.

In sum, the program provided an encompassing experience to ensure that Fellows not only succeeded in our summer internships but also were equipped for future opportunities. As a result of my summer, I fostered an interest in venture capital and entrepreneurship, while also determining that I strongly enjoy the operational aspect of running and improving businesses. The Royster Lawton Fellowship allowed me to take on an impactful role at an early stage, local venture that otherwise likely would not have been possible. To say I am grateful for my time in the program is an understatement.  

MATT QUAN SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE AS A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW IN NYC

Over the course of my 1st year I worked on a few businesses and projects, from alternative college tours to online education programs. Although I learned countless hard and soft skills from these different ventures, the greatest take away was solidifying my passion for what had initially drawn me to UVA - entrepreneurship.

 Flashback to fifth grade and I still remember devising plans with my best friend to start the next technological revolution - we decided that we would create batteries that could be recharged in the microwave. To test this, we went ahead and set up a microwave outside. Luckily my mom stopped us before it started. Yet this failed project allowed me to discover my passion for entrepreneurship. Soon after, my Dad gave me a piece of advice that has continued to guide me - “Don’t create solutions to non-existent problems, find real world problems and create the solutions.”

After 8 years I finally had gained real world experiences to solidify this passion I had come across while setting up my battery-microwave experiment. While I looked back on the different projects I had worked on since, I realized another common theme with them all. The mission of the projects was the true guiding force for me, and the mission had always been to help or improve the lives of others in some way or another. This is what I only recently found to be called social entrepreneurship, and the moment I found out about it I wanted to learn more. Thus I decided in the spring of my first year I wanted to find a summer internship that would allow me to learn as much as possible about entrepreneurs working to make a positive impact.

“The mission of the projects was the true guiding force for me, and the mission had always been to help or improve the lives of others in some way or another. This is what I only recently found to be called social entrepreneurship, and the moment I found out about it I wanted to learn more”

After talking to a close mentor of mine, we figured out the perfect place to immerse myself in a fast paced environment of creatives whose sole goal is to get things done - an accelerator. Over the course of my spring semester I researched dozens of accelerators in the US and the companies that had gone through them. I then dove deeper and researched the founders of the companies and sent as many cold emails as I could. After sending 100 emails and multiple follow ups, I was lucky enough to get 10 responses from founders who were all willing to get on the phone with me. We talked about everything from their founding stories to their passions for innovation, all the way to their life philosophies. These conversations lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours, but every time I walked out feeling more inspired and determined to dive deeper into entrepreneurship. 

Around this same time I found out that UVA has an entire department dedicated to Social Entrepreneurship, and it was here that I learned about the Royster Lawton Fellowship - a fellowship that would fund and help guide and structure a summer internship of your choice. I was fortunate enough to gain a spot as a fellow and had another group of incredible mentors to help guide me in this process of finding an internship.

As the semester came to an end, I had two offers on the table. One was with a French accelerator in NYC called IMPACT, and the other was to stay in Charlottesville and work with an online education startup called Radify Labs , which I had been doing marketing work for during the semester. I was in a bind so I hopped back on the phone with my mentor and he asked me one question: “What do you want to get out of your summer?”

My answer was simply that I wanted to learn as much as possible. The second I said that, he showed me that this choice was a no brainer. Although it would be incredible to intern at an accelerator and observe from the background, if I wanted to dive into the life of an entrepreneur I should just get experience doing it myself, and I had the perfect opportunity to do just that. 3 months later and I truly do not think I could have learned more anywhere else than at Radify Labs.  

With the help of the Royster Lawton Fellowship and the community that came with it, I was able to spend my summer in Charlottesville working full time with Radify Labs. This summer I was made a co-founder and will continue to work alongside 3 of the most incredible and motivated people I have ever met in my life. My 3 co-founders (Allison Garrett, Andy Page, and Yash Tekriwal) just graduated from UVA and turned down prestigious jobs at companies such as McKinsey and Company, APT, and Blackstone to work on this venture full time. Although I had planned on working part time again like I had last semester, a new opportunity came up that I would have never imagined even weeks ago..

