Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services

About Me

I am a rising CC senior and 2020 Boettcher Scholar from Denver, Colorado. As a lifelong Montessori student within Denver Public Schools, I believe that education and educational reform should be at the center of all social justice work. I hope to work in a nonprofit setting that centers youth advocacy in community organizing and the public sector post graduation. Prior to my experience at the City of Colorado Springs, I have also had internships in the Colorado General Assembly, Teach for America, Gary Community Ventures, One Colorado, AgeWise Colorado, and Colorado Children's Campaign. I am also involved on campus in the Honor Council, Sounds of CC Radio Station, Admissions Office, and serve as director of the college's stand-up comedy club.

Internship Overview

The primary project I completed during my fellowship was to conduct observations of Prospect Lake at Memorial Park to inform upcoming city policy concerning recreational use. This built upon the work of 2022 PIFP fellow Tori Matson who conducted a similar observational study of Prospect Lake in the wake of discussions concerning a new iteration system. In June 2023, I was asked to continue this work and conduct my own observation of Prospect Lake to determine trends of recreational activity across years, as well as specifically inform understandings of motorized vs non-motorized use. I spent over 35 hours collecting data through observation and in-person interviews, recorded a total of 5285 community members using this public resource, and ultimately presented my findings to the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Advisory Board.

In addition to this I also collected data from all city special event permits approved between 2018-2022 and tracked whether or not the organizing body of the event was a registered nonprofit within the corresponding master calendar. This work prompted the on-going project within the department to provide nonprofit organizations with a discount or reduced rate for city services. During my time at the department, I also assisted in organizing the application effort of our national accreditation within the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA), as well as led scheduling for System for Observing Play in Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) studies.

Learning Goals

My primary goals for this opportunity were to:

• Better understand the inner workings of city government and understand the steps necessary to bring a publically funded project into creation from start to finish. 
• Engage in meaningful discussion with citizens of Colorado Springs and more deeply connect with members of the city community I have not yet built relationships with during my time in college.

While it was admittedly difficult to see a project fully through during only a ten week fellowship, I do feel that I was able to better understand possible avenues for change in city government. Through discussion with the department’s grant writer I learned more about how grant funds supplement public budgets to make projects possible, and the steps needed to achieve this. Then through my work organizing SOPARC evaluations, I was able to explore first hand the final evaluation of a project and completion of funder deliverables. I also attended various city council meetings and observed numerous instances of public comment. 

Through my work with Prospect Lake I interviewed multiple public patrons of the park and used this as an opportunity to meaningfully engage with members of the city community.Through my studies of policy and education, as well as in my previous roles in nonprofit spaces, I have learned that it is crucial that community members are actively included in the design, execution, and evaluation of all public projects to ensure our work is as effective as possible. My project collecting data on the use of Prospect Lake served as a meaningful first step in bringing community voice and participation into discussions of future recreational policy.

Career Readiness Competencies Through this fellowship I was able to further develop the following career readiness competencies:

Career and Life Design: By living independently off-campus and working full time, I was able to successfully balance personal goals and a 40+ hour work week. 

Communication and Leadership: By working on two independent projects I furthered my ability to manage my own time and communicate my progress to team members. 

Technology: I spent extensive time furthering my literacy in excel spreadsheets, as well as uploading sensitive documents to secure shared drives. 

Professional Effectiveness: In both of my major independent projects I set the parameters and deadlines myself, and then utilized time management and flexibility to reach these goals in a manner that ensured my work could continue to be used by the department after the completion of my fellowship.

What's Next?

After I complete my degree in May 2024 I hope to work in a nonprofit setting that centers youth advocacy in community organizing and the public sector. Due to the incredibly diverse and unique array of approaches to work for the public good currently taking place, my professional journey could look a lot of different ways. However, if my experience on-campus and in professional spaces during my college career has taught me anything, it’s that I feel both most effective and happy when I center community in all the work that I do. Therefore I plan to pursue professional environments that share this value as well.

Connect with Me

You can learn more about me and connect at my  LinkedIn account here.   

If you have additional questions about PIFP or working for the Parks Department, please feel free to reach out to me at e_logan@coloradocollege.edu.

Thank you!