Olubusola Babalola | CIIP 2023 Blog Portfolio
Posted: July 5, 2023
Orientation
I was unsure of what to expect walking into orientation week and left it pleasantly surprised. It sort of felt like starting college again, but instead of being introduced to Hopkin’s, I was being introduced to Baltimore. During the week, presentations on the history of Baltimore and the impact of Hopkins, both positive and negative, within the community were informative. They gave me a better idea of my role as a Hopkins student going into this community-based internship. The most challenging part of this orientation for me was coming to terms with the fact that I am attending an institution that has caused a lot of harm to the Baltimore community through projects such as the East Baltimore Development Initiative and the founding of a Hopkins private police force. I can’t do much since these problems are more institutional and larger than I can solve in the summer, but by making a small impact within Baltimore through this internship and listening to the voices of Baltimore natives, I hope I can help in a smaller way.
My favorite part of the week was the scavenger hunt we had on Wednesday. It was a good bonding experience with my peer group and introduced me to parts of Baltimore I had never been to before and methods of transportation I did not know existed here (specifically the subway :)). I also really enjoyed the other small groups I was in, especially on the day the Theatre Action Group came. Though some of the activities were really uncomfortable and I had to learn how to step out of my comfort zone, the discussions I had within the small groups were enlightening and helped with getting closer to the rest of the cohort. Learning about the similarities that I have with other cohort members and bonding over our shared experiences was beautiful.
Week 1
Walking into the first day of my internship placement was nerve-racking, with e being slightly unsure of what my supervisor would start me with and how well I would interact with the people I would come upon. However, getting into the flow of things was easier than I expected. Each day was a new site to visit and a new project to get involved in which kept me interested. Since Made in Baltimore is a part of the Baltimore Development Corporation, a section of the Baltimore government, Made in Baltimore is not only involved with its member small businesses but also helps run programs throughout Baltimore City that help people gain work skills and find jobs.
One program I had the opportunity to see for myself was the Baltimore Sewn Trades Trading Program that Made in Baltimore helps put on at Openworks, a maker space in Station North. It is a 12-week program meant to help residents of Baltimore over the age of 18 who have no previous experience get ready for an industrial sewing career. On Friday, we went on a tour of some industrial sewing facilities with the 3rd cohort of this program, their last round of trips but my first. Typically, to gain these skills people pay thousands of dollars for programs like this and often have to take time off of other money-making opportunities. With this social program, participants receive a grant to compensate them for the money lost during the tie they could have worked but instead are in class. While this sounds good, on the van ride back from the last site, it became clear that the funds dedicated to providing the grant to attend this class were not really enough for participants to survive on, and in essence, did not match up to what they could have made had they have been working full time throughout this program. The cost of living and low wages are real issues in Baltimore, something that contributes to the housing issues that can b seen throughout Baltimore. Personally, it was enlightening to see how complex even the most well-intentioned things can be.
Week 2
One unique perk of being placed with a non-profit that has its hands in so many different projects and businesses is that there is never only one job site. In my 2 weeks of working, I have worked at four different locations, not including the days I work remotely. I came into this internship expecting a more traditional 9-5, where I would have a designated office space to work in and consistent co-workers. Though the reality is quite different, I believe I enjoy this more than a regular 9-5.
To give some context, I work remotely on Mondays and Fridays and have different but consistent work locations on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. At times there is a trip or visit of some sort to another site that Made in Baltimore either has a project with or will be using for future projects/events. To me, the only con of this type of schedule comes from not having my own form of transportation. Luckily, Baltimore has an okay transportation system, so most times I can take a bus or two to work but other times I do have to walk or take an Uber. Waking up every morning and planning my route to work two hours ahead of time has become a part of my daily routine, and adjusting to this at the start of this internship was somewhat difficult and has become kind of annoying as well. Sometimes, waking up to see the only bus that can get me to work will come 30 mins earlier than I need it to, or that I’ll still have to walk a significant portion of my journey even though I am taking the bus can be irritating, talkless of how unreliable some of the buses can be. However, I am choosing to use this as a learning experience and as a reason to advocate for better public transportation in Baltimore.
If I, as someone who has been working in Baltimore for less than a month at locations not more than 6 miles from my school, is struggling to get to work due to the current failures of the transportation system, I can not imagine how difficult it must be for people who have to travel farther distances without their own mode of transportation. Hopefully, Wes Moore can deliver on his promise to reinstate the red line or come up with another plan to better the public transportation in Baltimore City.
