I felt perfectly equipped to deliver coffees. Not much more. As I looked around the conference table at the dozen MBA students, I was pretty sure I was in the wrong place.I had expected a more traditional internship at a social impact startup. Somehow, my summer experience with Inspiring Capital became something quite dramatically different.

When I found out that I would be working remotely this summer, my first thought was, “excellent, now I can work from home and wear pajamas every day.” My second thought was, “Why would I move 400 miles south to sit at my computer by myself?” I quickly realized I was wrong about both of these points.

With diverse career experience across sector and industry, Nancy wanted to be sure that her transition from corporate to social purpose work was a deliberate and well-aligned next step. To do this, she needed support in learning about the array of options in this new sector, and determining the type of organization and role that would be the best fit. Finally, she needed more information to figure out how to package and communicate how the contributions she made in the corporate sector could benefit a purpose-driven organization.

When Stephanie's family relocated to the NY metro area, the first challenge she faced was trying to tap into a network that could offer her the chance to connect with organizations whose needs were a mutual fit for her skill set. The second challenge was finding the flexibility she required to develop relationships with multiple organizations before committing to a full time position. Stephanie came to Inspiring Capital's Re-Inspiration Program in search of a network and a job seeking platform, and after completing the training sessions, she took on a consulting project with one of IC's nonprofit clients, leveraging her previous work experience toward a 6-week market assessment for them.

On the first day of orientation at Columbia Business School, our Dean delivered a speech that I am sure is approximately the same speech rattled off at Business Schools around the country.  Step 1) Inflate the incoming students’ egos: “best and brightest” references abound. Step 2) Convince new students that [insert school] has the best resources and network in the world. Step 3) Pull the two together and end with a charge like “you are the future leaders of business,  now go change the world.”     

My reasons for returning to school to pursue my MBA from the Kellogg School of Management are myriad, but my ultimate motivation was to build the skills and relationships necessary to have a more impactful career working within the social change space.