I have always defined my success through my work as an individual. Even when I was a soldier, I never considered a day successful unless I was able to have an impact in a productive way. Defining success through this internship will be very different. For one, I cannot do anything alone. That has become very clear. Whether it is a city special event or a Parks & Recreation volunteer project it takes a team to pull anything off.

Secondly, the way success will be determined will also be different. Personally, I think we will be successful when I can run a special event and a volunteer project on my own. So far I am only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding what it takes to run a special event and how much work goes into volunteer recruitment.

So far, I am enjoying the position. I am learning new names and trying my best to remember them. On the special event side, I am in charge of handling the preparations for the Nez Perce Chief Redheart Ceremony. I can’t wait until the day of the ceremony to see how all the puzzles fit together. For Parks & Recreation Volunteer recruitment, I am running my first youth service day this month. We are calling it #vancouvervolunTEEN. I have the first project picked and planned; next comes the recruitment part. Following that, Earth Day is coming up so we will do something fun for that and of course the summer concerts and movies are just around the corner, so preparation for those events have officially begun.  Plenty of opportunities for success!