By Nevena Cvijetic, YNPN Member
YNPN member Nevena Cvijetic, also on the Membership Committee and volunteers for the YNPN Newsletter, took some time out of her busy schedule to interview one of our members, Aldrich Simon, for our new column in the newsletter, the YNPN Member Spotlight.
It was great to sit down with one of YNPN’s fresh faces, Aldrich Simon, to get to know him and have him share a bit about himself. Willing to step away and and be interviewed between his role as a Childhood Nutrition Program Coordinator at Three Square and a myriad of other projects he does, I got to know a lot about Aldrich.
He was born in the Philippines and made the trek to Las Vegas when he was 14 years old. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and works at Three Square. Aldrich is a busy guy! His job entails community outreach, monitoring and compliance for his company. This means he is out in the community and in the office on any given day. He interfaces with schools and their programs that support meals for kids and families both after school, on the weekends and over the summer. Aldrich isn’t all work! He likes Netflix like the rest of us, a good book, hiking and karaoke!
Nevena: Aldrich, what inspired you to become a part of the nonprofit community?
Aldrich: I was an Engelstad Scholar Intern from 2010 to 2014 at Three Square. The scholarship helps students pay for school while the students volunteer 50 hours of their time to a nonprofit per semester. You could say that I kind of slipped into the world of nonprofits. I enjoyed doing something meaningful and fulfilling. You know what you do affects people in a positive manner in their everyday lives. Right now I’m working with hunger related issues, but I feel like any kind of service that improves the overall well being of a community as a whole is important.
Nevena: What advice would you give somebody who’s thinking about joining YNPN?
Aldrich: As an individual that’s just starting their career in the nonprofit world, it is important to understand the world around you and there is no better way to get to know that world than by joining organizations such as YNPN. I wanted to do something different outside of work and to network within the nonprofit community. YNPN is creating a connection among nonprofit professionals and being part of that helps teaches you just how connected the nonprofit community really is.
Nevena: How has being a member of YNPN benefited you?
Aldrich: Since joining this January, I’ve gotten a chance to attend various networking events while getting an opportunity to meet people that share the same passions as I do.
Nevena: Moving forward, what direction would you like to see for YNPN?
Aldrich: I want us to grow in membership so that we can create a network that will help build a stronger community.