Vivian Paguada | CIIP 2023 Blog Portfolio
Orientation
Coming into this week, I knew I wanted to make the most of this experience and try to branch out/meet new people. I have always been a talker that loves getting to know others, but I am quite awful when it comes to making the first move. The most challenging aspect of orientation was forcing myself to tap into my extrovertedness both so I could make new friends but also to really engage with every workshop. Throughout the week, I found myself caring less about giving cookie-cutter answers and more about my own reflections, without fear of being wrong (or at least, with less fear). I really enjoyed the theatre workshop, as it encouraged all of us to step out of our comfort zones and really highlighted our personalities. I also enjoyed the day we got randomized groups, as it also encouraged us to further branch out and interact with members of other assignments. Baltimore day, however, had to have been my favorite. I feel quite lucky to have the peer mentor group I had, as it was easy to have all sorts of reflections with them. We really took our time at each stop and were able to interact with members of the community.
Week 1
This week, working for Wide Angle Youth Media, I was tasked with researching potential partners and locations for different programs occurring this summer and upcoming fall through WAYM. During my search, I discovered many elementary/middle schools in the Baltimore region that do not have media labs or direct access to technology rooms. I believe this speaks directly to the fact many schools are overwhelmingly underfunded, especially those within the Black butterfly. Additionally, many schools did not have their own website and instead had a few blurbs of information on the Baltimore City schools website, making it hard to find more information about after-school care programs and other amenities or activities a school may have. During my search, I also found many small galleries and museums throughout Baltimore that I think would be neat to checkout sometime this summer. I also came across amazing programs like ones offered at the Eubie Blake Cultural Center, encouraging people of all ages to become involved in the arts. I was also introduced to nearly 400 restaurants by a coworker who compiled his favorite eats and bucket list locations onto Google maps for easy access
Week 2
This week I was able to go to New Song and Deep Creek middle school to shadow photography workshops Wide Angle offers around different schools in Baltimore. While it was a really neat experience being able to interact with the students, I did find myself feeling a little unhelpful as I was not too familiar with the cameras they were using and as such had to redirect many students to my coworkers. However, this problem was eventually resolved, as my supervisor did a DSLR crash course on Thursday during my shift. Another challenge I have been facing this week is trying to plan out meals in advance to ensure I am establishing and maintaining healthy habits. I believe I failed thoroughly as I spent way too much eating out. Additionally, I have been considering what I would like to do this upcoming semester and working at Wide Angle, in addition to our BITES reflection and visiting galleries and Pride this weekend, has made me realize I have a genuine interest in continuing to work beyond the Hopkins bubble and directly with the Baltimore community. I am beginning to believe I would like to stay in the area a bit beyond graduation and discover what more is out there while also continuing to find Baltimore’s wonders. Seeing how students get into the workshops, potentially finding a new passion or hobby, is so exciting to me and I am excited to continue learning more about and working with similar organizations that work hand in hand with Baltimore’s youth.
Week 3
I don’t think there is a such thing as a typical day working at Wide Angle. Some days meant waking up at 6:30am to ensure enough time for a quick breakfast and walking to work in time to catch a ride to Deep Creek middle school. On such days, I would assist our photography instructors during our week-long workshops consisting of DSLR basics, forced perspectives, alphabetography, stop-motion animation and light paintings. Going into the classrooms was always a bit of a challenge, given middle school is the age where children like to act uninterested, making it hard to measure engagement and keep the kids entertained. Seeing the final products of these youth made it quite rewarding for there is so much talent in Baltimore. On the rare occasion, you would see some smiles and students being actively engrossed by the cameras and all that could be done with them. On these days, I got to know my coworkers more on the way to and from the school. On the days when I would not go in to the middle school, I would work from the main office, which always brings its own delights and hints of chaos. We’ll go from weekly meetings/check-ins to cleaning out the office to coffee runs and playing with fidgets. I am extremely lucky to be working with such talented, supportive people.
Week 4
This week was in general a more relaxed week since my supervisor was on vacation. We are in the midst of prepping for our MediaWorks program to start tomorrow, so a lot of the week was spent discussing what work would look like once this begins. Before leaving, my supervisor and I discussed me potentially being involved in the design planning for the new building Wide Angle is moving into by next year. He tasked me with helping set up ways for students to be involved with the selection process and mentioned looking into color theory and what colors best suit positive environments or the type of atmosphere we are looking to maintain at Wide Angle. I am excited to learn more about this and see the behind the scenes of setting up a space from scratch, delving into design in a way I had not considered I would be doing this summer. While unexpected, I have been considering my interest in design and decorating up until this point and am excited to get a feel for it in the non-profit realm. This past week I was mostly looking into options for the staff retreat taking place in September. I have compiled a list of activities based on suggestions from the current staff and have curated a list of restaurants in Baltimore that cater, ranging from Jamaican food to pizzas to Lebanese. Through the week, I have continuously been reminded how much I love working for Wide Angle. My team is so supportive and the work environment is very relaxed. I like the balance in having a passion to amplify youth voices while also finding little joys in random activities and conversations within the office. Through my coworkers, I have learned a lot about Baltimore’s public transit and history, music and customs, as well as heard stories of how each one has worked their way to where they are today. Quite frankly, it gives me hope for my own future and has made me realize the realm of public health is so incredibly vast that I could truly go into so many different fields and organizations and feel just as satisfied with my work while keeping my mental health as a core component.
Week 5
Through my placement at Wide Angle Youth Media, I have learned the importance of a supportive supervisor and coworkers. During our weekly check-ins, Peymaan continuously makes it known he wants my time here at Wide Angle to be a number one item on my resume, not just a program I did for the heck of it. As such, he has tasked me with finding ways to incorporate more public health aspects to our ongoing programs. Currently, I am working to set up a resume and networking workshop during our usual Lunch and Learns as well as looking into organizations that would be interested in tabling at our closing event for MediaWorks. Speaking with others, I have learned this is not the reality for all interns and some supervisors take a more hands-off approach, tasking interns with whatever staff do not wish to do. In addition to having an amazing supervisor, the people here at Wide Angle really care about the work they are doing to amplify youth voices. The office dynamics are also incredibly versatile, with the team feeling more like a family than distant coworkers finding little joys throughout each day. Moving forward, I hope to find work environments that are similarly flexible and lively, with supportive team members.
Week 7
From my first week at Wide Angle, I noticed how the organization does extensive outreach to collab with other organizations in the Baltimore community, whether it is through our Community Voices program or selecting them as RFO partners for our MediaWorks summer program. Currently, Wide Angle is hosting a Community Voices workshop at the Village Learning Place as well as other community centers such as the YMCA at Druid Hill. The Community Voices program is meant to bring our media programs to different centers in Baltimore for shorter periods of time than the typical fall or spring courses we offer. This allows for some flexibility in schedules but also increases accessibility to more of Baltimore’s youth. During my first week, I compiled a list of potential partner organizations for our MediaWorks program, which offers media services to different organizations while also providing paid apprenticeships for youth. One of our partner organizations this summer happens to be the Eubie Blake Cultural Center. We are also currently looking for organizations to come into our MediaWorks closing ceremony as a form of tabling event to both offer more resources to our youth workers but also increase awareness of different organizations in the area.