The beginning of the fellowship is always stressful and exciting for all fellows. Changing a job is hard, moving to another part of the world to change everything is twice harder! Check how new fellows from Class 36 adapt to a new place, and what they already learned during the first two weeks in the US.
How to join a host organization?
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Name: Wissal Khadrouf
Hometown: Casablanca, Morocco Host Organisation: Microsoft Role at Organization: Program Manager Fellow Social Issue: Youth Development |
“Last year if you told me I would be serving at Microsoft Redmond, WA. I would probably laugh at you. And yet here I am, spending my second week in Microsoft Headquarters. “, — wrote Wissal Khadrouf in her first blog post.
Follow the link to learn more about Wissal’s role at Microsoft and her first impressions of the organization.
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Name: Meriem Touami
Hometown: Algiers, Algeria Host Organisation: BoodleAI Role at Organization: Business Analyst Fellow Social Issue: Women and Youth Empowerment |
“I am serving at BoodleAI as a Business Analyst, an IT startup passionate about working with nonprofits and tech empowerment. A great opportunity for a geek and a curious one like me!”, — said Meriem Touami.
Would you like to know what Meriem is doing at BoodleAI and how she adapts to all new challenges in the US? Check her blog post!
How to improve your professional skills and to open new horizons?
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Name: Busayomi Sotunde
Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria Host Organisation: Transparency and Accountability Initiative (TAI) Role at Organization: Communications FellowSocial Issue: Rural development |
“While staying at U street hostel, I saw Meriem and Wissal, other fellows from Class 36, designing their country presentations. I loved the aesthetic design of their presentation and I blurted out that “I am definitely adding learning and sharpening my design skills to my list of goals in the US”. I want to learn how to make beautiful power-point presentations that rock!” — thought Busayomi Sotunde on the first week of the fellowship.
Learn how Busayomi improves her skills in graphic design with the help of her Host Organization by checking the link.
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Name: Azza Nadir
Hometown: Khartoum, Sudan Host Organisation: YLabs Role at Organization: Talent & Ops Fellow Social Issue: Mental health |
Sometimes you do not realize the challenges you’ll face in the new place. As Azza Nadir said, “In San Francisco, I discovered that I’m not technologically or geography challenged as I managed to go to my host organization office on my own without getting lost, it was a proud moment for me.”.
To learn more about Azza’s first impressions of the fellowship, read her blog post!
Tips for everyone who are going to move to the US!
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Name: Karam Yaaqba
Hometown: Ramallah, Palestinian Territories Host Organisation: Microsoft Role at Organization: Cloud Solution Architect Fellow Social Issue: Refugee/Humanitarian Relief |
“Life ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, it is a very mean and nasty place”, that is not me, it is Rocky Balboa speaking. DO NOT get me wrong, you will enjoy your journey, and you will have several people around you in the good and bad. However, you will (or say may) feel bad, especially at the beginning of your journey. I am here to help you through this.” — wrote Karam Yaaqba for the Atlas Corps blog.
Learn how Karam survived in Seattle by checking his blog post.
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Name: Becky Makhuwira
Hometown: Blantyre, Malawi Host Organisation: BronxWorks Role at Organization: Retention Specialist Fellow Social Issue: Gender |
“I commonly used the word “adaptation” when I worked in an Agricultural project that had to do with adapting to climate change back in 2017. Little did I find the meaning of this word to personal life rather than what it meant for project participants until my first two weeks of Atlas Corps Fellowship.” — said Becky Makhuwira about the fist days in the US.
Would you like to know what lessons Becky learned from the first two weeks of the fellowship? Please follow the link.
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Name: Julia Allayarova
Hometown: Chelyabinsk, Russia Host Organisation: Global Communities Role at Organization: Communications and Public Affairs Fellow Social Issue: Girls education and empowerment |
“I’m from Russia and I feel comfortable when it’s cold. On the contrary, anything more than 23 C is killing me. So I have had to manage it as, unfortunately, winter is not coming in the foreseeable future and Washington has recently been too hot to survive.” — shared Julia in the blog post.
And finally, useful tips from Julia Allayarova, how to survive the extreme heat using a sweater in her blog post.
