The 2008 Echoing Green summer interns have hit the ground running here at our offices on Manhattan's west side. They've quickly grown accustomed to Echoing Green's unique culture, where City Year's Michael Brown or One Acre Fund's Andrew Youn might stop by at some unexpected moment. They bring a fresh vibe to the office space, and have told me that it means a lot to be supporting so many amazing social entrepreneurs.

The program department is thrilled by the arrival of Ellen, Shavata, and Eileen. Ellen Eng graduated from Wesleyan University in May 2008 with a BA in Government. Ellen is a native New Yorker—from Elmhurst, Queens—and plans to pursue an interest in international relations. Her work with us will focus on the search and selection process. Shavata Gupta graduated from Boston University School of Management with a BS in Business Administration. Originally from India and later Morristown, NJ, she begins work at Deloitte in the fall. She'll be assisting with database management. Eileen DeLeon is a rising junior at City College of New York, with a double major in English and Economics. She is a Jeanette K. Watson fellow, and is working toward a career in publishing. She will support the program team in a variety of ways.

Karimah and Zach have joined the strategy and communications team. Karimah Nichols is a rising senior at Wesleyan University, where she majors in English. She worked at The After School Corporation in 2007, and is involved in a microfinance initiative at school. She will focus on web outreach. Zach Kolodin graduated from Wesleyan University in 2007, and spent the last year as a Coro Fellow. He's also launching a start-up advocacy initiative called Young People First. At Echoing Green, he'll primarily be doing research. And yes, we seem to have an obsession with Wesleyan at Echoing Green.

Please be sure to say hello when you visit the office…