Written by Ling-chih Kao
On a Thursday afternoon, in room 441 on the forth floor of building E23, three spouses, Irena Stojkov, Marija Simidjievska, and Barbara Lipohar Staples, along with Senior Program Manager Jennifer Recklet Tassi, sat with Thom Dunn from MIT Annual Fund in front of a video camera.
They were shooting a video clip for the Crowdfund MIT website, a pilot crowdfunding platform similar to Kickstarter, to garner funding for MIT spouses&partners’ Career Connect program.
Irena, Marija, and Barbara, all from Europe, are active participants in S&P, especially Career Connect. They wanted to learn the etiquette of approaching the US job market. Resuming career or engaging in personal growth is a major pursuit among the spouses and partners at MIT.
In the video, the spouses spoke passionately about what Career Connect and the S&P program mean to them, and to the MIT community as a whole.
“It is true that S&P helps partners (of MIT people), but it also gives benefits to the entire family and to the MIT community as it fosters happiness and family values.” Irena said.
Marija felt the same way. “MIT as an university invests greatly in their students, researchers, post-docs, PhDs; however, the main support for its students comes from their loved ones, and supporting the spouse or partner of an MIT student is as important as supporting the MIT student.”
S&P helps students take care of one of the most important things – family. “The fact that MIT has such a program for spouses was partly the reason why many decided to come here.” Barbara shared stories she learned at S&P. “Making these spouses happy and valued is what S&P is doing.”
Career Connect is a high-demand program at S&P, serving over 400 participants a year. It is operated with a small budget, majority of which goes to room reservation and child care services, which are offered free of charge as always at S&P events. The speakers have been generous to volunteer their time to share expertise every semester.
As the program gains greater popularity, Jennifer brainstormed with members on ways to further the impact. They plan to invite speakers to touch on new topics, and to record core sessions for those who are unable to attend the workshops in person. Marija knows that Career Connect has such a potential to grow. “Even a little funding can go a long way.” She said.
S&P’s Career Connect is now featured on the Crowdfund MIT website for the month of June. The goal of the one-month crowdfunding campaign is to have at least 50 donors, regardless of the amount they give. MIT Annual Fund will offer an additional $2,500 if the participation goal is reached.
“I was excited! I knew that this participation goal would inspire support for the project. The matching grant will help us make Career Connect accessible to even more of our members.” Said Jennifer, with a huge smile on her face.
To help S&P win the $2,500 extra funding, check out the short video on Crowdfund MIT and make a gift. Any amount can make a difference!
