Brendan Moore

I jumped at the opportunity to help write a grant for 31 Backpacks, a nonprofit that delivers food to kids in need. In a group of seven, researched the local need and organization, assembled a list of awards and letters of support, and created an organizational chart in order to fulfill the requirements of Michigan’s common grant application.

Due to the lived experience of growing up poor, I ended up as the big picture guy. This meant helping group members as they had questions and leading the research.

During my final semester at MTU, I only actually had to take one class to graduate. When choosing what classes to achieve full-time status, I found SS4040 Civic Communications. I figured this class would be useful to help merge skills acquired as a STC student with the skills I’ll acquire as I pursue a Master’s in Social Work.

The professor had the class split into groups of two or three. From there we chose issues to introduce to the class, research, create an issue brief, and ultimately create a policy recommendation report. My partner and I elected to recover the parole system.