As I reflect on my summer internship at Trepwise, I am reminded of the first time I walked in a Mardi Gras parade. I was standing on a curb watching the festivities when my college professor spotted me in the crowd, put an apron on me, and pulled me into the Red Beans Parade. In that moment, as I moved from sidewalk observer to active participant, I really felt how New Orleans krewes welcome everyone. In many ways, working with the Trepwise team felt like being pulled into a parade—I didn’t know quite what to expect, but I was welcomed with enthusiasm and set on a path of discovery. As an economics student that cares deeply about learning and creating positive impact in my communities, I was first attracted to Trepwise by their mission and shared team values. These values—rigor, agility, collaboration, authenticity, curiosity and humanity—quickly became my guide throughout my internship. As I entered the Trepwise krewe, I learned, embraced, and contributed to their mission and impact, becoming part of the procession toward meaningful change.
Throughout my time at Trepwise, I built my professional skills through client projects that I am passionate about. For one client focused on advancing energy innovation across Louisiana, I supported ecosystem mapping to find like-minded partners across the state and led peer model research to identify successful strategies from a leading technology commercialization ecosystem in another state. As we wrote the report, this research taught me the importance of rigor in turning complex information into clear, actionable recommendations for the client.
On a separate project, I dove into data analysis to reveal the demographics and measures of success behind homeless and prison reentry programs for a local nonprofit. Through this work, I learned to clean raw data, overcome data gaps, build pivot tables, and execute a holistic analysis of program impact and recipients. This required agility as I adapted my approach when data wasn’t complete, learning that flexibility and precision are equally essential when using analysis to drive meaningful change.
When marching in a krewe, it’s important to not just think of people passing by collectively, but to create memorable connections with individuals in the crowd. The same was true for me in a project for a public-sector client focused on maternal health. For this project, I sat in on discovery interviews, listening and mapping key stakeholder responses to uncover key themes and insights into their experiences. Every conversation taught me something new about community needs and the complex challenges facing Louisiana families. Through collaboration with the project team, we were able to take the insights of those most impacted and use them to inform a comprehensive report that laid out the current and ideal state of maternal and infant health in Louisiana.
Looking to get more hands-on experience with clients, I asked to join an in-person presentation with a local historic hotel. I had just helped the team analyze and synthesize the results of the client’s recent culture survey, breaking down employee feedback by department to bring more meaning to the high-level results. As I observed my coworkers deliver the results of the survey to client management—including successes and areas of opportunity—I learned how to share critical feedback diplomatically, balance celebration with honest assessment, and center authenticity in all settings.
Embracing curiosity, I led research into how Trepwise could expand its network of nonprofit partners across the country, conducting interviews and analysis to identify new collaboration opportunities. For each potential partner, I analyzed their organizational capacity and geographic presence to recommend strategic approaches for expanding Trepwise’s reach into new markets. Similarly, in an effort to streamline Trepwise’s pricing processes, I wrote code for automated tools that will continue to support the team’s efficiency beyond my internship. Working without established precedent on both projects, I drew on all my accumulated knowledge to deliver meaningful tools for Trepwise’s strategic growth.
Trepwise treated my professional development as seriously as any client project, investing in my growth as both a consultant and a person. Throughout the summer, I attended Hone workshops focused on interpersonal communication, workplace collaboration, and prioritizing impactful work, affirming Trepwise’s commitment to meaningful investment in every member. These sessions emphasized the importance of bringing our full humanity to professional settings—how authentic communication, empathy, and genuine connection enhance both individual effectiveness and team outcomes.
Looking back on my journey of joining the Trepwise krewe, I used curiosity as my compass through unique projects and continuous learning. My biggest takeaway is that impact requires many hands and perspectives working together, and that I can be one meaningful piece of that collective effort for change in my community. I learned that real teams are united by values, not just projects, and I am so grateful to the Trepwise team for letting me jump into their krewe this summer!
