Jumbo Spotlight: Coro Fellow William Huang

 By Angela Sun

William Huang, Coro fellow and Tufts '12 alum

The prestigious Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs is a nine-month experiential leadership training program that prepares diverse, talented, and committed individuals for effective and ethical leadership. There are placements around the country in Los Angeles, New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and St. Louis. In this post, we hear from William Huang, a 2012 alum who is a current Coro Fellow in New York. 

How did your academic and professional experiences at Tufts prepare you for Coro?

I majored in International Relations with an East Asia sub-concentration . I worked closely with the Asian American community during my time at Tufts as an Asian American Peer Leader and also as the Asian American Community Representative in Senate. In my application for Coro, I emphasized my experiences facilitating the Pan-Asian Council during my senior year. These experiences demonstrated my passion for social justice and community empowerment, which fit into the leadership development mission of Coro. 

As for internship experience, I interned at the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, a housing non-profit in NYC that focused on building affordable housing for the elderly and ill. This experience was something I talked about in my Coro essay. My internship there sparked my professional interests in community development and affordable housing.

Why did you decide to apply to the Coro fellowship?

I decided to apply because I wanted to learn how to be a more effective leader. In helping direct the Pan-Asian Council, I was having difficulty getting consensus on various projects and events. For example, we were planning to do a culture show between all the Asian clubs, but we had to eventually switch to Games Night. I also wanted to get training in how to motivate others, which was something I was struggling with. Furthermore, Coro has a strong network of alumni in government, business, and non-profit, so participating in Coro would jumpstart my career in community development by providing an instant network.

What was the application process like? Who should apply?

The application is structured as if you're applying to a grad school program. I had to write four essays, submit my undergraduate transcript along with three recommendations. Once you get past the initial screening process, there is a Selection Day in March for the 36 finalists, of which Coro will pick 12. I can't get into any specifics about Selection Day, but it is grueling and quite un-orthodox! Come mentally prepared and focused - you have to be on your "A" game.

To be a Coro fellow, you must have the ability to work with others from different backgrounds than yourself, with regards to gender, race, class, sexuality, political beliefs, etc. You should come in open-minded and agile. Coro has a very fast timeline when it comes to group projects and it can be tricky to stay on top of it all. There will also be unexpected twists on some of the projects so it is important to stay mentally prepared.

How is the fellowship program structured?

Coro is an experiential leadership training program with tons of surprises prepared for the fellows. The program consists of rotational placements in government, election campaigns, labor, business and non-profit sectors. Additionally, there are Focus Weeks interspersed throughout the year on topics like public finance, and media. There are also leadership breakfasts where we interview key stakeholders in the various sectors. For example, this Friday we will interview Dennis Walcott, the chancellor for the NYC Department of Education. Tuesday evenings and Fridays are also Coro Seminar Days where we might work on projects or personal leadership development.

One memorable experience (out of many) was seeing that Mayor Bloomberg's office was just a regular cubicle in the middle of City Hall. He didn't have a corner office - he just had a cubicle surrounded by his staff members. He's just like the rest of us, albeit much richer!

What placements/ projects have your received as part of your fellowship?

Coro placed me at the NYC Department of Education for my government placement, and now I am at AFSCME, a union for municipal employees. For my Department of Education placement, I was placed with the newly created Division of Equity and Access and tasked with writing the online content for the Empowering Boys website. It is an online resource for educators, students, and parents to access things like SAT prep classes, study habit tips, and a variety of other tools. The Division of Equity and Access and the Empowering Boys website is specifically designed to help narrow the achievement gap in high school graduation and college matriculation rates between Black and Latino male and their white counterparts.

For my campaign placement, I and nine other Coro fellows assisted the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) with the Joseph Addabbo, Jr. re-election campaign. He is a Democrat running for re-election as State Senator in Queens. On a typical day, I would go to the Queen's office, head out to knock on doors and canvas. I would end the day debriefing and phone-banking.  Through the combined efforts of UFT, volunteers, and the Coro fellows, Addabbo won re-election!

Coro is about experiencing different sectors in order to draw connections across the board and cultivate effective leadership. Coro runs from September to May, like a one-year grad program. These placements are around a month long each.

Did you get to work with other fellows?

I work with other fellows constantly. The time I devote to the group processes is equal to, if not greater, than my time at placements. We meet on Tuesday evenings and Fridays to do group projects and prepare for leadership breakfasts, in which we interview prominent stakeholders. All of the fellows are very bright, motivated, and driven. About half grew up in NYC, but many of the fellows are from the West Coast, and even other countries (South Korea). It takes time to reach a consensus when we make a decision, but that is part of the group process we're learning to master.

What are some of the challenges as a fellow?

One difficulty is learning how to live on a budget. Coro provides a stipend that varies based on financial need, but nevertheless it can be hard to live on the stipend. I'm fortunate to be living at home, so I can use my stipend on transportation, food, clothing, etc. A lot of the fellows apply for food stamps and Medicaid to stretch their dollar. It's great to have these shared resources.

Another difficulty is managing the work-life balance. Coro is a full-time commitment (60 hours/ week) where Tuesday seminars can last until 11PM and we might have to come in on the weekends. I have a girlfriend and am on the Planning Committee for the Tufts Asian American Alumni Association, so it can be tricky to juggle all my priorities. The best way to resolve this is to communicate clearly--I tell my girlfriend that Tuesdays are hectic so I can't call her. The balance is an ongoing lesson, so I will have more answers as the program continues.

What have you learned from the experience so far?

So far, I have learned the importance of talking to a variety of stakeholders on any issues - it's important to recognize the heard and unheard voices in the decision-making process. I am able to use inquiry to understand the underlying power dynamics and contribute to informed and inclusive decisions.

What are your plans for next steps?

