When I first began working at Phonathon over two years ago, I was simply in the market for an on-campus job and knew close to nothing about the Scripps Fund. I had heard from friends that the Phonathon environment was super fun and upbeat—and that the paid bonuses were great (which is all very true!). Now, many semesters later, I am incredibly grateful I stumbled across this position, not only because of my positive experiences and all the wonderful people I’ve met, but because I will be leaving with a wealth of transferable skills I hadn’t even realized I was honing on the job.

My primary role as a Phonathon caller is to solicit financial gifts for the college. Like most new callers, I was initially hesitant and uncomfortable when it came to directly asking for large sums of money. However, as I came to understand the importance of the Scripps Fund in maintaining the community and supporting critical areas such as scholarships, I grew personally invested in my role, and the unease of asking for money began to wear away. Now, when presented with a cause I truly believe in, I am not only able to ask for money, but also clearly convey my enthusiasm and passion for the cause and articulate why the cause in particular is worth others’ support. While I hope that chasing and thanking donors is not crux of my career in public health, I recognize that my work will inevitably intersect with the non-profit world—an important part of which is garnering financial support. And if I end up on the research side of things, most projects are funded by outside foundations and involve an intense grant writing process in which you must present and defend a strong, compelling case for your research. Either way, being comfortable and confident when approaching issues of money, funding, and donations is a huge strength, especially in the direction I am headed.

Without realizing it, my hours spent at Phonathon building conversation with alumni, parents, and friends have strengthened my communication/ networking abilities immensely. At Phonathon, we call it ‘building rapport,’ which essentially means connecting with the other person in order to stimulate engaging, energetic conversation. This has by far been the most rewarding aspect of being a caller—I have had countless inspiring and interesting conversations, many of which have highlighted the impact of a Scripps education. So many alumni and parents feel a strong tie to Scripps and are eager to share how their experiences with the college have shaped and influenced their career, interests, and life in general. I have had the opportunity to speak with individuals working in public health, medicine, social justice, etc., and their personal stories have provided great insight into the journey and field itself. I am constantly grilling alumni about how they ended up in their respective careers and the challenges they faced in navigating that path. It is encouraging to hear that careers are often entirely unrelated to majors—many alumni assert that it is the critical awareness and intellectual curiosity they developed at Scripps that prepared them for future success and achievement. ‘Rapport building’ has proven to be extremely valuable and will continue to enrich my networking experiences as I move forward.

Hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend (it seems like so long ago now…) filled with love, and family, and friends (and maybe some productivity?). As the semester whirlwinds to an end, I have found that the to-do lists are taking over my life—my laptop, bulletin board, and desk are a rainbow of sticky notes. Stay afloat, friends! Anyone else have stories they would like to share about jobs they’ve had at Scripps?