My name is Quetzalli Munoz. I am a first-generation college graduate from UC Berkeley. I found out about The LeadersTrust (LT) through UC Berkeley’s Social Welfare department. My interests in social media marketing and nonprofit work led me to apply to The LeadersTrust’s Capacity Strengthening Internship. I felt it was the perfect opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of philanthropy and capacity building, strengthen my skills in marketing and contribute to an organization that is working towards a more equitable and just world. During my time at The LeadersTrust, I was able to achieve these goals and more.

If I had to describe my experience with the program and The LeadersTrust team in one word, it would be special. The consistent effort that the LT team puts into staying connected and in community is what made this experience one of a kind. Some examples include my 1-on-1 introduction calls with each team member to connect and learn about them and their work, the two staff retreats that I had the privilege of being a part of, the in-person time with my team in New York City, and the celebrations and grounding practices during our staff meetings. These examples are only a few that honor the LT commitment to their value of connection and accompaniment. Feeling seen, supported and celebrated is what makes the LT special.

Some major projects that I worked on and felt excited about during my internship include:

• Creating a marketing system and strategy for the LT social media
• Codifying internal processes around project management, grant management, invoicing and role responsibility within the Programs and Operations team
• Collaborating with the programs and communications and operations teams to update the LT website, documents, social media platforms, and the Capacity Coach Resource Center.

Another important aspect of my internship experience was the opportunities for professional and personal growth. In January of this year, my supervisors and I came together to talk about my accomplishments of the previous year—my 2023 Celebrations. This gave me insight on not only my strengths, but areas for growth. Secondly, a part of the Capacity Strengthening Internship includes a Learning Series, where I had the opportunity to connect with professionals in the field through informational interviews and conversations. I did this alongside Arefa Rahman, who is interning with the Support Center. The internship learning series gave me the chance to gain comfortability with networking, and it was even more meaningful that I got to do it with my peer Arefa. Lastly, as an intern I was able to use my professional development stipend for personal coaching with Davian Gagne, consultant and director of the Resource Hub. Together, Davian and I have worked on overcoming imposter syndrome, navigating through the job-hunting process, and thinking about my next steps in my career and education.

Going into this experience, I had no previous knowledge about what capacity building was. Now that I have spent the past year working at The LeadersTrust, I understand the value of this work. This experience taught me the meaning of what “responsive, high touch, long term” capacity-building is. To me this means building a community of support to organizations, their leaders and every individual on their team—a community that knows and can support leaders’ unique needs.  

The LeadersTrust work culture has influenced my future immensely. I’m extremely appreciative for the time at LT, for the team of 12 inspiring individuals who see me. In my future endeavors I hope to find a space that shares the same values as the LT, that practices mindfulness and community, and that works towards building and supporting leaders. I’m leaving inspired, overjoyed and excited about what’s to come. I would like to extend a huge thank you to Katelyn Montalvo and Luigi Fu for organizing an amazing internship and for being my biggest cheerleaders throughout this experience. In the following year I will be dedicating my time in direct service and work towards receiving my MSW degree. I’m excited to apply the skills I’ve built from my internship to the social work field, and I will continue to carry the LeadersTrust team’s wisdom, energy and overall community with me.