Internship Spotlight: Cassandra Izquierdo – Active Minds, Inc.

Name: Cassandra Izquierdo
Graduation Date: May 2025
Name of Organization: Active Minds, Inc.
Location: Washington, D.C. (remotely)
Title: Development Operations Intern

Summary of Responsibilities:
As the development operations intern, I was responsible for donor outreach and prospect searching, editing donor acknowledgment letters, collaborating on projects with other development and programs teams, and ensuring the data reported was correct.

Favorite Aspect of Internship:
My favorite aspect of this internship was prospective donor research. I enjoyed learning more about how an organization finds potential donors with similar interests to our mission and goals.

Career Goals:
I would like to be part of the community outreach and development team of a nonprofit organization whose mission is cancer research and awareness. In the future, I would like to run my nonprofit organization, which focuses on childhood cancer awareness and research!

How did the service-learning course help you navigate your internship responsibilities?
The service-learning course helped me navigate my internship responsibilities by allowing me to share my internship experience with my classmates. It allowed me to keep track of my growth and held me accountable for reaching my goals every week. This course also provided me with many opportunities to discuss any doubts about my internship position and learn to be comfortable asking for help.

What kind of skills did you learn during this internship?
During my internship, I learned about how a nonprofit organization maintains a relationship with its donors. I also learned how to conduct research and present my findings in meetings. I had never conducted research before in a professional setting, and I was uncomfortable with public speaking, so this internship gave me the opportunity to lead a presentation and a meeting.

Has your mentoring part of the internship been helpful in navigating your career goals?
Yes, definitely! The mentoring I received from my supervisor and through others in my team helped me throughout my time at Active Minds. Their ongoing support gave me confidence in what I was doing and helped me strengthen any skills necessary for my future career in nonprofit development.