Meet Neel Kakkad, an intern at EGBI . He’s going into his senior year in Austin, Texas. Neel was born in Boston, and moved to Austin before middle school. In his free time, he likes to watch TV, meet his friends, and go to the gym.
Neel shares his experiences at EGBI.
Share a fun fact with us.
I really enjoy playing sports, and I especially love soccer. I have been playing soccer for 13 years now and currently play for my high school’s team.
How did you first get involved with EGBI?
I first got involved with EGBI through the City of Austin’s high school internship program. EGBI’s practices and values intersected with my own and I am glad that I got placed as an intern here.
Why do you intern for EGBI?
Participating in the internship program at EGBI presents a valuable chance for me to acquire practical knowledge, enhance my professional skills, and gain real-world experience that will have a significant positive impact on my future. I have thoroughly enjoyed engaging with the diverse range of services EGBI offers to business owners, and this internship provides me with an exciting opportunity to further explore and develop my interests in this field. Through my experiences at EGBI, I not only expand my knowledge but also gain valuable insights about myself and cultivate my long-term goals.
How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
EGBI has provided me with the opportunity to pursue my passion for business, develop skills, and also make a meaningful impact on small businesses. I have not only gained knowledge, but my involvement with EGBI has allowed me to interact with many clients and new people, developing my interpersonal skills as well.
Want to get involved ? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
Josephine is an incoming sophomore in Central Texas. While she was born in Florida, Josephine has lived in Texas for almost her entire life and considers herself to be a seasoned Austinite (despite never having attended ACL). At school, she is the sophomore class president and participates in DECA, extemporaneous speaking, and pole vaulting. She enjoys photography, hiking, painting, and watching movies in empty theaters.
Josephine shares a little bit of her experience at EGBI.
Share a fun fact with us. I am an avid crystal collector. Currently, my obsessions are with citrine and rainbow amethyst. My favorite thing about crystals is taking great pictures and sharing them with everyone.
How did you first get involved with EGBI? I first became involved with EGBI through the City of Austin’s youth internship program. The program essentially matched me with an organization that aligned with my professional goals, and I was matched with this non-profit.
Why do you intern for EGBI? My passion in business and desire to gain experience in marketing has led me to interning here for EGBI. EGBI’s mission to empower both aspiring and established small-business owners resonates with my personal philosophy and this internship allows me to make an impact on the surrounding community.
How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally? My involvement as a marketing intern has helped me grow in ways I previously could not have imagined. This experience has given me first-hand experience in the professional world and has taught me life-long skills in communication, organization, and problem-solving. I am more than grateful for this opportunity and am excited to pursue my development in business. EGBI provides training, coaching, and support to aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business.
Want to get involved ? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
Meet Ami Dave, a summer program intern at EGBI. She has been working with EGBI over the past year to help clients refine and elevate their brands to the next level. Ami is very passionate about business, and working with the EGBI’s small business clients has allowed her to learn more about branding, marketing, and outreach.
Ami shares a little bit about her experience volunteering with EGBI.
Share a fun fact with us.
I really love dancing. I’ve been dancing one form of dance or another for as long as I can remember. First it was ballet, then tap, then hip-hop, and now Bharatanatyam.
How did you first get involved with EGBI?
I actually found EGBI through the internet via Google. I felt very connected to EGBI’s mission to alleviate the resource disparity that exists in our society by providing small businesses with the resources they need to succeed.
Why do you intern for EGBI?
I intern for EGBI because I feel that their values truly align with my own. I am extremely dedicated to providing others with the resources they need to reach their fullest potentials, and EGBI has given me an outlet to further this passion. In addition, I love learning about the different facets of business such as marketing, outreach, and entrepreneurship, and EGBI has provided me with the opportunities and support I need to expand my understanding of these different realms of business.
EGBI has facilitated the simultaneous growth of both of these passions by granting me the opportunity to coach small businesses, a service which I had previously not known much about.
