An Update from Growth Grant Recipient Kate Kelly

I have followed YNPN Chicago for years on social media and always found it as a great network and inspiration for bringing young professionals together. In August 2021, I started working at Foster Progress, a growing Illinois nonprofit with the mission to “empower Illinois youth currently or formerly in foster care to attain a college degree and transition into adulthood successfully by providing mentorship, advocacy, and educational opportunity.” In my new role as Operations Manager on a team of five, I use my previously acquired knowledge from other roles and my education. On a small team you are often tasked with questions you have never come across before (or had an entire department to defer to) and I am constantly learning new skills as questions arise on the job!