Student Representative Nadia Makmak reflects on MVF Board experience

Over the past year, I was given the opportunity to work alongside many wonderful people at Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) and on the MVF Board of Directors as the MVF Student Representative. I got to sit in on the monthly meetings of the Board of Directors as well as spend my summer interning at the MVF Office and getting to know the moving parts that make Montgomery Village such a great place to live.

As a high school student, I know that it is harder to get your opinion heard about the various happenings in your community. As the Student Rep, being able to sit in on these Board meetings gave me the perfect chance to give useful insight on the things that matter to my peers and me. I was also able to learn more about the community and listen to the discussion and concerns of the residents while working alongside the other caring and dedicated members of the Board to make decisions that better Montgomery Village.

During my summer internship, I spent each week working with different departments and learning about what they do and how they bring the community of MV together. In the Communications Department, I was able to see the dedication of the staff to produce the informative Village News. My favorite part had to have been taking pictures of the Squeals on Wheels event with Maria and Kristen…and petting the alpacas and bunnies, of course!

Within the Recreation & Parks Department, I met many great people, including Duncan, whose passion for making the Village fun and beautiful is felt throughout the entire department. I worked alongside Petra to learn how much commitment it takes to manage MVF’s numerous and fun pools. I met many of the hardworking lifeguards that work to keep our community having a safe and fun time, and worked with some of the pool operators to learn how much care is put into maintaining our pools. I also worked with the Conservation Corps team on various community clean-up projects.

In Community Management, Karen and her team showed me the process of maintaining the Village and giving MVF the expertise it needs to keep residents happy and keep the community closely-knit. In Architectural Standards, I learned about the different standards in each homes corporation. I loved going along on architectural inspections and sitting in on the Architectural Review Board meeting to see the attention to detail that the staff puts into their work to keep Montgomery Village looking beautiful and harmonious.

Last but not least, I worked with Finance and Administration, setting up Board meeting packets with Juana and learning about the thoughtful budgeting and allocation of funds with Daniel that keep Montgomery Village running.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time as the MVF Student Rep and am so grateful for all the wonderful people that made this experience possible, as well as commit themselves every day to making Montgomery Village a place to call home. I know that the skills I learned during the year are lifelong skills and will be used in my future, regardless of my career path. This is a wonderful opportunity that I urge any high school junior to take.