This semester, I was given the opportunity to serve as a Social Impact Fellow with Orchard in partnership with the Georgia Tech Institute for Leadership and Social Impact. Orchard is a non-profit organization based in faith that supports other non-profit organizations through consulting, programs, and additional learning material. Being a Christian and wanting to find more ways to serve my community, I found that Orchard was the perfect fit for me.
A quote on their website that stood out in particular to me was on their front page, which reads
“We exist to see a world where Christ is known by the actions of His followers.”
Being a mechanical engineering major, I have had times when it feels as though I am not doing enough to show my identity in Christ. However, being a part of Orchard helped to show me the impact I could have as a Christ follower even though I wasn’t in a theological field. It was so encouraging to learn about such a diverse range of non-profit organizations that put their faith at the center of their businesses, despite being in a field that had seemingly nothing to do with religion. From barber shops to scholarship foundations, these organizations and their commitment to faith lead me to think more about how I could incorporate what mattered most to me, my faith, into my career plans and future.
As a Social Impact Fellow I was able to help with a variety of projects, and I was able to be very involved even with most of my work being remote. I began with helping make short form content, something I have experience with as a result of being on the promotional teams of multiple campus organizations. This experience gave me the opportunity to learn about the content Orchard makes, and by cutting down these information-rich videos, I was able to make it more accessible to those whose may not know Orchard but come across their social media page. I was then given the opportunity to take a deep dive into the content each organization with Orchard goes through, which are in the form of booklets. In the process of editing, I was able to learn as if I were an Orchard partner. I was able to learn so many valuable lessons even as an individual without a nonprofit organization on relevant topics like how to be a leader, how to manage finances properly, and how to ensure a work-life balance in stressful situations. Outside of content creation/editing, I was also able to help suggest ideas for merchandise and be a part of the test run/demo of Orchard’s soon to be released app.
I have had such a great experience as a Social Impact Fellow and am excited to be returning to Orchard again in the Spring. There are many new and continued projects I look forward to working on, and I hope to continue to serve my community and learn about more organizations around me, all while keeping Christ and my faith at the center of it.
This reflection is part of Georgia Tech’s Social Impact Fellows program, offered through the Institute for Leadership and Social Impact (ILSI). This program connects students with nonprofit and community organizations in Atlanta for semester-long, hands-on project experiences designed to foster co-learning, social responsibility, and personal growth. To learn more about program details and application information, please visit our program webpage.