Lindsay Eiley
Internship placement: Hillel Ottawa
Personal Statement
Hi! My name is Lindsay Eiley and I’m from Montreal. I moved to Ottawa 3 years ago to study at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management in Management Information Systems and Analytics. Growing up, I attended a Jewish elementary school and summer camp, visited Israel 3 times, enjoyed weekly family Shabbat dinners, and danced the horah like there was no tomorrow at my Bat Mitzvah! Being Jewish is my favourite part of me, and I am beyond proud of my Jewish identity and roots. I am very excited to be participating in the DFL program this year with Hillel Ottawa where I am the president. I hope to learn the proper tools through the DFL seminars on how to be the best leader possible for to the young Jewish community, and in turn help Hillel attain continued growth and success. I am looking forward to engaging with new Jewish students, facilitating Hillel events and programming, running an effective and efficient executive board, as well as interacting with other likeminded Jewish leaders.
Blog #2
March 20, 2019
DFL this year has been an incredible experience that I feel lucky to have been able to participate in. Over the course of this internship, I have learnt a lot about me personally as well as the type of characteristics I value in a job; the working environment, the people, and the value of doing meaningful work. These are all things that I have decided to now prioritize in terms of looking for a future career path upon my graduation this month. After realizing the importance of working in a Jewish setting, this is something I have chosen to try to pursue in my future professional endeavours.
Being an intern at Hillel Ottawa this year was a no brainer for me considering the passion and appreciation I already had for this organization, and the work that I was already going to be committing to it as President. This year at Hillel has exceeded all my expectations and made me love the organization even more which I didn’t even think was possible! I have grown a lot individually as the organization has grown in numbers and size. This year, Hillel has grown immensely and I am proud to have played a part in that. I have gotten the opportunity to engage with so many amazing people, explore our Judaism, and be part of the amazing community of students otherwise known as the Hillel Fam.
This internship has taught me how to be an effective leader in terms of how to properly and respectfully represent the organization and be an exemplary member for the rest of exec. This internship helped provide me with the tools to foster an effective and cohesive executive board which I believe is the core to the successful and smooth running of any organization.
A big learning experience during my placement this year was that of our fundraiser movie night. This is the case because unfortunately the event wasn’t as successful as we had hoped it would be, but as leaders we turned that into a learning experience. I think that this experience taught us all the most applicable lessons that could be carried forward in our future leadership roles. These skills include expectation management, problem solving, and adaptability to unforeseen circumstances.
Overall I am very grateful for this learning experience and leadership start. This internship has showed me that I am capable of being a leader figure, and that I have to tools needed to make a meaningful difference; it just comes down to using these tools effectively and properly. I look forward to continuing my work in the Jewish community and making a meaningful impact on the community that I feel so lucky and proud to be a part of.
Special thanks to Carolyn, Cindi and Mirka for a great experience!!
Blog #1
December 2, 2018
The past 3 months being a DFL intern at Hillel Ottawa have been exciting, busy, and fulfilling all wrapped into one. I have thoroughly enjoyed the time I have spent so far working for Hillel. Over the past 3 months, I have learned and improved upon many skills such as communication, the importance of adaptation, and other soft skills that I look forward to being able to carry forward in my future career and life. This internship helped me gain confidence in areas where I had not previously exceled such as being an independent worker and thinker.
The nature of the job is very erratic based on the time of year, upcoming holidays or events which has kept me on my toes. My work activities have also been erratic which I am grateful for as it leaves no room for redundancy or boredom. Some weeks are spent with lengthy logistics meetings at the Hillel house discussing events and their details. Others were spent at Parliament learning about Israel advocacy with various MPs. In November, I had the privilege of giving a presentation to the Board of the Federation with the goal of funding. Other weeks were more consistent and were spent in a coffee shop engaging in a 1-1 fashion with other Jewish students or setting up and cleaning up after major events.
All these tasks allow me to feel confident in my position that I am making a meaningful difference to the bigger picture of the organization. Hillel has reached record-breaking numbers this semester and I am proud to have been a part of that. It is nice to know that all my hard work is actually paying off in a way such as this. I also feel very fortunate for the people that I got paired with for this internship and feel that we all work together very well. This has also been such an integral aspect in making this such a positive experience. I look forward to continuing my work at Hillel in the new year and all the new experiences, events, and lessons that encompasses.