Power and Passion by Kay Tejani Read Free Book Online Page B

her shoulder, wondering what they were
doing there, and in doing so bumped right into Isabella, the head
of marketing for this Special Olympics division.
    "Oh, so sorry, Isabella," Sara said as the
two maneuvered around each other in the narrow hallway.
    "Always in a hurry, Sara," Isabella replied
with a lighthearted laugh. "Good morning. And how are you
today?"
    "I am good, thanks." Sara smiled but peered
over Isabella's shoulder as they talked. She lowered her voice and
nodded toward the crowd she had passed in the lobby. "Listen, do
you know what they're all doing here?"
    Isabella also looked at them. Some smiled
and waved at her. "They're the new interns, remember?" she told
Sara. "The scholarship group?"
    Sara took in a sudden breath. "Today is the
day they start?" How could she have forgotten? A couple times a
year, they welcomed a new group of students of diverse ethnicities
to work in the Special Olympics offices and learn about the world
of nonprofit agencies and business in general. This year they had
students from the American University in Dubai, the Canadian
University of Dubai, the University of Wollongong Dubai, and New
York University in Abu Dhabi. Some of the students were from
scholarship programs in which the leaders of Dubai and Abu Dhabi
paid the schools' fees for those who had talent and skill but could
not otherwise afford higher education. Others put themselves
through school or were fortunate to have their parents' help.
Regardless of how or why they had gotten where they were, all the
interns Sara had worked with so far had been bright and ambitious,
and she always found working with them to be such an enjoyable
experience. They all came in ready to learn—ready to take on the
world, really. To tell the truth, Sara found them inspirational and
a good reminder of why she had pursued this line of work in the
first place.
    Right now, however, she was not exactly sure
what to do with them. Putting a hand on her head as if that would
hold down her spinning thoughts, she rushed around Isabella and
into her office. She dropped her things onto her desk then went
around and opened the windows' blinds, letting in the sharp morning
sunlight. "Oh, goodness, how could I forget such a thing?" she
fretted, nearly knocking over the framed photos and potted plants
that lined the windowsills. Isabella, who had followed, waved a
hand at her and smiled kindly. "Don't worry," she said, jumping
over to right a jade plant that was just about to tip to the floor.
"You've been so busy. No one expects you to remember
everything.
    The point is they're here now, so we have to
find some things for them to do. What can they get started on?"
    Sara stood behind her desk, shuffling
through some papers as she thought. Surely they could do some
filing, answer some emails, take some phone calls. However, that
was busy work, and even though they were unpaid—just there for the
experience of being in a living, breathing workplace—Sara wanted
them to do meaningful tasks. Obviously these were intelligent young
adults; they had been chosen, after all, to attend these
prestigious universities under the umbrella of very honored
scholarship programs. She could not have them doing simple clerical
work.
    "Perhaps a tour of the office is in order
first," she said, looking up at Isabella, her eyes bright. "So they
can meet everyone and learn what we do. Then we can get some input
on what departments they might want to work in while they're
here."
    "That is a good idea," Isabella replied.
"I'll take care of it. You look like you have a lot on your mind
this morning." With another kind smile, Isabella left Sara alone in
her office. Sara dropped down onto her chair and rested her elbows
on the desk then buried her face in her hands. "Agh, how could I
forget something like this?"
    Moving her hands away, she scanned the
calendar blotter on her desk, and there it was on today's date:
"Interns, 8:00 a.m." So she had written it down somewhere at
least.