It’s 2017. I had graduated from university not too long before this. I was volunteering all my time with the local CARP chapter (the infamous CARP LA) when I got a call from then National CARP President, Teresa Rischl.
Jennifer giving a CARP Talk at Pasadena City College around 2015/2016.
It’s a busy summer in 2017. We’re planning the second of three international CARP trips. Tickets are bought; the schedule is being finalized, and I distinctly remember walking out the door of my house when my phone rings with an unrecognizable number.
The millennial in me was going to ignore it, but I was expecting this one. It’s Teresa. She is connecting to ask me if I want to join the National CARP team. I’m hyperventilating. The thing that I’m working on—that I’m currently passionate about—could become my job. But I am severely underskilled.
“Just think about it,” she says. “We’ll connect after the trip.”
Jennifer’s first trip to New York City in 2017 with the National CARP staff for a Christmas party. They won a trivia game!
I was officially hired in August 2017. I had one month of training and then I was thrown into the deep end of a pool I had no idea was actually an ocean.
National CARP challenged me in every way imaginable, but it also opened me up to amazing experiences. I grew up in this job.
Jennifer attended her first CARP Momentum leadership retreat as a staff member. Pictured above is her team.
We hosted the third international HyoJeong Trip to Korea and Japan in 2018 with 360 students (pure insanity by the way; barely slept). I learned how the Board of Directors functions and how to manage expectations from them and the team. I learned how to write engaging newsletters and built an entire social media account from the ground up. I learned how to fundraise for a non-profit and maintain relationships with donors.
I was Teresa’s shadow for three years. The thing I learned the most from her was about myself. I grew into my own person under her guidance. She provided me with a bubble to learn about who I was outside of the walls of LA and what I wanted to pursue. It was uncomfortable and rewarding.
During a few weeks in the summer of 2019, Jennifer was able to catch some downtime with Teresa at Central Park in New York City.
In the two years since, I worked at my peak. I’ve gone beyond what I thought I could accomplish and subsequently plateaued. Not that CARP has diminished in its mission or that it has run out of things to do. In fact, quite the opposite: CARP continues to dream bigger and bigger every year with a new, larger vision, backed by students and leaders and a staff who strive for more.
Jennifer with some of the staff and local members from the Love & Fidelity Network after their annual conference.
I believe in CARP and its ability to impact and influence students and campuses. I believe that these dreams will be achieved and will make the world a better, more peaceful place. Students like ours are unique and are absolutely committed to these goals. They are the most kind, the most determined and, most importantly, willing to do the work that gives the world a chance to be its best.
Jennifer takes an impressive selfie after her talk on being an influencer at the CARP Momentum 2019 leadership retreat in the West Coast.
I was the Communications Coordinator for this amazing group of people. The mission of communications has been to share and express the vision and dream of CARP. I was its spokesperson and defender. I shared everyday about our students and the work that they do. I showcased our staff and the tireless dedication they have to our students. I was the bridge for CARP and the world; an unseen, invisible voice, making sure CARP had the stage.
Jennifer gives a presentation at CARP LA’s Turning Point retreat in 2019.
I’ve come to a plateau not because I can gain no more from the mission that CARP has, but rather because my personal journey is leading me elsewhere.
Jennifer sat right at front during Mother Moon’s banquet, hosted after a peace rally at the Prudential Center in 2019.
CARP will continue without me, but I will never be a stranger to this incredible organization. The work that I have done will grow and develop, and the relationships that I have made with both the organization and its people will last decades after this.
So, goodbye, friends. I was happy to serve, and I will always be in your corner.
Endless thanks,
Jennifer Pierce , Former Communications Coordinator
P.S. Our new Communications Coordinator is Ryota Naito, and he is awesome; you are all in very good hands. Peace!