<----- Me and my sister, aka my best friend in the world.

Hello, world! My name is Katie MacKendrick, though most people call me Katie Mac and don't bother with the "Kendrick." I am a Senior at Loyola University Chicago pursuing a BA/MA dual degree in English and a BA History, in addition to participating in the University Honors Program and finishing a minor in Catholic Studies. As one might guess from my fields of study, I am actively involved in Loyola's Campus Ministry and Loyola's chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society. I have always thought that I would one day obtain a PhD in English and teach at the college level. Little did I know that my life path would deviate from what I had originally intended.

At the beginning of my Junior year, I resumed my studies at Lake Shore Campus after spending a semester studying abroad at the Rome Center. I realized that I wanted to become more actively involved on campus; I could no longer use the excuse of "but I'm a freshman and I'm just so overwhelmed by the collegiate atmosphere!" I was having lunch with my friend Hannah the week before classes started and listened to her talk about her leadership duties at LIFT-Chicago. I was curious about the organization and asked her about it.

She gave me the whole spiel that you all have probably read a million times over in this portfolio (that is, if you've been reading carefully): LIFT-Chicago is a resource center comprised entirely of Loyola University student volunteers and is supervised by two Site Coordinators from AmeriCorps.  We work one-on-one with clients who are at or below the poverty level to help them find jobs, housing, public benefits, legal help, and generally provide them with opportunities that will allow them to alleviate themselves from poverty.

Naturally, I was hooked. Several questions, surveys, and interviews later, I was one of the newest members of LIFT-Chicago's 2011-2012 Student Advocate Team!

After shadowing several client meetings and completing hours of preliminary training, I was ready to meet clients.  Ideally, I see four clients per week, as I am in the office four hours a week, so I have seen situations on all ends of the spectrum, from abused single mothers to incarcerated individuals to PhD holders who needed jobs. The success of these meetings varies.  Some meetings are frustrating, and we call ten apartments and they might not have openings or they might reject my client based on his or her credit score or assumed background.  Some meetings are sad, and I find out my client had three interviews two weeks ago and did not secure a job.  Most clients, however, have a glimmer of relief and optimism during their meeting, whether it’s because they secured an apartment viewing or because we applied to four jobs together, or even because I was able to listen to an issue they had in their life and was able to shed some light on it.

After a year-and-a-half of service at LIFT-Chicago, I've realized that the experiences I've had with our clients have taught me that I absolutely need to work with people: something that my sister has been telling me all of my life. I need to see that joy, to guide people through their life journeys in some way, to share jokes and smiles and tears. While I don't know how I will incorporate this into my career goals yet, I have this wonderful organization to thank for allowing me to see and experience what makes me truly happy, on both good and bad days. LIFT-Chicago has inspired me to become the best individual that I can be in the future and in the present.

If you guys haven't learned enough about me yet, here are the links to the Facebook pages of some of my other organizations, such as Junior/Senior Companions, and Sigma Tau Delta.