Dear Aaron,
Thank you so much for welcoming me to the Atlanta Rescue Dog Cafe team this summer. I am so grateful for every opportunity I have been given and for your continuous support throughout the internship. You have taught me so much about non-profit operations, marketing, fundraising, grant writing, the power of education, and the need for an organization like ARDC. I will use all of the skills I have gained from this internship in college and beyond in my career.
I am especially appreciative of the time you spent making this experience meaningful. Our bi-weekly, hour-long calls made this remote internship feel as interactive as possible. As the organization’s founder and CEO, you already had so many responsibilities this summer, so it means a great deal to me that you took the time to plan out readings, podcasts, weekly assignments, and reflection prompts to complete. I immensely enjoyed all of these assignments and our discussions surrounding them. Additionally, your interest in my personal and professional growth made me feel very supported. It was such a pleasure to get to learn about your career path and those of the board members.
Thank you for including me in ARDC Zoom programs, such as the Westminster Schools leadership class. It was wonderful to see how your mission impacts people and your resiliency in making the organization present in this new virtual-based world. ARDC has such a unique and critical message to share and I am confident that it will become widely known on a national level.
I hope to emulate your kindness, work ethic, and altruistic spirit in my career and adult life. You are an exceptional role model and I am so thankful that I got to work with you this summer. I will forever be impacted by your mentorship and this incredible internship experience.
Best,
Jackie Jaffe
This letter was written to my supervisor, Aaron Fisher, who is the founder and CEO of Atlanta Rescue Dog Cafe. I owe my wonderful DukeEngage experience to Aaron, the dedicated DukeEngage staff, my peers in my reflection group, and the members of the Atlanta community and beyond that I virtually interacted with. It has been a privilege to work alongside and learn from such amazing people.