FEATURING EMERGING LEADERSHIP: JAZMIN GOINES, LGW INTERN

Leadership Greater Washington is excited to share the perspective and experience of our outgoing Marketing Communications Intern Jazmin Goines who, over the spring semester, worked closely with the LGW team to learn how to effectively market the organization, its programs, and unique events.
 
About Jazmin Goines
Jazmin is receiving her B.A. in Public Relations from Howard University this year and will take her experiences with LGW onward into a permanent position with Teach for America beginning this summer.
 
LGW thanks Jazmin for her outstanding contributions, which included her management of the social media wall during the 2017 Innovative Leadership Awards Dinner social media wall - not a simple task.  
 
Please see below for a short Q&A with Jazmin regarding her internship experience with Leadership Greater Washington.
 
Thanks again, and best of luck Jazmin!

What has the internship experience taught you, both personally and professionally? What are your personal goals? How do you think the experience of this internship will serve you in the process of achieving these goals?
Since becoming an intern at Leadership Greater Washington, I have learned valuable lessons that will support my personal and professional growth. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that it is easier to accomplish a goal when collaborating with others rather than working alone.

I have many goals, ranging from mentoring, advocating for education, traveling the world, and even becoming a group fitness trainer. I’ve come to realize that making connections and sharing with others can help me accomplish these goals. Leadership Greater Washington has taught me how large of an impact a group of people with the same goals can make.

Whether I am working to improve my personal or professional life, I’ve learned from LGW that making change is easier when you make it with others.

What have you learned about what this organization does and who we serve?
Interning at Leadership Greater Washington gave me an opportunity to learn and understand the power of people.

Before my internship at Leadership Greater Washington, I was aware of some of the regional issues that impact Greater Washington. However, I never imagined the operation of an organization like LGW that focuses on bringing together leaders who are all dedicated to addressing progress to these regional issues.

The members of LGW are successful leaders in their businesses and organizations. When LGW brings them together to explore the issues faced by the region. It allows these leaders to use their unique positions to promote change. With their combined resources and abilities, members can work with one another to have an immense impact on the region.

Any interesting moments for you over the course of your internship experience?
My favorite LGW moment was being able to experience the Youth Leadership Greater Washington Program. It was amazing to witness high school sophomores and juniors talk about the impacts they make at such a young age. The social issues the YLGW students are trying to solve today were not even acknowledged by many of the students in my high school, including myself. After spending a few moments in the session, I learned how I could positively impact the students I mentor.

I currently serve as the Escape to the Capstone Coordinator for the Howard University Michigan Club. In this position, I go through applications and select 55 high school juniors and seniors from Metro-Detroit to bring to Howard University for a week. The students travel on a bus and during their time here I arrange for them to live in dormitories with Howard’s freshman students. To help expose my students to a college experience and better prepare their lives for college, I provide them with an itinerary that includes attending classes, organization fairs, and resume/application critique sessions.

Experiencing YLGW helped me prepared me for when my students visited Howard because they were learning to use their own stories to motivate and inspire others. So, when my student arrived at Howard I shared my own stories with them and this helped them discover what they wanted their own college experiences to be.

After this, I realized that bringing established leaders together is not the only purpose of LGW. The organization also dedicated to empowering future leaders who will inspire others and create change.  

What advice would you give others looking to gain valuable experience and technical skills through this internship program?
My advice to anyone interning at Leadership Greater Washington is simple. While you are here, make sure that you’re always listening and learning. Both the staff and the members of LGW are filled with knowledge and experience. Whether you are working an event, sitting in on a program, or even in the office you will have the opportunity to learn new ways to improve yourself professionally and personally, as well.

Leadership Greater Washington provides leaders with the skills they need to create change and if you are absorbing the lessons experienced during your time here, your skills and preparedness for the working world will sharpen.