Passing It On: My Time at BCTRHT

Part of the Isa’s Corner series: reflections on belonging, identity, and community in Battle Creek.

My time as the Social Media and Community Engagement Intern at BCTRHT taught me that democracy isn't a given. You have to practice it, in ordinary rooms, with people who choose to show up. That's the lesson I'm carrying forward as I close this chapter.

BCTRHT creates spaces for change, acceptance, and discourse. I've watched community members, local, and state leaders sit at the same table with no titles or hierarchy, just two people talking through issues and triumphs together. Watching that happen so naturally taught me more about what democracy looks like than any classroom ever did.

The National Day of Racial Healing was the moment that changed something in me. I sat in a room with hundreds of community leaders, and for the first time, I felt like part of something greater than myself. It reassured me that my role wasn't just to post and promote. It was to be a catalyst for positive change in my own community.

My bosses Elizabeth and Tha truly guided and paved a path for me to enter the community as an active member. Whenever I sought out guidance I was eagerly met with their council.

Tha assisted me in more than just my internship, she always asked me how I was doing and truly wanted to listen to what I had to say. She invoked a curiosity in me about what I will do after my time while studying to obtain my bachelors degree. Talking with her about the work ahead left me eager to keep going, and it got me thinking seriously about what comes next for me, both at BCTRHT and beyond it.

Weekly meetings with Elizabeth kept me inspired, accountable, and informed. Week after week, that consistency taught me something I didn't expect going in: showing up matters, even when the work feels small. A flyer, a check-in, a post may not look like much on its own. But it adds up into something that actually moves and affects the community.

Just recently, that lesson came full circle in the Shared Humanity Essential Skills workshop. Laura and Elizabeth taught me the benefits of empathetic listening, and how to actually act in a way that aligns with my values instead of just listing them. It's one thing to say you care about a community. It's another to sit down, listen without an agenda, and let that shape what you do next. Sitting in that room, I realized it was the same thing I'd been practicing all along.

Looking back on all of it, from the community events, to conversations, workshops, and even the quiet weekly check-ins, I learned that democracy is something people build together, in spaces like the ones BCTRHT gave me the chance to sit in.

As I close this chapter, I want to extend my knowledge and use my story to move young community members to participate in our their communities. I will try to carry the quiet moments and the big ones as I navigate my next steps. I'm still learning how, but more grateful than ever that I got to start here. 

Thank you to all the readers who have read my post, made comments, and gave feedback. This was my first time broadcasting my reflections and stories and the engagement from community members kept me motivated to continue.

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Isa’s Corner is a storytelling series exploring belonging, identity, and community through the reflections of a young leader growing and learning in Battle Creek.