How has your involvement with EGBI helped you grow professionally and personally?
Professionally, EGBI has allowed me to further my passion for business and acquire new skills in marketing, outreach, and business coaching, but personally, EGBI has allowed me to feel empowered and find a sense of fulfillment and purpose in providing small businesses with the resources they need to reach their fullest potentials.
Want to get involved ? Contact us to find out how you can volunteer or donate.
A native Austinite, Debra Wissman first found St. Mark CDO as a parent when looking for a two-day program for her now college aged son! Debra later joined the staff as a teacher, and finally as director in January 2009. Debra earned a BA in Theology from Texas Lutheran University and began Masters level coursework in Counseling and Guidance at Texas State University. Prior to working at St. Mark CDO, Debra was the Director of Youth Ministry at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and then a full time mom! Debra enjoys serving in ministry to the children and families of the preschool. Her greatest joy is serving the CDO in this capacity and looking forward to coming to “work” each day! Debra is married to Marc and they have three sons aged 16, 18, and 20, and two dogs, Rocky and Willamena, aka Pebbles.
St. Mark Children’s Day Out has been a licensed childcare since 1993 and before that, it was a 1/2 day preschool open only 2 days a week. It is now open Monday-Thursday from 9 am to 1:30 pm September through May and then Tuesday and Thursday in June and July. It is closed in August.
Debra shares her experience as a client at EGBI.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
I toured St. Mark CDO with my son 19 years ago and I haven’t left! He will graduate from college in May 2024.
“We were assigned a business coach who helped us with everything from marketing to spreadsheets and was super supportive during the rebuilding after COVID.” Debra Wissman
How did you first find out about EGBI?
I was introduced to EGBI post COVID through Texas Workforce as we tried to re-build the school following COVID.
How did EGBI help your business? What service did you benefit from?
We were assigned a business coach who helped us with everything from marketing to spreadsheets and was super supportive during the rebuilding after COVID.
Why should people consider supporting an organization like EGBI?
It’s a new age of running a business post COVID and getting help in all areas of running a business is crucial! Support EGBI so that they can support businesses!
EGBI provides training, coaching, and support to aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business. If you would like to support our efforts, please visit our website https://egbi.org/donate/.
Brooklyn King is a licensed esthetician based in South Austin and is the owner of Brooklyn’s Beauty Bar. Brooklyn’s Beauty Bar is an all inclusive spa that provides customized facials, chemical peels, and full body waxing located in South Austin, Texas. Each service is performed by Brooklyn King, who has experience working with many types of skin conditions and skin types before opening her own establishment. Brooklyn’s passion is to educate clients on how to maintain healthy skin, even outside of the treatment room. Brooklyn’s Beauty Bar provides pharmaceutical grade skin care with active ingredients to clients, so they can achieve the best results in their daily regimen. Brooklyn’s Beauty Bar is the perfect place for anyone looking to get that healthy glowing skin and to see real life changing results.
Brooklyn shares her experience as a client at EGBI.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
My favorite color is pink.
“EGBI has helped a lot with my business. things I never really put too much thought into, including networking, marketing, and financial support.” Brooklyn King
How did you first find out about EGBI?
I found out about EGBI in 2021 from word of mouth since at the time I was just starting my business.
How did EGBI help your business? What service did you benefit from?
EGBI has helped a lot with my business things I never really put too much thought into, including networking, marketing, and financial support. I recently enrolled into the 90 days to success and am a month in, and it has been so helpful!
Why should people consider supporting an organization like EGBI?
Especially for new business owners, I definitely think EGBI is a great resource to take advantage of. There are professional that have been in the business and can point you in the right direction as far as where you want to your business to be in the future. Setting those goals and achieving those goals are important. EGBI makes sure you hold yourself accountable and learn from others.
EGBI provides training, coaching, and support to aspiring and existing business owners who face barriers to growing a successful business. If you would like to support our efforts, please visit our website https://egbi.org/donate/.
