Rachel Grich | KIPP Public Charter Schools

“This internship was everything I had hoped. KIPP DC is doing amazing things for kids by improving educational outcomes and I am grateful I had an opportunity to advance in their work. It is experiences like these that re-affirm my decision to return to school.”

I worked in management consulting for four years. It paid well and I gained a useful skillset, but I wanted to find a career where I could use this skillset to help people. So, I decided to dive headfirst into an MBA and an MPP at Georgetown and leave consulting behind. I was nervous to leave a well-paying job to come back to school. With a strong interest in education and community development, I knew it was possible that I could make less money in an internship or even in my full-time job than I did prior to starting grad school. However, what I did not expect was that I may not be able to cover my expenses with a graduate level summer internship.

But this was the reality I was facing last April when I was offered a low-paying internship working in Finance at KIPP DC. With a network of 19 public charter schools in DC, KIPP focuses on providing children in low income communities with the tools and high quality education necessary to graduate high school and improve their economic mobility.

Without the opportunity to apply for SIIF funding, I might not have been able to accept this internship. Thus, I am so grateful for SIIF donors because I was able to make a real difference this summer, for the almost 7,000 children KIPP serves. For 10 weeks this summer, I worked with a smart, diverse, passionate and friendly team. I applied the skills I had gained in both my MBA and MPP degrees, as well as in my prior to career to further KIPP’s mission. In one summer, I examined internal financial processes, such as credit card usage and established standards that will make it easier for teachers and principals to do their jobs. I designed a financial model with alumni projections and future college scholarship needs that can be used to create an endowment to ensure KIPP can meet its high school graduates’ financial needs for college. I researched best practices for creating budgets and designed an internal budget book to increase transparency throughout the organization.

And I learned, A LOT. I learned about school budgeting, debt structures, investment policies, non-profit organization structures, and ways to achieve operational efficiencies. This internship was everything I had hoped. KIPP DC is doing amazing things for kids by improving educational outcomes and I am grateful I had an opportunity to advance in their work. It is experiences like these that re-affirm my decision to return to school.