End of an Era

If you ever wondered who has been assembling these newsletters for the past few months, that would be me!

Hi JPB Friends and Family,

My name is Carolyn Diaz and I’ve had the pleasure of serving as JPB’s Program Assistant since mid-September. A junior International Relations and Global Studies major at the University of Texas at Austin, having this opportunity with JPB has not only been rewarding, but also incredibly insightful. It was through the non-profit organization SecondDay that I found out about this position, and I’m grateful to have been both selected to join the amazing team and have access to professional development opportunities by being an Impact Fellow.

As someone who stemmed from a communications dominated background, my time with JPB helped me bridge a gap to utilize my skills for other not-so communication purposes: writing guides, assisting with programming preparation, and organizing administrative data. For this, I am thankful for the experience as I know it will help me in my later academic and professional career, where I am aiming to pursue a career in international development - specifically focused on education. Not only did JPB help advance my skill set, but it was informing to see first-hand how non-profits run. What was especially amazing to witness, however, was despite how small the JPB team is, their passion and commitment is what makes the organization bigger and better every year. I am so excited to see the additions the organization will be tackling in these next years ahead.

As I come to the end of my farewell letter, I want to give a big thank you to Father Nicholas for inviting me to join the team again this past semester, Deacon Jack for being my supervisor, and to Sarah and Zak for always being supportive and encouraging.

I’m so ecstatic to take what I have learned from my internship and apply it to future opportunities near and afar. I will always be immensely grateful to have been taken under JPB’s wing, as I know it has opened more doors for me and will continue to do so down the line.

I especially hope that after reading my letter, you feel encouraged to donate to JPB. The organization strives everyday to promote interfaith and peace work, and I can’t think of a more perfect team to carry out its mission.

Because the Future of Jerusalem is the Future of the World.

Carolyn