I’ve found myself playing two very different parts in the same bigger story. During some days, I’m an Early Childhood Teacher at Elements of Learning, helping toddlers learn how to navigate the world around them. Other days, I shift to my role as an Operations Intern at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), supporting families who have just arrived in the U.S. and are starting over from scratch.
These experiences have made me reflect a lot on what real social change looks like. Is it organizing marches and rallies? Passing legislation? Or maybe it’s the small, everyday work that happens quietly in classrooms and offices. I’m starting to see how all of these actions — big and small — fit together like puzzle pieces.
The most immediate stakeholders in my summer work are children and families. At the preschool, I interact with children who are developing language, social-emotional skills, and a sense of security. Their parents are counting on us to provide a safe, nurturing environment — and in many cases, this early support can shape their long-term educational outcomes.
At the IRC, the families I indirectly serve are often newly arrived immigrants or refugees. They’re navigating complex systems — housing, employment, healthcare — all in a new country, often in a new language. Though my work is more administrative (budgets, resource tracking, logistics), I’ve learned that solid operations are essential to delivering real help.
There are also indirect stakeholders: my coworkers, community service partners, nonprofit funders, and even local governments. These people and institutions all influence how services are delivered, who gets access, and whether those services are sustainable.
I’m not new to caring about these issues. As someone studying social work and political science on a pre-law track, I’ve long been interested in equity, especially for children and marginalized families. I’ve seen firsthand — through experiences in my own community and family — how tough it can be for people to access support when systems are confusing, underfunded or not built with cultural sensitivity in mind.
At the preschool, I bring that lens to how I engage with families. I try to be conscious of cultural differences, economic stress, and how trauma can show up in kids. At the IRC, I’m constantly thinking about how operational decisions — like how quickly a client gets housing or whether their case manager is properly supported — impact someone’s ability to rebuild their life.
In reviewing research for my literature review, I noticed that professionals and academics often dominate the conversation: child development experts, policy analysts, social service leaders. Their work is important, but something’s missing — the voices of families themselves.
We don’t hear enough directly from low-income parents trying to find affordable childcare, or refugees trying to learn the bus system and find a job within two weeks. These stories have power. I want to bring more of those perspectives into my work — not by speaking for people, but by helping create systems that listen better and respond more effectively. I realized that this summer, I’m embodying a blend of Change Agent and Reformer.
As a Change Agent, I’m directly influencing the way children learn and grow. In our classroom, I’m teaching kindness, boundaries, and how to express emotions — all foundational social skills that will stick with them. It might not look like activism, but the ripple effects are real. If we want long-term change in society, we have to invest in early education and emotional literacy from the start.
At the same time, my work with the IRC is clearly situated in the Reformer role. I’m helping strengthen the internal systems of a nonprofit that serves thousands of people. It’s not front-line work in the traditional activist sense — but if operations break down, families don’t get housing, resources, or employment help. That’s a high-stakes role, even if it doesn’t always come with recognition.
These roles all have strengths and challenges — and that movements need all four to succeed. Rebels might draw attention to injustice, but they need Reformers to help translate that momentum into policy. Citizens bring values into the conversation, but Change Agents push the public to take action. It’s not about choosing the “right” role — it’s about knowing which one fits the moment.
I used to think of social change as something loud and visible — protests, political speeches, big policy wins. This summer has shown me a quieter, equally powerful side of it. Sometimes social change looks like a toddler learning to say “please” instead of grabbing. Sometimes it’s making sure a spreadsheet is accurate so a family doesn’t fall through the cracks. I’m learning that you don’t have to be at the front of the march to be part of the movement. You can also be behind the scenes.
– Natalia Arroyo
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