Meet Our Fellows Blog Series: Michelle Sawwan
I hail from Fairfax, Virginia, where I grew up among friends and classmates from diverse backgrounds. My academic interests included the social sciences and the humanities, leading me to study both throughout my career. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in Middle Eastern Studies, I stayed in Charlottesville for several years and worked in higher education and the nonprofit sector. During that time, I developed a more specific interest in group psychology and organizational dynamics, leading me to obtain a graduate degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame. After hearing about enFocus this past summer, I decided to apply for the two-year Fellowship, where I would be able to apply my new research and data analysis skills to solving complex problems within the South Bend-Elkhart region.
In addition to concrete, positive impact that our Fellow teams create within the community, the thing that I enjoy the most about enFocus is its emphasis on leadership, and on fostering professional development. enFocus is intentional about placing fellows on projects where they are likely to succeed, as well as providing guidance and resources for improving their growth edge. My own interests coming into the program have been using data analysis to improve project outcomes, and learning planning and management skills in order to keep the long arc of a project in view. As a member of the Citywide Classroom South Bend project, I draw on my data analysis skills to track and improve educational internet access among participants in our free, in-home WiFi program. I am also learning more about project management through our Research, Development, and Entrepreneurship initiatives--something I am happy to be able to do with a team that collectively develops and hones ideas.
My time at enFocus will be spent both building on my strengths, as well as pushing me beyond my comfort zone in order to become a more well-rounded professional. As someone who is naturally detail oriented, I am now intentionally striving to learn to think big picture, and to acquire the leadership skills needed to manage others. enFocus has given me the opportunity to grow in each of these areas, and I am excited to do so as I work on sponsored projects, as well as activities that foster the collective development of our team.
Learn more about the 2020-2022 enFocus Fellows weekly in our Meet Our Fellows Blog Series.