Juggling responsibilities between two business entities in The City of Wooster proved to be a challenge for Ruben Quinteros, Class of 2017. However, Ruben’s difficulties proved beneficial in the end because he was able to enhance his statistical skills and excelled in other areas he did not expect.
Ruben, an economics major from Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, was granted an APEX Fellowship in the summer of 2015. He worked for both the Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Wooster. At the Chamber of Commerce he primarily worked on economic statistics and a tax-abatement program. Main Street Wooster is a non-governmental organization that promotes downtown development. Ruben helped organize events and research the history of some of the buildings downtown.
Ruben’s experience was rewarding in ways he did not expect. He wrote a successful grant for Main Street Wooster. Ruben explained how even though what he did by writing the grant was simply reflect what Main Street did to help revitalize Downtown businesses; he felt that he helped with the revitalization by securing the grant which funds it.
Working for two organizations presented some challenges. Both the Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Wooster were located in the same building and he often switched between the offices. This became difficult when he was given multiple tasks from both organizations. However, the difficulties that he faced taught him how to overcome challenges when they arise.
Ruben was explained how his APEX mentor helped him throughout the summer:
“My APEX mentor went beyond dictating questions for me to reflect on to letting me talk about things that I wanted to talk about: During my internship, the city evicted the inhabitants of “Tent City” after much lobbying and community organization done by the Chamber and Main Street. My APEX mentor helped me to reflect on the ways the job I was doing intersected and even contrasted with social justice and moral conceptions that I valued, and allowed me to better understand the eviction from the perspective of the Chamber and Main Street.
Ruben also valued the weekly written reflection required for Fellows because it helped him stay aware of how he was benefiting from the Fellowship. In addition to his APEX mentor, he also received considerable mentorship from Justin Starlin, the President of Chamber of Commerce. The two developed a close relationship throughout the course of the summer. Marcus’s APEX Fellowship experience enabled him to develop professional relationships and put his economic studies to use.