This summer, I had the opportunity to work as the Executive Intern with the Broadway Dreams Foundation, a not for profit arts organization dedicated to arts education and musical theatre around the world. With Broadway Dreams Foundation, I traveled to Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Aspen, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Toronto, Canada and facilitated arts workshops for students from ages 6 – 60. The content of these workshops not only advanced one’s training and abilities as a leader in the arts and humanities, but also intersected with women’s rights, racial and ethnic profiling, LGBT issues, and brought together students of all sociocultural and economic statuses. As the Executive Intern, I oversaw a team of 72 interns across the country and led training programs once a week. I served as the liaison between the Executive Director, General Manager, Director of Development, and the students of the program. I additionally participated in recruiting students for the program and advocating for talent and merit-based scholarships. I raised over $3,000 in donations for the organization this summer and increased internship applications by 30%. Most usefully, I learned the importance of collaboration and effective leadership. Often times as college students, we have a fixated and projected idea of how to work on teams and be effective leaders in the global community. The beauty of what Broadway Dreams taught me was that in order to lead, you have to know how listen, follow, understand, and work in the best interest of your team.
Keem Avraham