Week 3
After 3 weeks of being in my internship, I’ve somewhat settled into a mental, but not physical routine. Locations and hours can often change, but the actual projects I’m working on don’t. Now that I have more regular tasks to work on and I’ve been able to absorb the depth of the projects from being with my site supervisor over these 3 weeks. Some projects I’m working included event planning for the Urban Manufacturing Alliance Gathering that is being held in Baltimore for the first time, event planning for tours that this year’s cohort for the Home-Run-Accelerator program that Made in Baltimore runs, cataloging backed-up invoices, and writing blogs for the Made in Baltimore Website. These are typically the things I work on during the workday.
This week, the Home Run Accelerator actually had its last class of the Strategy School portion of the program, where they learn how to better build their small business logistically, and prepare for expansion into a commercial space through assignments and presentations from successful alumni of the program who can speak from a place of experience. The last class featured an hour of workshops, where HRA participants filled out applications for grants and visualized services they would need for their businesses, as well as an hour-long panel from the alumni. Everything about that last workshop was quite inspiring from the view of an onlooker.
During the workshop portion of the last class, while the participants were filing out grant applications I wondered why the applications were not competitive and after speaking to my supervisor, I learned that the ideology of Made in Baltimore and what it would like its member businesses to follow is one of collaboration rather than competition. Other accelerator programs, even at Hopkins, often award a sum of money to one group or individual in an accelerator program, creating a competitive atmosphere where there is not much teamwork and some may leave with nothing. Everyone in the Home-Run Accelerator leaves with at least $5,000 towards expanding their business and I can see the effects in the classes themselves. While filling out grant applications, rather than keeping silent about what they think another person may need for their business, or withholding their experiences with products, people, and services, that they have tried that other people are interested in, they fully collaborate and it’s beautiful to watch. Small business help each other expand and this spirit of collaboration could even be seen with the alumni during their panel. The camaraderie between the alumni and hearing about the partnerships they explored after going through the accelerator together was uplifting and was a great model for the types of environments I want to be in when I venture into my career.
Week 4
Summer is halfway over yet my goals for the summer have not changed but the level to which I planned to meet them has become different. I recently added an Entrepreneurship and Management minor to my degree and when I was placed in Made in Baltimore, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn about the realities of entrepreneurship and what it would take once I potentially reach that stage. Some other goals I had for the summer include what I noted previously as well as learning what working a full-time job is like and taking a break from schoolwork, and making new connections.
For my first goal, I feel like I am on track and have somewhat completed it. My first week was very comprehensive and I got a peek at all the entrepreneurial things that Made in Baltimore has their hands in. Unsurprisingly yet for some reason still surprising to me when I realized, being an entrepreneur is hard, in many different aspects. Keeping motivation is something I already struggle with so being a full entrepreneur I think would be a struggle for me, but by combining it with my Public Health major, I can apply the skills I’m learning and use the experiences of the entrepreneurs I’ve already met to my future. Taking a break from school has been an easily attainable goal since there is none for me this summer! That aspect no longer being a worry has been quite good for my mental health this summer and it’s helping me better prepare for school starting in a month. My intention to make new connections was much more active at the beginning of the summer, especially with orientation and getting friendlier with the people in my peer mentor. It’s still being met now thanks to CIIP programming such as bites as well as the different people I meet when I am at work. I still want to do better though, since I have missed networking opportunities because I did not feel like putting much effort towards it, and will be more proactive about that moving forward.
Week 5
Some of the tasks I am assigned to in my internship remind me of those of a personal assistant or a secretary, jobs I’ve never had but skills I would consider necessary if I ever do decide to move into a more business-oriented career. I know as an adult out of college, it is often difficult to find people around you who are the same age and share the same interests as you but in working with Made in Baltimore and other opportunities, I’ve been able to make relationships with people of all ages. In hand with that comes the networking skills I was hoping to develop at the start of the summer. I feel like my networking skills have grown exponentially and I am able to take more initiative when it comes to speaking to people I do not know. Being around a large number of entrepreneurs through Made in Baltimore has also all in all been so encouraging. Seeing the hard work it takes to run one small business, all that goes into promotion, pricing manufacturing, etc., helps me set more realistic expectations for myself as I venture into the career sphere. I’ve also become much better at communication and organization. Handling multiple projects at once and being assigned various different tasks within the project forced me to get better at organizing my time and prioritizing what needs to get done. Problem-solving has also been a skill I’ve refined in this internship since I have been seeing that things don’t run as smoothly in the real world as one with an idealistic view would. Looking into the future, this hard work ethic, problem-solving, and organization are some if the best skills that I could develop to have the successful future I am planning.