Our program’s reach and positive impact on the lives of young people would not be possible without the hard work, passion and dedication of our talented team. It’s our people-power that makes Peer Health Exchange a unique and amazing place to work. In this ‘Day in the Life’ series, we shine the spotlight on one employee at a time—providing just a snapshot of what they do—over the course of a typical day.
Your Name: Geo Hernandez
Your Job Title: Senior Program Manager, Boston
In your own words, describe what you do in one sentence: I coach and train the Boston volunteer corps while supporting the day to day implementation of our program model.
Your direct manager’s title: Program Director, Boston
- 10:30-11:00 AM: Since a big part of my job is working with our college volunteers, my start time is adjusted to reflect the evening meetings I attend on their campuses. I’m not really a morning person so the late start works perfectly for me. On my commute in, I try to catch up on my favorite books and resist the urge to check my email (not always successfully).
- 1:00 PM: We love meetings at Peer Health Exchange! Since we are all in different cities we spend a lot of time connecting virtually. It took some getting used to but now I appreciate how easy it is to check-in with someone thousands of miles away. I still don’t know what do with my face though. Today I was meeting with team members in New York and San Francisco to brainstorm how we can get all of Peer Health Exchange staff talking about our equity core value.
- 3:00 PM: While we don’t always get to come to work as burritos and astronauts, Peer Health Exchange has a big culture around care and joy. This is especially helpful in the afternoon when I tend to hit a lull. We often pause to check-in with each other or eat snacks or grab coffee or do whatever we need to do to ensure we are able to do our work. Here we were headed to our Halloween celebration planned by the self-proclaimed phenomenal Boston office fun czar (that’s me!).
- 5:00 PM: This is where all of the magic happens. Around 5pm most of the other staff leave so I get the whole office to myself! At this time, I prep for the evening’s volunteer meetings or catch up on email if I’m not distracted by my executive director. This is the best time to have unplanned conversations with him about life, grad school, and of course the good and sometimes not great aspects of Peer Health Exchange.
- 7:00 PM: Here I’m getting ready for our gender and sexuality training at BU. I’m pretty introverted and a little shy so I always have to pump myself up before leading sessions in front of 150 volunteers. It gets better when they start participating and engaging with me. We do lots of training for our volunteers to make sure they are prepared to work with our young people. My favorite is our series on power, privilege, and oppression.