In the future, I am interested in working at a housing non-profit for a few years and then getting my Masters in Public Administration to further my career in community development. 

If you're interested in applying to Coro, applications are due January 18, 2013. William Huang is also happy to speak with interested Tufts students.  You can contact him through the Tufts Career Advisory Network at tuftscan.org. His Coro profile can be found here.

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TIP Spotlight: Lia Weintraub A14

Throughout the summer, we will be featuring the stories of current Tufts students. You'll find internships like these (and many more!) in the Tufts Internship Profile (TIP) Book, coming this fall. The TIP Book is a collection of internship descriptions and advice provided by Tufts students for Tufts students. Watch your Career Center eNews for more information.

Name: Lia Weintraub
Class Year: 2014
Majors: International Relations and Spanish
Hometown: West Hartford, CT
Internship organization: Be the Change, Inc., Boston, MA


1. Describe your internship organization. 
Be the Change, Inc. runs national issue based campaigns driven by broad cross-partisan coalitions of non-profits, social entrepreneurs, policymakers, academics, and citizens. The goals of the campaigns are to inspire culture change and accelerate public policy development. I am most involved with the Opportunity Nation campaign, which strives to decrease the opportunity gap and expand economic mobility in the United States. The campaign has focused on pathways to success for 16-24 year olds.

2. Describe your internship responsibilities in detail. 
As an intern at Be the Change, I have the opportunity to contribute to various departments within the organization. Thus far in my internship, I have worked primarily on development and policy strategizing. For development, I have identified potential donors and learned the importance of maintaining accurate records and contact information. With policy, I have done research regarding introduced legislation that fits into Opportunity Nation’s plan to support 16-24 year olds as they enter school and the work force. I have researched congressmen to identify their level of interest in increasing access and affordability of higher education, supporting career and technical education, and supporting pathways to get disconnected youth back on track.

3. What has led you to pursue this specific internship?
I guess I would call myself a big ideas person. I spend a lot of my time thinking about how to create concrete solutions to pressing issues in our country and around the world. At Be the Change, I am surrounded by idealists like myself who believe that, through grassroots organizing, coalition management, and policy development, we can solve the opportunity gap in the United States. My participation in the Tisch Scholars program has made me passionate about public service and taught me the importance of being active in my home community.

4. Describe one highlight of your internship experience thus far? 
One of the best days at my internship was when we had an all-staff meeting. Employees from the Washington D.C. and New York offices came to Boston so the entire team could be together. We played ice breakers, analyzed how each of us deals with conflict, and discussed a plan for the organization moving forward. I appreciated this opportunity to meet the other interns and staff people. We got into great conversations about the structural causes that prevent people from being able to rise up in society and what needs to change to reinstate the American Dream.  

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TIP Spotlight: Sarah Tralins A14

 

Throughout the summer, we will be featuring the stories of current Tufts students. If you are interested in sharing your own internship experience with Tufts students, please consider participating in the annual TIP book. The TIP book is a collection of internship descriptions and advice provided by Tufts students for Tufts students. Click here to share information about your internship experience by August 1, 2012 and enter to win an iPad.*



Name: Sarah Tralins
Class Year: 2014
Major: Child Development
Hometown: Miami, FL
Internship Organization: Room to Grow, Boston, MA
Internship Title: Development and Program Intern

1. Describe Room to Grow.
Room to Grow is a non-profit based in Boston and New York that works to enrich the lives of infants born into poverty throughout their first three years of development - the most critical years that are unaccounted for in the United States' educational and healthcare system for low-income families. Expecting parents are referred to Room to Grow by a hospital or medical professional and visit our location in the Back Bay for one-on-one appointments with our social workers. We also provide needed baby items, included clothing, gear, and books to ensure a healthy start for the child.

 2. What are your primary internship responsibilities? 
My primary responsibility is to work with the managing staff to ensure that in-kind donations are acknowledged, that community relations are strong, and to help out in other areas where I can. I provide fundraising and development support while learning about non-profit management; I've worked with the Managing Director, Inventory Coordinator and other staff to gain insight on how non-profits work behind the scenes.

3. What led you to pursue this type of work?
I've always loved working with kids and helping others; I'm a Child Development major, a Tisch Scholar, and very active in community service. I became interested in non-profit management during Nancy Lippe's "Experimenting with Philanthropy" class. The class acted as a board and we awarded various non-profits a total of $20,000, funded by the Lady Sunshine Foundation and the Highland Family Foundation. We interviewed professionals at different non-profits in Somerville, Medford and Chinatown to learn more about their organizations and hear their grant proposals. Meeting with the people who ran the show at these non-profits really inspired me to learn more about the management and business side of these amazing organizations.

4. Describe one highlight of your internship experience thus far. 
Elizabeth, my supervisor and the Community Relations Director, gives me projects that are challenging. For example, I had to write a personalized letter thanking a big donor for their recent work relating to a collection drive and fundraising event that was both customized and professional. When I gave it to Elizabeth for review, she said I'd finally gotten the swing of how to reach out to donors, as well as appeal to them to continue giving. I felt so proud of myself knowing that in only a few weeks time, I'd gotten the hang of this work - and while she did edit a few small things, I saw that I'd learned a new and valuable skill.

5. Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you or your internship experience? 
Every day I'm in for something new! I helped organize a fundraising event at our new office space (and blew up balloons, too) during my first week, and then started doing research on early child development and poverty for the organization’s Director the next. I've been able to really experience every side of non-profit and business management just by reaching out to the staff and asking questions. They want me to succeed and I want to learn from them, so it's been a great relationship. Plus, getting to explore the Back Bay and get a feel for what a real job is like (I go in three times a week, 9-5) has been really nice.

*No TIP profiles will be included on this blog without the student's permission.

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