By Kendall Ogle
My internship at University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP) has proven to be a very
rich and formative experience. UNHP was formed to create and preserve affordable housing in
the northwest Bronx community, and this work takes several forms. There are staff members
who provide direct assistance to Bronxites who seek housing and financial services, others who
focus on compiling data and research to influence policymakers, and still others who manage
the quality and services of the buildings in UNHP’s affordable housing portfolio. As an intern, I
have the unique opportunity to contribute to a variety of projects and learn from the diverse
strengths and insights of the entire UNHP team.
As a result of the skill set that I bring to UNHP, I have been given extra responsibilities in the
communications and development areas of the organization. My day-to-day workload might
include grant applications and reports, newsletter development, social media management,
website maintenance, writing blog posts, or speaking with clients seeking financial services or
assistance with housing lottery applications. Since UNHP was founded in 1983 in partnership
with Fordham University, 2023 is the celebratory 40th anniversary year for the organization. As
a result, our team is planning several special events and an extensive fundraising campaign. I
am very active in publicizing these happenings to UNHP partners and donors, and I feel very
lucky to be working with the organization during such a joyful moment in its history.
More than anything, I am grateful to be working with a team of extremely kind and intelligent
individuals at UNHP. Nonprofit organizations often attract passionate, intentional, and driven
staff members, but this group of people is exceptional in their commitment to their organizational
mission and their kind consideration of each other. I have been able to learn more about the
Bronx community, build stronger workplace relationships, and further develop my skill set under
the leadership and guidance of the wonderful team at UNHP. I am very thankful to the IPED
department for creating the opportunity for me to partner with this extraordinary organization as
a Coverdell Fellow and look forward to maintaining this relationship in the years to come.