An Internship at Emergence

As our first intern, Gracey brought her great writing skills and deep commitment to strengthening communities to all of her work with Emergence’s clients. We talked with her about her newfound passion for nonprofit work, and what she’ll take with her from her internship into the next phase of her career. 

Gracey Claymore

Gracey Claymore is a Hunkpapa Lakota from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Gracey currently resides on the Pine Ridge Reservation with her companion and 3 children. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor's Degree in Leadership & Communications from Oglala Lakota College.

How did you find your way to Emergence, and what have you been working on? 

One of my professors suggested that I reach out to Liz and her team–he thought my writing was excellent and encouraged me to consider a career in grant writing. I hadn’t considered it before, because I was initially focused on a career in Indian Law. But I interviewed with Liz and got an internship position and started in March. Though I’d worked on a grant before, I’d never taken the lead on one from start to finish–and my first week I was given a grant to write and manage on my own! 

Since then I’ve done a lot of grant writing, but I’ve also been able to get a full view of other aspects of the work Emergence does. I’ve started doing more research and scanning for new grants opportunities, especially for out newer clients who are just getting their work started or those in really rural communities where it can be more challenging to find funding.  

What has it been like to connect with Emergence’s nonprofit clients? 

I’ve been a part of our regular weekly client meetings, which I’ve loved. I realized early on that you can look at a client’s portfolio to see what programs they are operating–but it’s essential to hear in their own voice how they view their organization to truly understand their mission and vision and to be able to write and advocate for them using their own language. I think that’s a really vital piece of what Emergence does, in meeting with clients weekly to build a strong relationship over time–so that you can be honest and open about what’s happening, at work and beyond. It’s a really incredible kind of support, to give your clients a safe space to vent and really be themselves. 

Overall, I really love being behind the scenes–doing the background work, the organizational work, helping to find funding–and seeing these organizations really become what they are. It feels really great to contribute to organizations in this way, and I think my time at Emergence has sparked a passion in me for nonprofit work. 

What are some highlights of the work so far? 

I’ve had the chance to explore new topics. I’ve done a lot of work with the Steve Brown Art Center which works to bring artistic opportunity and cultural experiences to small rural communities. I was never really artistic in school, and so working with the Center’s team gave me new insight into how important the arts are, particularly for young people, in supporting our mental and emotional health. 

I think it’s just been amazing to see the Emergence team’s commitment to their clients. The whole team has the same mindset of–we’re going to do everything that we possibly can to help each of our clients emerge into whatever they want their organization to look like and to accomplish. They pour every ounce of love into every single client that they have. And I truly say love–because they put so much energy and hard work into all their projects. I think that any client can attest to that. Everyone at Emergence is awesome individually–but as a team, they really get incredible things done. 

And it’s been great to be behind the scenes as an intern, because from the beginning, everyone at Emergence treated me as a full part of the team. We all turned into one big family. 

How have you balanced work with school and family? 

I'm really glad that this internship gave me that experience of how to navigate my career with my family life, including caring for my three small children. Emergence does a really amazing job helping the team find that balance. Sometimes I worked different schedules and nontraditional hours to be able to take care of my kids in the morning, and that makes an incredible difference. I think in this generation coming up, our priorities are different, and our families come first, and I think the Emergence team is showing that you don’t have to work the standard 8 am to 4 to get amazing work done. I think that the shift to not working that typical schedule is going to be so beneficial, because it allows everyone to bring their talent and skill to the workplace in the way that fits best for them. 

As you wrap up at Emergence, what will you take with you? 

I’ll be finishing my bachelors degree in leadership and communications. And while I’m still figuring out my plans for after graduation at this point, being at Emergence has given me a new perspective on nonprofit work that I know will shape what I pursue going forward. It’s also given me the chance and the freedom to learn to fail and to learn from those experiences. There were certainly times that I didn’t achieve exactly what I wanted, but it didn’t feel that I’d failed because there was always someone on the team to honor the work I did get done–and then teach me a better process for the next time. So in some ways, I didn’t feel like these moments were mistakes, but more like teaching and learning moments. That’s an experience that I know will serve me in whatever I do, and I really believe internships should be required or at least encouraged for that reason. 

There are things I learned in this work that I wouldn’t have been able to learn in the classroom. I’ve had the chance to write grants in real life, and those experiences are invaluable. I’ve even been able to share with some of my classmates what I’ve learned and help them forward too. The whole Emergence team taught me so much, and I will carry that with me into whatever career I end up choosing.