Community Liaison
For this week's Staff Highlight I decided I would interview Sharday, one of the first staff members I met here at HI! The Community Liaison position, previously called "Activity and Volunteer Coordinator", does a lot of, you guessed it, both connecting with the community and coordinating activities and volunteers. If you've been on one of the hostel's neighborhood excursions or weekend pub crawls, Sharday probably had a hand in making it a possibility. She also helps with all major events held at the hostel from open houses to educational activities, promoting the hostel's mission all the way. Another responsibility of Sharday's position is coordinating the Internship program, but I would call it more of a highlight!
When asked what drew her to this position, Sharday said that, like the majority of the staff here, she has always loved to travel and has had a lot of experience staying in hostels. She thought HI Chicago seemed like a fun environment and a good opportunity to meet new people with similar interests, all while engaging and helping a community. She has traveled many places, including parts of Europe, being sponsored to stay with a host family in China, and completing an Internship with the United Nations in Saudi Arabia.
Sharday has only lived in Chicago for 2 1/2 years, and has no plans of leaving, permanently anyways, any time soon. She moved to do P.R. work for the Arab Music Ensemble who offered her a position after she returned from her Internship in Saudi Arabia, and has been in love with the city ever since.
3 of Sharday's Favorite things about Chicago:
Walking along the Lakefront
Golden House Restaurant & Pancake House - In Uptown, good breakfast food and people-watching!
Pilsen - The best Chicago neighborhood when you're craving amazing tacos!
*Written by Intern Jess Scherer
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