Danielle Moore - 2011 Outstanding Co-op Award
Nellie will graduate in 2011 with a Human Services and International Affairs combined degree from the College Social Sciences and Humanities. She completed three co-ops and earned an Outstanding Co-op Award.
She completed the following co-ops:
The following is an excerpt from her nomination paper drafted by Lisa Worsh, Co-op Faculty:
Nellie successfully completed three co-ops, her first at GLAD (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) as the Special Events/Development Intern (sp08), her second at the US Dept of State (in DC) as the Bureau of International Organizations Intern (sp09), and her third internationally in Cambodia at the Harpswell Foundation as a Leadership Resident (fa10). Nellie never seemed phased by any obstacles. She is always uber prepared, diligent, and smart about what she considers. She has positioned herself to learn exactly what she needs to know to move on (and up) in her career.
Nellie’s first co-op with GLAD was her way of contributing to local social change and learning in her first administrative position. At GLAD, she worked 20 hours unpaid and also filled in for paid hours as well. She Coordinated outreach to auction donors and event sponsors, organized and executed a silent auction that raised about $35,000, delegated tasks to new staff, and provided administrative support for human resources and development projects. Nellie was amazed by all that she learned, “I learned to prioritize at co-op in a way that I have never learned as a student. I will bring that skill with me back to the classroom, and I'm sure it will be successful.” The employer saw huge growth, “Nellie has a strong foundation to grow from, …is able to meet changing and challenging deadlines, …is sensitive to the need for special handling of major donors, …(and is) dependable and dedicated to her work…. Her skills are becoming more refined and she is inquisitive."
Nellie prepared with me an entire semester early for her sp09 co-op because she knew she would be doing study abroad in Costa Rica during our normal prep cycle. She did extensive research and applied way before our normal deadlines to be considered for the very competitive US Dept of State co-ops (in DC). She interviewed and landed this job from Costa Rica! This position was also unpaid, but that did not deter Nellie from striving to gain direct experience in human services and international affairs.
As the Bureau of International Organizations Intern, Nellie followed the humanitarian involvement of the UN and other international nongovernmental organizations in Palestinian territories, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. She prepared briefing documents for U.S. officials and responded to members of congress and civil society leaders. She also spent considerable time preparing the U.S. delegates to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction regional and global platforms. While she was there, she received the Distinguished Achievement Award from Assistant Secretary of State Esther Brimmer! Nellie could not believe how much she learned, “I gained an in-depth understanding of UN human rights and humanitarian bodies, of evolving humanitarian situations and of contentious human rights concepts such as Defamation of Religion. Professionally, I learned to avoid the politics of bureaucracy in favor of efficiency….This coop has opened many professional opportunities to me. I have gained a network of contacts throughout the department, Washington DC and New York. In addition, I've learned quite a bit about the possibility of a career in foreign service and the benefits available to Peace Corps alums”. Her employers were amazed that she did not yet have a degree, ”Ms. Moore's performance in our office was consistently exceptional, and we gave her officer-level responsibility on high profile action items that required careful and diligent follow-up. Rarely is an intern given so much responsibility, but Ms. Moore performed with the maturity and conscientiousness of a Foreign Service Officer throughout her six months in our office.”
I thought it would be impossible to compete with her second co-op, but Nellie succeeded. She worked diligently with International co-op and impressed them so much that they hand-picked her for a new co-op position at the Harpswell Foundation in Cambodia. At first Nellie was unsure about the autonomy and freedom this job would bring. It turned out that this was the best thing for her. As a Leadership Resident, Nellie provided mentorship to 50 female university students residing at Harpswell dormitory. She taught ESL, led discussions of national and international events, taught leadership seminars, organized an autobiography project, and did advance planning for a major conference on women's empowerment.
Nellie learned so much (in her own words), “Working at Harpswell offered me an opportunity to use and further develop my project management, teaching and interpersonal skills….more importantly, I've benefited from immersing myself in Cambodian culture and living in the dormitory with a supportive community of women. There is an immense amount of flexibility in the work here and a high degree of initiative necessary which allowed me to really shape the projects I've worked on….This has been a very non-traditional co-op experience, …(it) has allowed me to grow as a professional. I didn’t have any direct supervision … and most of the work (was) self-generated. These things … positively influenced my development.”
Her employer (at Harpswell) would have cloned her if he could, “Nellie Moore is one of the brightest and most effective college students I have ever met. … Nellie is absolutely off the charts in taking initiatives. She sees what needs to be done and does it, whether it is in her job description or not…. she is sensitive to the social and cultural environment….(she) is a self starter. … She is committed to making a positive change in the world. … to empowering women.…. I cannot praise her too highly.”
Nellie sums it all up better than I could, "(co-ops helped me) focus the direction for my career. I learned that I can comfortably work in a developing country long-term, which will be important if I continue to pursue a position in humanitarian affairs.”
In conclusion:
Video from the awards event
Page from the awards booklet
Nellie is also highlighted in the Student Spotlight Section of this website.