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We were so lucky to have such amazing interns from a variety of high schools and colleges this summer. These dedicated young achievers worked with Compass staff members in the Compass Family Shelter, Development team and Policy team to further our mission to end family homelessness in San Francisco. We are so grateful for their support and dedication to the homeless and at-risk families we serve and are excited to see what they will achieve in the future!
Read more about their accomplishments during their time at Compass Family Services below.
Keishi Foecke
Hi everyone! My name is Keishi (pronounced Kay-shee). I’m an incoming senior at Washington University in St. Louis where I’m studying Anthropology and American Culture Studies, but I’m a Bay Area native and went to high school just a few blocks from Compass’s 37 Grove Street office. I’m also beginning my Master of Public Health degree this fall, and am particularly interested in the intersection of health and homelessness. For fun, I love to play soccer, read, hike, and (in non-COVID times) explore the Bay’s food and coffee scenes.
During my internship with Compass, I split my time working at Compass Family Shelter and supporting the Development team with grant research and writing. I helped enroll a number of children at the Family Shelter in summer camps, as well as provided summer enrichment activities for those who were not attending camps. With the Development team, I helped create grant FAQs that make the answers to common grant questions easily accessible, did some research on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on family homelessness in San Francisco, and helped build out the 2021 fiscal year grant calendar. I especially appreciated the opportunity to work with two different yet equally incredible teams, getting a clearer sense of the behind-the-scenes of a nonprofit from both the direct service and administrative perspectives. My internship at Compass taught me so much about the various collaborations that occur to holistically support unhoused families, as well as about the landscape of nonprofit and governmental stakeholders who are working together to end homelessness in San Francisco.
Luis Flores
Hello, my name is Luis Flores and I live in Los Angeles. I am a rising senior (and proud first generation student!) at Dartmouth College majoring in Latin American Studies. In my free time, I enjoy reading, keeping up with baseball, and learning new things.
During my time at Compass, I had the opportunity to learn about the scale of family homelessness and research the primary drivers leaving families without a safe and stable home. In doing so, I increased my understanding of the necessary collaboration required between community-based organizations and government. Working alongside the highly motivated Compass staff for ten weeks has been a transformative experience that has further enforced my passion for tackling socioeconomic inequalities. Thank you, Compass, for having me aboard!
Pulkit Nagpal
Hello, everyone! My name is Pulkit Nagpal and I am a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College. I currently live in Connecticut, but have spent years in India, the Cleveland area, and Puerto Rico. My interests are diverse and along the lines of economics, computer science, and medicine, but I am not too sure what I want to do yet; nevertheless, I have a passion for service and am involved with my school’s center for social impact as a mentor to high school students at under-resourced high schools, a non-profit consulting project participant, and a spring break service trip member to Puerto Rico. Outside of this, I can be seen playing basketball, making origami, or attending events around campus.
This summer, I interned with the Development team, working on webpage edits, website data tracking, and iWave, a donor platform. To do this work to the best of my ability, I first learned new marketing strategies from a textbook and online resources and invested time into understanding the scope of homelessness in San Francisco through any kind of media I could access: webinars hosted by the SF Chronicle, presentations from non-profit staff, and Evicted, a study by Matthew Desmond following eight tenants’ struggle with homelessness in Milwaukee. Once I had established context, I had tremendous support from the staff in the Development team and met regularly with Abbey Leonard, my supervisor, as I did my work. I spent most of my time on SquareSpace, Canva, and Google Analytics trying to optimize web content, aesthetic, flow, and structure; I even learned some CSS coding on the side. Despite a virtual experience, I felt very connected to Compass and had the amazing opportunity to sit in many kinds of meetings and received a one-week tour of Compass’ programs. All of that really made me appreciate how a non-profit functions as well as how the mission of one remains the same despite the circumstance.
Isleen Justo
Hello, my name is Isleen Justo. I live in San Francisco and will be a senior at Mercy High School Burlingame this fall. I love to paint, read, binge watch Netflix, and spend time with my family. A fun fact about me is that I have a twin sister.
This summer was very different, given the circumstances of the pandemic. I had the opportunity to intern “virtually” at Compass Family Services. My supervisor, Karin, was extremely welcoming and east to talk to and answered any questions I had. I worked closely with her on the Phone-a-Friend project, which provided Compass children with a teenage buddy to talk to during these tough times where they are missing their friends. Calling the families and volunteers, I learned to keep all of their information organized and I stepped out of my comfort zone by calling strangers on the phone. I spent time reorganizing spreadsheets with the participants’ information to make it easier for my supervisor and anyone else to read. Attending weekly team development meetings, I saw how the Compass staff worked together to problem-solve and to update each other on recent events.
Besides working on the Phone-a-Friend program, I had to come up with a list of school supplies that kids might need for remote back-to-school, and researched different kinds of headphones they could give to their kids. I went on a virtual passport tour, where each day for a week other interns, new employees, and I joined Zoom called where we learned about one or two of the nine programs that Compass offers through the program directors. I was extremely inspired by the dedication and work done by the Compass staff to serve their clients.