By Chris Dolich, The Presser Foundation Summer Intern
For music performance students, there is a great deal of uncertainty, but also opportunity, regarding post-graduation career and employment opportunities. As a jazz performance student at the Frost School of Music, I decided to apply for the summer internship position at The Presser Foundation in an attempt to gain some business experience (which I haven’t had before), and to broaden my scope of the inner-workings of the Greater Philadelphia music scene. With that being said, I did not have a very clear idea of what I would be working on as an intern. I had a broad idea of what The Presser Foundation strives to achieve, but no idea how the staff approached these goals and made active progress toward their fulfillment.
When I started working, the goals and day-to-day actions of the Foundation became more clear to me. I began learning about the types of grants, grantees, and other stakeholders that the Foundation works with. Something that came about as a byproduct of these experiences was my exposure to strategic planning. Before starting at the Foundation, I had no experience with this concept. I thought, and still think that it has been very interesting to watch as the values and goals of the organization are molded to become more focused and relevant to what is happening in the rest of the world.
One of the goals that I set for myself at the start of the internship was to develop my professional skills in a business setting. I thought that this would relate more to workplace etiquette and networking, but learning more about the strategic planning process has shown me that it is equally important to develop specific critical thinking skills. Those skills, including strengthening your attention to detail abilities, can be applied in most business settings, regardless of the goal that is being sought out. I have learned that in addition to being clear and transparent with the individuals you are working with, you have to be clear with yourself and your colleagues.
Another portion of my time at The Presser Foundation has gone towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). I was tasked with researching tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) throughout the country and finding contacts at these institutions so that we could try and introduce as many as possible in our Undergraduate Scholar Award program. The system of TCUs in the United States was fascinating to learn about. The whole experience greatly broadened my perspective on DEIA in an educational context, as well as the way that I understand the concept as a whole. It was also extremely rewarding to do work that may hopefully allow numerous new candidates to be considered in the Awards program.
Overall, I can say that working for The Presser Foundation this summer has been an extremely positive learning experience. I have gained experience doing clerical work, professional experiences in meetings and collaborative projects (even the annual Board of Trustees meeting), and a whole new lens into an area of the music industry that I was barely aware of before hearing about the Foundation. I still have a lot of time left with The Presser Foundation, but I have already learned so much that I can apply to my future academic and professional life.
