By TTF Communications Specialist Gouri J. Nair
Being a communications specialist at TTF Watershed for an all too short 6 months was a wonderful experience. In many ways, this was my first real job, and it was an incredible start. I feel as though I was able to sharpen my skills in sociology and make real connections that wouldn’t have been otherwise.
For context, I am a Drexel Co-op student, which means I essentially get to work 6 months at a certain Drexel affiliated organization, like TTF. Ideally, the job should also be relevant to the student’s major. For me, that would be Sociology, the study of social groups. You should be able to see why, even during the interview process, I chose TTF’s comms specialist as my co-op. It was a job I expected to utilize my study of social groups in a more hands-on way than what Drexel’s classes could provide, and TTF certainly didn’t disappoint.
In sociology, one of the most interesting aspects to study is the way that humans choose to pay attention to things. As a communications specialist at TTF, my job was to get people to pay attention to us(and our mission). One of the ways I started doing this was by revamping our social media posts. Bumping up the amount was a given, of course, but I also sought to create a positive and uplifting message in every post we put up. I wanted the pride that we in TTF feel about our watershed to be reflected in even the smallest post. Every post needed to have a catchy hook that, in 1 sentence, encapsulated the basic “energy” of the event, and the excitement we felt for it. I hope that came across in them, and that it drew more people to our events.
But posts weren’t the only ways I used my social knowledge to communicate. TTF’s comms specialist position was an extremely flexible one, and I was often encouraged by my supervisor, Wendi Wu, to create my own ideas for better communication or to help out in larger projects. This led to our “History of TTF Watershed” series of Instagram posts and the “The Games We Play With Nature” article. In both cases, I was interested in the ways humans interfaced with local nature. For the “History of TTF Watershed” series, I wanted to know more about this land that I had the opportunity to steward, especially since I was somewhat unfamiliar with the land. I decided to take that research and turn it into fun posts that I could share with the other residents of the watershed who perhaps were unaware of its history. “The Games We Play With Nature,” on the other hand, came from a conversation Doryán and I had about our own childhood nature games. It turned out that Puerto Rico’s national tree, the Flamboyán (Delonix regia), was also a well-beloved tree in my ancestral home of Kerala, India, called the Rajamali. My mother had played a local game using its flowers, and I realized that that sort of innocent childish play was likely everywhere, including TTF.
The most applicable knowledge I gained, though, was when Wendi and I were tasked with creating TTF’s most recent Community Perceptions Survey. I agreed to handle the creation of the questions, since I had studied interview techniques at Drexel extensively. In fact, I even ended up bringing in my class notes to help the question drafting process even more. Those questions, drafting and redrafting them, were the first time I really felt like a full-blown sociologist, figuring out a way to assess a public understanding of a system, our own organization. Certainly, it was not an easy process, but the finished set of questions Wendi and I created was of excellent quality, and in the process, I had learned the basics of using a survey-making program. Something that I am sure will help me once I return to Drexel.
All in all, my time at TTF Watershed Partnership was exceptional. I grew, both in my interests and as a person. The flexibility of the job awarded me opportunities I doubt I would get anywhere else. I even got to use my art skills to create maps and posters for events this year after all! I am so thankful for the opportunity given to me by TTF, and I wish everyone a fruitful future.
Editor’s Note (by TTF comms manager Wendi Wu):
This was such a wonderful summer. The fresh energy brought by our co-op, interns, and fellows was a valuable reminder of why we chose this career in the first place. Gouri was our first long-term communications team member, and in just six months she accomplished so much—truly expanding our communications capacity and strengthening our systems.
I deeply resonate with Drexel’s philosophy that education should also take place outside the ivory tower. Being part of this innovative pedagogy was a privilege for me.
And oh, the Flamboyán! It was once the unofficial city tree of my hometown until a devastating pest infection took many of them away. We called it the “phoenix tree.” I will cherish this connection between us, and I am endlessly grateful that Philadelphia continues to astonish me by offering these kinds of global connections. (I just looked it up—Philadelphia doesn’t even have a city flower! Any suggestion?)
Here’s to a bright and flourishing future for Gouri! May she continue to grow in confidence, creativity, and purpose, carrying forward all the skills and connections she nurtured here at TTF. We can’t wait to see where her journey takes her next, and we know she will bring the same joy, dedication, and thoughtfulness to every community she becomes part of.
Read the blogs Gouri created:
The Games We Play With Nature
Splashed into Summer: A Block Party Retrospective
Would you like to volunteer with TTF? Visit our Intern page.
(Cover photo: Gouri smiling with Tacony Creek Park in the Background.)
