I ended up putting off my giving today until late tonight. I traveled back from Pennsylvania, went to my theatre rehearsal, and then made it downtown to my place and unloaded my car with my bags and Christmas gifts. I dumped everything just inside the door and then grabbed my little notebook and $10 and went out to find somebody at about 10:30 pm.
When it’s late, I prefer to find people inside or near well-lit areas; otherwise people are often reluctant to talk. I decided to head over to Kramerbooks. It’s open late, it is an excellent place, and I thought I would find someone interesting there. I meandered through the book-lined labyrinth inside but did not find anyone that I really felt like approaching. Then I spotted a woman outside peering through the front window.
Jenny, a 26 year-old recent masters recipient in the area of public health, was waiting for the 42 bus. She was inquisitive about what I was doing, however, agreed to participate rather quickly. I gave her the $10 and asked her what she planned to do with it. She said that all her money was earmarked for bills, rent, etc. She had about $13 of spending money to her name. Now she had $23. She said she would initially hold on to the money until Wednesday when she started a waitressing job. She needs to have a “bank” of $30 in cash to make change. Once she gets some money from the job, she said she would use the money to add to her Metro card to help her get to/from work.
Her professional goal is to find a job in global public health. Maybe something with USAID, etc. Those jobs are hard to come by according to her. I think she has a good shot though, as she has a solid education and already done work in Africa in the public health field. So if anyone out there can help Jenny out or give her some tips on getting a job in this field, leave a comment, I know she would appreciate it.
As we started to depart, I asked her to check out the blog and keep us posted on how her new job goes as well as her job search for a career in global public health.
Year of Giving 
Hi Reed,
Thanks for posting this and thanks for choosing me to participate! I think it’s really great what you are doing and definitely will be interesting to read about your other honorees.
I’ll keep checking back and good luck on your own job hunt!
Jenny
Check out the Global Health Fellows Program. It is a great way of getting started with USAID. Good luck!
http://www.ghfp.net/
Emory’s Public Health Employment Connection is another great resource: http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm
Hi Jenny – I work for an international, humanitarian nonprofit agency. We have an office in DC and have some job and internship openings – you can see them at our website here:
http://www.imcworldwide.org/Page.aspx?pid=494
Thanks Deborah! Very kind of you!
Thank you so much, Deborah! I just came back to read the post about me after a while away from the site and was so touched with the comments! I checked out the job openings with IMC and will definitely be applying for a few – keep an eye out for my name!
Thanks again, Reed!
Reed,
I love your project and all of these stories…I’m from Chicago, but Kramerbooks is a must-stop when I’m in D.C. A good slice of pie and a book at 2 a.m. make for a perfect evening.
Love, love, love Kramerbooks! And, Jenny, I really hope you found the job you were looking for!