Thank you, Katy!

Dear Katy,

I decided to dedicate my final blog post to you because, after all, you are the reason I am here. I am exceptionally grateful for the way you go above and beyond for this program and its participants. Here are just a few things I need to thank you for this summer:

Thank you for knowing me better than I knew myself. It is no secret that you are a huge help when it comes to finding our internship locations. You practically placed me at my internship site, which I had no idea was an option prior to your guidance. Although I wasn’t certain what I was getting myself into, it was truly the perfect place for me. I am extremely grateful you took the time to listen and learn during those first few interactions with me, so that you were able to put me exactly where I needed to be.

Thank you for pushing me out of my comfort zone. Your constant encouragement and support to get out there, meet new people, do new things, and make the most out of our summer was what I needed to capitalize on this experience. As you know, I’m fairly introverted but my fellow Peace Corps interns were impressed by how much I reached out to people, both in the office and outside of it (something I would have been hesitant to do had you not pushed us).

Thank you for teaching me things I had no idea I needed/wanted to know. You make sure that our programming is extremely diverse. Because of that, I went places and met people I could have never forecasted. I learned about a whole world of careers I had no idea existed. You opened doors for me that I know I would have never found myself. I will feel much more competent when I start my job search this fall for you truly versed us well in the potential careers in federal public service.

Thank you for making this summer as easy as possible for me. I could not have survived this summer without your meticulous weekly updates and reminders. Thank you also for responding to every one of my panicked texts!

Thank you for dealing with us. You are now nearing the end of hosting the biggest cohort yet in WAIP history. I’m sure we were a handful & frustrating at times (or most of the time), but you handled us with grace and with the upmost commitment to including us all, which I am extremely grateful for. Thank you for your patience and your individualized attention this summer (which most people on this planet could not have matched).

I’m sure I speak on behalf of the entire WAIP cohort when I say, “Thank you, Katy!” 

With my sincere gratitude,

Erin Yonchak

P.S. Sorry, I don’t have a little John Glenn stress toy to hand to you. This picture will have to do.