Austin Pellizzer
Internship placement: Jewish Education through Torah (JET)
Personal Statement
Hello all, my name is Austin Pellizzer. I am a third year Political Science major at Carleton University. This year I am so privileged to be an intern though the DFL program for the second year in a row. I am happy to have a position at JET (Jewish Education through Torah) Ottawa as the office intern. I look forward to being able to broaden my skills within the office, strengthen my time management skills and network with individuals and professionals around me. Much like last year though the Developing Future Leaders Program I was able to not just work on my academic and work characteristics, but also that I am able to create lasting friendships that carries over to my other extra curricular activities that I am also a part of in the Carleton community. Along with the internship position I hold, I also sit on the Carleton, University of Ottawa and Algonquin Collage Israel on Campus group, which teaches, engages and broadens the knowledge of what Israel has to offer nationally and Internationally. Though my DFL placement, I hope to use the skills I have acquired for a second year to teach students, friends and colleagues around me just how special Israel is not just personally, but how special it is to the rest of the world.
Blog #2
March 22, 2019
As my second year of participating in the Developing Future Leaders Program wraps up, I am able to genuinely reflect on the amazing experiences and opportunity that my internship organization Jewish Education Through Torah (JET) has been able to provide. With this being said I am also able to largely reflect on the amazing partnerships, connections and special skills I have been able to acquire throughout both the DFL session and the organizational work of my agency.
Firstly I believe, one of the most important aspects I was able to contribute to was the over all functions and everyday impact that my agency provides for the Ottawa Jewish Community. I am truly happy to have been able to make such a big impact on a variety of tasks as well as being able to experience, learn and grow from all types of situations I was exposed to. Furthermore, I would definitely have to say the most memorable experience I was able to have at JET was one of the biggest days for the not-for profit organization which was the packing and volunteer day at the Ottawa Torah Day School in which almost one hundred men, women and children came by throughout the day and helped pack, sort, and organize the Purim baskets that JET sends out for Purim each year. While this is also one of the most important and significant tasks out of the whole process (in my opinion), what really struck me was the way in which strangers from all across the city come to volunteer their time on a weekend to such a great project. This demonstrated to me that all the work I was able to contribute to over the days, weeks and months of long hours and sometimes stressful tasks finally made sense to me. With being able to learn better time management, communication skills and team work, the biggest gift I was truly able to learn was that my actions in any professional environment and community is able to make the lives of people around me so much happier, healthier and more productive. If this is not enough for a person to see how important programs like the Developing Future Leaders Internship is, I must add that while this day was truly special and remarkable, being able to deliver the packages and seeing the smiles and appreciation on people’s faces for the time, effort and love each basket holds is honestly enough for a person like me to be moved to tears.
Secondly, on a similar light hearted note, with being able to have such an amazing and positive impact and feeling from the agency I have been able to learn so much from, I equally believe that the in-class workshops for the DFL was just as meaningful. Being surrounded by intelligent, kind and diverse backgrounds my fellow interns come from has been able to show me that leaders come in a variety of ways, styles and leadership rolls I never knew existed. With the mixture of young influential Jewish leaders and the amazing projects we were able to work on such as event planning, brain storming, hearing from speakers who truly make a positive impact in the Ottawa Jewish community, I can firmly say each and every student who has been privileged to be part of this special program has come out a better and changed person much like myself.
With being able to look at both aspects of the agency and the roll the DFL Program has been able to play in my over all experience and professional career, the people who have made this happen are one of the most influential and inspiring individuals I have been able to encounter in my two years. First and foremost I would like to thank the key faces of the DFL Program who made my two years an amazing part of my University experience. Most notably Cindi Resnick, Professor Deidre Butler, and Carolyn Bickerton. These three amazing and inspirational women have given each and every student who has come through the program tools, knowledge, wisdom and love that they not only show for us but the whole Developing Future Leaders Program, without them none of my experiences would have happened and as a result I am forever grateful. Furthermore, I would like to sincerely thank the Jewish Education Through Torah Team for giving me the chance to help expand, create and learn new and exciting things. You all have shown me that one’s love for a community is at the heart of the work each and every one of you provide. For this, I am so appreciative, thankful and inspired. Lastly, but certainly not least I would also like to thank the Limmud Ottawa team who I was lucky enough to work with last year. You all show such care, love and passion for each and every task and I aspire to be able to carry these qualities with everything I do in the future. With being able to reflect on my experiences this year and the people who have helped me along the way, the final thought I would like to address would be how this will all be used in the future.
By having two years of this amazing experience to be able to help me in my future endeavours, I hope that the skills and knowledge I have obtained will be able to reflect a more mature, strong and passionate leader. As the summer nears and school is coming to its last couple of weeks, one of the most exciting ways I will be able to make a positive impact, change lives and be a leader is a very special opportunity I am able to take part in. I will be embarking on a six week journey to Oradea, Romania to teach English and about the Canadian culture. If one was to ask me if this was something I would be doing over my summer I would think they are crazy. However, it is with the critical skills, characteristics, insights, and confidence that the Developing Future Leaders Program at Carleton University has shown me, it is that the tasks and jobs I thought would be impossible to comprehend are now becoming a reality. For this, I am truly grateful.
Blog #1
Fall 2018
My name is Austin Pellizzer, a senior Developing Future Leader intern at Carleton University. This year I have the pleasure to work at JET Ottawa which has given me an amazing, inspirational and dynamic work environment that has been able to open new doors for my professional career and my inner-personal education. With being exposed to the Jewish community in a way I have not been able to experience before it has shown me the behind the scenes of how Jewish educational organizations are able to run and reach out to the communities around them. That is why I was pleased to choose and continue to be dedicated to the team at JET Ottawa.
The way I personally believe that JET Ottawa has been a special and unique internship placement would be by giving me a variety of jobs that are able to show the positive impact I am making. JET has been able to provide a great support and growing of my time management, organizational skills and networking that are essential to have at this organization as a whole. However, all this is only able to happen through the Developing Future Leaders program.
The DFL program shows how special this University program is by shaping and creating the new generation of leaders in many fields such as politics, education and healthcare. It is also through the DFL seminars which are part of our 100 hour requirement for the year that we individually are able to learn new skills and how to best apply them. With being taught new ideas, strategies and ways to utilize these thoughts, we have been able to also hear from a number of organizations within the Ottawa Jewish community that make positive impacts daily. Some of which include the Tamir Foundation which assist and run programs for people with developmental disabilities. Another organization would be The Ottawa Kosher Food Bank who collect and distribute non-perishable food items for the people most in need within the Jewish community here in Ottawa. With getting a good idea about the diversity of what these organizations do and how they impact the community for the positive though leadership, I can see that the DFL program is able to inspire me to be the best student leader and change the lives of everyone I come in contact with, whether academic or professional.