A native Bostonian, Vivian Izuchi is a mother of three daughters and comes to USES with a Master of Arts in Teaching from Simmons College. Vivian has worked as both a Program Manager at an Out-of-School Time (OST) Program at an elementary school in Dorchester and then as the Director of another OST Program at a church in Roxbury.
The Timothy Smith Network shared job descriptions with Vivian for various internship opportunities after she completed their On-Line Learning Readiness (OLLR) Program. Vivian identified with the opportunity offered at USES in the Development Office, namely those focusing on database management, an area of skills she felt she needed to strengthen. Being familiar with USES for a long time but never truly knowing what it is we do, a combination of curiosity and drive for self-improvement led Vivian to our agency.
Vivian recognizes that the Development Office is a "key element" to the work that USES does. She feels a great sense of value in the work that she does at USES - including maintaining and managing our fundraising database and processing donations. In her experience, Vivian had not worked at an agency that had an actual Development Office, and she is able to see how important this department is to the advancement of USES.
Vivian knows that these skills in managing databases are universal and that she will carry them with her wherever she goes in her career. She is also looking forwarding to learning more about grant writing and becoming more comfortable with the fundraising database.
Best of all, she has a sense of personal fulfillment in working for USES as an intern:
"USES has a reputation for doing a lot of good, and now I'm in a position where I can do something myself. I get to see and be a part of the good that USES does. I know that, because of the size of the organization, having another set of hands helps a lot, so I am just happy to do anything I can to assist."
Vivian has found that USES is a warm place to work. "The people are friendly!", she says. "It's interesting because I've worked in places where the environment was more formal, more business-oriented, and I've worked in places that are more casual. This place is a bit of both: it never feels too rigid, but people are always focused on their work and getting it done." She says she did not know what to expect with working in the Development Office, but she does enjoy it.
We at USES are thrilled that Vivian is enjoying the work she does and is learning so much, and we eagerly look forward to working with her over the next few months of her internship!