“Seven months ago I was dreaming of running around an accelerator in NYC while making copies, getting coffee, and doing whatever there was so that I could observe an accelerator from the background. Now I have the opportunity to go through one of the best accelerator programs in the nation - except this time as a founder.”

After a few rounds of applications and interviews, Radify Labs become one of four companies accepted into the Lighthouse Labs Ed-tech accelerator in Richmond, Virginia. Seven months ago I was dreaming of running around an accelerator in NYC while making copies, getting coffee, and doing whatever there was so that I could observe an accelerator from the background. Now I have the opportunity to go through one of the best accelerator programs in the nation - except this time as a founder.

Thanks to Jill Royster and Drew Lawton, as well as the incredible staff at SE@UVA, I’ll have the chance to continue exploring this childhood passion through real world experience.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A ROYSTER LAWTON FELLOW? Ask Ramya Ravichandran, who worked at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Ramya Ravichandran

CLAS ‘18

Batten ‘19 - Masters in Public Policy

““I came to realize the power of having a true passion for your work, and the potential for impact every person brings with this intrinsic motivation””

This past summer, I spent ten weeks interning for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York City. Thanks to the generous support of the Royster Lawton Fellowship, I had the opportunity to pursue an experience that has greatly shaped me both personally and professionally.

In providing and coordinating international humanitarian assistance to crisis-affected people, OCHA upholds its commitment to purpose through all of its work. As an intern, I was faced with a varied set of projects, in addition to invaluable exposure to both the work of the United Nations and that of individuals working in New York within the social impact space.

““I knew I needed meaningful work – something that would not only allow me to pursue my passions and appropriately incorporate my existing skillset, but also provide me with opportunities to learn and grow””

Let me back up though – what brought me here? At UVA, I majored in Computer Science, and I am currently pursuing the accelerated Master of Public Policy degree through the Batten School as well. Last spring, as a third year seeking an internship, I had two broad goals for my summer. First, I knew that I wanted to, in some capacity, harness the power of technology. On top of this, I knew I needed meaningful work – something that would not only allow me to pursue my passions and appropriately incorporate my existing skillset, but also provide me with opportunities to learn and grow over the course of the ten weeks. My eventual position more than fulfilled my goals, and placed me directly at the center of innovative technology, policy, and social enterprise. 

Each week looked different, which taught me the value of being flexible and having an openness to wearing several different hats at times. On some days, I used my more quantitative background and worked on platforms that provide information to humanitarian workers around the world, but on other days I conducted data policy research while Skyping with staff based in The Hague, Geneva, and Bristol. I came to realize the power of having a true passion for your work, and the potential for impact every person brings with this intrinsic motivation. 

Amongst my experiences in the office, one of my favorite memories was watching the World Cup and cheering on teams alongside staff from around the world. Relatedly, it was truly inspiring to see the level of cross-cultural collaboration, something I especially noticed as I walked around the office and heard several different languages being spoken on a daily basis. My internship also gave me the opportunity to attend panels discussing applications of innovative financing models such as Impact Investing for the SDGs and Forecast-based Financing in the Humanitarian System.

Outside of my internship, living in New York opened so many doors that I did not expect going into the summer. For example, my first weekend in town I attended The Impact Summit, a conference directly at the intersection of technology and social good. I was able to meet and connect with likeminded students from across the United States, and hear from inspiring speakers who applied technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence to societal problems through their startups, in addition to advice from venture capitalists and impact investors. All of these experiences helped me develop my network and seek advice from professionals in the field.

I am incredibly grateful to the Royster Lawton Fellowship for giving me the opportunity to accept this impactful internship, further refine my professional goals, and prepare me to create sustainable change in the world.