Summer at Purpose: Meet the Interns

Meet our eclectic, hard-working class of summer interns (New York office listed in order of appearance, from left to right):

Saadiah McIntosh (New York Office)

College: Brandeis University, majoring in History and American Studies

Hometown: Harlem, New York, NY

Interests: Sangin’, singing, and belting it out. Also, ABC’s Black-ish. Always.

Purpose Team: Strategy Team, working on a brand strategy campaign for a major New York non-profit

How did you find out about Purpose? Well, the internet is a wonderful, wonderful thing. I found about Purpose on Indeed, did some research, and decided that it sounded like a great place. So, I applied and, thankfully, it worked out! Like I said, the internet is magical.

Donelle Wedderburn (New York Office)

University: SUNY Purchase, Majoring in Political Science and Economics

Hometown: Maplewood, NJ

Interests: Painting, MoMA Free Fridays, Music (listening, creating)

Purpose Team: Campaigns, working on labor rights and reproductive rights

How did you find out about Purpose? I actually found Purpose on Indeed while I was searching for summer internships last semester. After doing some research on the company I was really receptive to Purpose’s mission and their work in social activism. I am interested in translating online activism into tangible policy and societal change so joining the Purpose team has been such an enriching experience.

Hannah Bottum (New York Office)

University: Claremont McKenna College, majoring in International Relations and Spanish

Hometown: Winnetka, IL

Interests: Running, snacking, and all things Cuban (my salsa dancing skills are a work in progress, to say the least)

Purpose Team: Strategy and Campaigns

How did you find out about Purpose? Robert Jay Ross, currently at Purpose as Special Advisor to the CEO, previously worked at the School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL), a high school semester program in Washington, D.C. that I attended my junior year. I’ve kept in touch with Robbie since, which is how I heard about Purpose. I have always wanted to work in social justice but I am especially interested in the intersection of the public and private sector, where you see companies like Purpose working in really innovative and creative ways to promote a social justice agenda.

Manuela Mürrle (New York Office)

University: The New School, MS in Strategic Design and Management

Hometown: Cali, Colombia

Interests: Books (I particularly enjoy reading historical novels), photography, dancing, traveling and reading 

Purpose Team: Campaigns, working on a peace building project in Latin America

How did you find out about Purpose? Purpose was first mentioned to me by a friend during a discussion we had regarding the overall lack of social awareness at big corporations (I loved working in brand strategy, but always felt that many companies were not genuinely mindful of human needs and emotions).

I found out that someone from Colombia (Juliana) worked at Purpose and asked a friend we had in common to introduce us. I had a great conversation with Juliana, who gave me an overview of Purpose and the kind of work she does with the organization. I am passionate about finding solutions to challenges through strategy, creativity and innovation, and am determined to work on projects where social awareness is at its core. Needless to say, I was very excited to join Purpose when this opportunity came along. 

Mahima Poudel (New York Office)

School: Westminster College, MO. Majoring in Political Science and International Economic Development

Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal

Interests: Exploring food, music and cultures that are different than mine; reading

Purpose Team:Campaigns, working for a major multilateral organization on an initiative to ensure education for refugees 

How did you find about Purpose: I actually found out about the internship on LinkedIn (thanks, LinkedIn).When I looked deeper into what Purpose does, I thought it would be cool to see, and learn, about sort of the behind-the-scenes prep that goes into successful movements and campaigns. So far, it’s been an incredible time here and really happy that I got this opportunity!

Alex Weber (New York Office)

School Southern New Hampshire University, Majoring in Graphic Design & Media Arts.:

HometownSandy Hook, CT:

InterestsPhotography, Music (listening, playing), Hiking/exploring.:

Purpose Team Creative:

How did you find out about Purpose I’ve known John Kapenga (Creative Director) personally for a few years. When he joined Purpose he told me about the company and what it does. Towards the end of last semester he informed me about the intern program, I figured it would be a great learning experience and so here I am.:

Manveer Grewal (New York Office)

College: Columbia University, Masters in Social-Organizational Psychology

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Interests: Traveling, reading, Googling how to make my cat like me

Purpose Team: Campaigns, working on a campaign for reproductive rights

How did you find out about Purpose? Back in 2011, I stumbled upon Jeremy’s (CEO Purpose) TED talk called ‘Aim Higher Than President’ talking about ‘Movement Entrepreneurship’ and campaigns like AllOut and Awaaz. I continued to follow Purpose’s work over the years and little did I know I’d land up in New York for grad school. After moving here, Purpose was a natural choice for me to apply to for my summer internship given my interest in positive social impact and community engagement.

Vincent Wolff (London Office)

College: Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Hometown: Tübingen, Germany

Interests: Triathalons, traveling across Latin American countries, reading philosophical stuff

Purpose Team: Global Refugee and Migration Hub

How did you find out about Purpose? Tim Dixon himself presented Purpose at the Blavatnik School looking for something to support the Europe office for a summer project. Excited by the Syria campaign and the outlook for the refugee campaigning, I applied and later happily joined the team. Still very grateful about this unique opportunity.

Laura Foley (London Office)

University: The University of Sheffield, PhD in the Global Politics of International Migration

Hometown: Dublin, Ireland

Interests: Watching sci-fi shows, reading (slowly working my way through a ‘1000 books to read before you die’ list), exploring the English countryside and trying speak to my dog on Skype

Purpose Team: Global Refugee and Migration Hub, research role

How did you find out about Purpose? I was searching for refugee and migration-related projects to participate in prior to commencing my PhD and came across the Refugee Hub project at Purpose. Having previously worked in a campaigns role for a UK immigration charity, the fit between Purpose, the project and my interests matched completely.