Intern Spotlight: Dani Hanson

Dani Hanson is a Sacramento, California native and rising sophomore at the University of Chicago, through which she is participating in a summer internship with Embrace Living Communities (ELC), assisting them in grant research and writing.

When looking for a summer internship, Dani prioritized research roles and found ELC through a job and internship board her school uses called Handshake. The summer internship is part of the University of Chicago’s Jeff Metcalf Internship Program. The Metcalf Program places UChicago students in internships with many different types of employers, including nonprofits and mission-driven organizations – something that excited Dani.

“I’ve worked with nonprofits before, but this is the first formal role I’ve been a part of that was geared toward a community focus,” says Dani. “I’m definitely interested in positions where I know I’m making a positive impact in a community.”

“The goal of our Metcalf Internship program is to empower students to launch successful careers and provide a unique opportunity for partner organizations to connect with the talent and resources of the University,” says Bethany Malzman, Assistant Director of Careers in Policy & Social Impact at the University of Chicago’s Office of Career Advancement. “Some key benefits of these impactful internships, such as ELC’s summer internship program, are to enhance students’ critical skill sets, provide industry exposure and network and support students’ career exploration and development.”

Dani has been able to do all these things over the course of the summer as she’s been given the opportunity to own a project where she interviews both residents and Social Service Coordinators to better understand their needs when looking and applying for grants. Right now, she’s primarily looking for in-kind donations for adult hygiene and healthcare kits because that’s a need in the communities.

“Having an intern committed to helping staff understand resident needs when applying for grants makes a difference,” says Ralph Gaines, Embrace Living CEO. “Dani’s work will allow us to more intentionally seek out the types of grants that will make the biggest impact in our residents’ lives. We are grateful to her and the University of Chicago for partnering with us to make this happen.”

The interviews are facilitated over Microsoft Teams so Dani can talk to residents from multiple communities. During these interviews, she asks interviewees about what programs they’ve liked, what they want to see more of, issues that need to be addressed and things they need better access to. She also asks Social Service Coordinators what has had the biggest impact on resident well-being from their perspective.

“The interviews have been the most eye-opening part of this experience so far,” says Dani. “I’ve learned about society-wide issues that younger people don’t always understand. When you sit down and hear these residents say, ‘I’ve lived here for 13 years and this is what I need,’ it’s a no-brainer that they should have that. It’s put me in my place in a good way, and I’m here to help and work alongside their needs.”

It’s experiences like Dani’s that have encouraged the University of Chicago to continue building a partnership with ELC.

“There are many opportunities for partner organizations to engage with students, such as through informational sessions, job shadowing, career fairs and site visits, and we look forward to growing our engagement with Embrace Living,” says Bethany.

“There’s a lot of bad going on in the world, but the sheer amount of institutions and organizations geared toward giving out grants and donations, specifically toward supporting older communities, is heartwarming to see,” says Dani. “The whole summer internship has been amazing. I’ve been shown so much hospitality and kindness from the Coordinators, residents and people on the team I work with daily. There is so much support in how they treat other people and love for what they do.”

Are you a school interested in partnering with ELC to provide your students internship and volunteer opportunities? Contact Alina Serban to learn more information.