By Swathi Sekar

I saw the picture below and it inspired me to blog! Proud of me, CEF Staff? (Making Swathi blog is like pulling teeth) I’ve been entirely spoiled with “CEF Love”. CEF has completely changed my perspective on how nonprofits should operate, and it’s going to make it really hard for me to find truly enjoyable work these next two years in Atlanta. I’m going to be searching for something that has as much collaboration, joint struggle, and shared successes as CEF, and it’s going to be hard. This summer was the first time, since the start of CEF in 2009 that I was able to stay in Chapel Hill and experience what a CEF summer is truly like. It’s overwhelmingly fun, sometimes emotional, and always a day-to-day learning experience. I learned how difficult teaching is; I learned the importance of being patient with seeing the results of hard work; I learned how CEF is much more than an organization, it’s a community. I’ve learned from my fellow Advocates and from all our Members at large. Everyone has a story, and CEF creates a safe place where people can share their stories, and grow. I’ve definitely grown, that’s for sure, and I have everyone who’s involved in CEF to thank for that. And, what college graduate gets the opportunity to work for an organization they LOVE, with people they LOVE, soon after graduation? This summer was an amazingly unique experience for me, and I will never forget it, and will miss it tremendously, but won’t be far away! I’m excited to hear about all the great things that come out of CEF in these next couple years, and I will forever stay a CEF Member Advocate.