This semester, I had the opportunity to serve as a Development Intern for We Create Tech, an organization committed to expanding access to technology education and career pathways for students who are historically underrepresented in the tech industry. From the start, this role challenged me to think beyond surface-level engagement and instead focus on how strategy, storytelling, and infrastructure come together to create lasting impact.
A core component of my internship involved weekly meetings with Shana Sanders, where we worked collaboratively to assess We Create Tech’s evolving needs and long-term goals. These meetings served as both strategic planning sessions and valuable learning experiences. Together, we discussed program offerings such as TechRise, CreativeTech, and the CreativLab, examined gaps in engagement with high school communities, and evaluated the organization’s current funding landscape. Through these conversations, I gained insight into how nonprofit organizations balance mission-driven work with the realities of sustainability, donor engagement, and growth.
One of my primary responsibilities this semester was contributing to the development of We Create Tech’s website, with a focus on making it more marketable, engaging, and aligned with the organization’s mission. This work required me to think intentionally about how different audiences - students, families, advisors, donors, and sponsors - interact with the site. I worked to improve the site’s structure, messaging, and calls to action so visitors could clearly understand We Create Tech’s impact and see tangible ways to get involved.
A major deliverable I led was the creation of a brand-new, dedicated donation page for the We Create Tech website. As our discussions highlighted the organization’s limited donor base, it became clear that the existing setup did not fully support sustained fundraising efforts. Using insights from our weekly meetings, I helped design a donation page that clearly communicated where contributions would go, why support is essential, and how donors, particularly tech professionals, could make a meaningful difference. This included highlighting opportunities such as employee matching, recurring payroll contributions, and sponsorship support that align with how professionals in the tech industry often give.
Beyond the donation page, I contributed to broader conversations around fundraising campaigns and outreach strategy. We explored ideas such as targeted campaigns for tech professionals, digital billboards, LinkedIn engagement, and multi-touchpoint awareness efforts designed to meet supporters where they already are. These discussions reinforced the importance of clear, audience-specific messaging and showed me how thoughtful branding and outreach can significantly increase an organization’s visibility and effectiveness.
This experience was especially meaningful to me because my commitment to nonprofit work began long before this internship. For five years, I was deeply involved with C5 Georgia, an organization dedicated to empowering under-resourced students through leadership development, mentorship, and long-term academic support. Through C5, I experienced firsthand how transformative access, consistency, and belief can be in a young person’s life. I was not just a participant, but someone who grew within a system that invested in my potential and helped shape my path forward.
That background fundamentally influenced how I approached my work at We Create Tech. I understood that behind every program, every metric, and every funding conversation are real students whose lives can be changed by the opportunities an organization provides. Because I once stood in the same position as many of the students We Create Tech aims to serve, the work felt deeply personal. I was not simply developing a website or creating a donation page, I was helping strengthen the infrastructure that makes those opportunities possible.
Working with We Create Tech felt like a full-circle moment. I could see reflections of my own journey in the students we seek to reach: curious, motivated, and capable, yet in need of exposure and support to unlock their full potential. Having benefited from nonprofit investment myself, I felt a strong responsibility to ensure that We Create Tech is positioned to continue providing life-changing opportunities for others. Every strategic decision we made, from how we framed messaging to how we structured calls to action, was grounded in the understanding that sustainability is what allows impact to endure.
Being part of We Create Tech this semester reaffirmed my belief in the power of mission-driven organizations to open doors, close opportunity gaps, and shape futures, particularly in a field as pivotal as technology. I am incredibly grateful to have contributed to an organization that is actively investing in the next generation of technologists, especially students who are standing at the same crossroads I once faced. This experience strengthened not only my professional skill set, but also my long-standing commitment to giving back to the communities and systems that empower young people to envision, and build, a future they may not yet see for themselves.
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.