Before my summer with Georgetown University’s Fund for American Studies program, I received an email from the program director listing internship possibilities.
To me, most screamed “boredom,” and to many of the new interns, Street Sense may have screamed “scary.” Nevertheless, within an hour or so I had emailed the director with the utter conviction that I had to be at Street Sense.
I’m glad I followed my gut instinct. This street newspaper for the poor and homeless is really where I needed to be. Interning at Street Sense has been nothing less than amazing. There is a warm spirit in the office, set by the three people who run this organization, founder Laura, editor in-chief Mary, and vendor manager Greg. Then there are the volunteers, who inspire me with their service to the poor. And of course, there are the vendors, who create a workplace of animation and insight.
Laura is officially my favorite boss that I have ever had. She is such a strong, smart, fair woman with an enormous heart. I felt honored to be a part of the organization that she created, and it was moving to see how it is thriving.
Mary is like the mom to all the homeless vendors of Street Sense. Her sharp journalism talent paired with her unceasing patience and sense of humor made Street Sense both grounds for improving my own craft, but also a place of personal growth and comfort.
Greg, often forced to play the enforcer, always set structure because of his deep-rooted care for Street Sense. Often he would ask me, “Is there anything here you see room for improvement?” He was always open and greatly wanted to do the best job possible.
Perhaps one thing I will miss most is all the characters that found hope and purpose here at Street Sense. One vendor, Lester, was one my favorites. Here was a man who has struggled with alcoholism and homelessness, but who had been sober for six months when I met him and had started writing wonderful poetry for Street Sense. You could see life in his eyes.
Then there was Reggie, a young homeless vendor who contributes his passion and creativity to the paper in areas including graphic design and leading the writer’s group. His daily presence was such a pleasure. I was so glad to have him as my peer. Reggie gives every intern a superhero nickname, and mine was Rogue, after the X-Men heroine who had the gift and curse of a magical touch.
I constantly took pictures at the office and one of my favorites pictures is us clowning around in the office, with Reggie very theatrically having his life sucked out by my touch. It sums up our relationship; fun, but most importantly equal.
Perhaps the biggest thing I have taken away from Street Sense is the realization that we are all equal and worthy, regardless of whether or not we boast of a home. The vendors who walked into the Street Sense office were people who were striving for something better. Many were extremely bright, often very talented. Most knew more about politics and social issues than I do. I’ve been blessed with the gift of humility, and the awareness that more often than not, you cannot judge a person’s place in life. We all have our obstacles; possibly because God knows we can handle them, face the difficulty of providing for ourselves and the hindrances stack greatly against us.
Anyhow, throughout the summer it felt good contributing to a product that was being sold to put food in vendors’ stomachs, eventually roofs over their heads and, ultimately, hope for their hearts.
