Joanna Opot '05
Joanna Opot '05Major: Political Science / FrenchJob: Executive Director,
Starting Bloc
I feel that I really make a difference here. Starting Bloc is a non-profit international organization that develops young professionals as emerging leaders, creates a network among them, and then empowers this network to drive social change in communities and organizations around the globe.
And my work here is so diverse; one day I might be helping a Starting Bloc Fellow in Peru establish a micro-finance venture, and the next day I’m creating a program to provide pro bono legal counsel to entrepreneurs across our global network.
The first time I thought I could make a difference, I was a 16 year-old Kenyan girl determined to assist the refugees in my community. My friends and I set up a peace-building organization for teenage refugees, and within our first year of operation we had fifty Kenyan schools on board. As a high school student at the Mahindra United World College in India, I worked on projects in India and Nepal, and for the the United Nations in Kenya.
These experiences spawned my interest in international work and, early on, I fixed my focus on a future at the U.N.. Then I began my studies at Middlebury; spent my sophomore summer working on U.N. projects in Kenya and Russia; and had yet another remarkable U.N. experience in my junior year through the Ron Brown internship program. But it wasn’t until my senior year at Middlebury that a new possibility emerged that I hadn’t imagined. My career advisor in Career Services worked with me to explore all my interests and options, and she helped me discover my entrepreneurial bent. She also connected me to a semester-long fellowship at an entrepreneurial organization that would open up a new world to me.
And so, I was introduced to Starting Bloc. I was lucky to have three job offers lined up after graduation, including one with the U.N. and one with Starting Bloc. In weighing these offers, I realized that what I most want in my career is to be able to effect global social change now, rather than having to wait until my career matures before I can make a real impact. And I realized I could best do that in a small start up non-profit. So I accepted the position at Starting Bloc as director of programs, and two years later was appointed executive director. It’s been an awesome journey to this place!
Although I do wish I’d walked up those steps to Career Services in my first year at Middlebury,instead of waiting until senior year to discover the many paths available to me. For students, I know that starting to plan your career seems impossible with Midd’s intense workload; and I know that when you find some free time you’d rather chill or party. But I can only tell you from my own experience that the sooner you start, the sooner your eyes will be opened to all that is possible for you ... just as mine were.
