When Anna Everly ’27 and Olivia Cass ’27 joined the Rhodes Impact Summer Experience (RISE) fellowship, they knew they’d spend the summer serving Memphis in meaningful ways. What they didn’t expect was how deeply their work with the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) would shape their understanding of community, leadership, and purpose.
For Anna Everly, a business and economics major from Jackson, MS, RISE was a chance to put her organizational and analytical skills into practice while serving others.
“RISE is a summer fellowship that allows students to experience working for a nonprofit while also learning more about the Memphis community,” Everly explains. “Students who are eager to give back to their community while gaining hands-on experience are great candidates for this fellowship.”
At MIFA, Everly worked on the communications team, organizing and analyzing survey data for the organization’s Meals on Wheels program—an effort that provides daily meals to seniors across Memphis. She also collaborated with other interns to create a video to thank MIFA supporters and showcase the impact of their work.
“I really enjoyed working with the people at MIFA and getting to meet MIFA clients on meal delivery routes,” says Everly. “It was amazing getting to be part of such an impactful organization and getting to meet the people whose lives were changed. The leadership at MIFA is amazing, and I always felt like my voice was heard. If I had an idea, my supervisor would support me and encourage me to take the lead and make it happen.”
By summer’s end, Everly had strengthened her technical skills in Excel and video editing while also gaining insight into nonprofit communication and management. “Through this fellowship, I gained the skills and experience needed to set myself up for success. I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve with MIFA and contribute to the Memphis community. This experience has been both professionally enriching and personally inspiring.”
While Everly focused on communications and client engagement, Olivia Cass, a double major in religious studies and educational studies from Nashville, TN, explored the spiritual and community-building aspects of MIFA’s mission.
Working in the Inter-Faith Department alongside Rev. Sandra Summers, MIFA’s inter-faith director, Cass helped strengthen partnerships with local congregations and design opportunities for faith groups of all backgrounds to serve Memphis together. “My biggest takeaway was that the work I did behind the scenes can make the biggest impact,” says Cass.
Along with their internships, fellows in the RISE cohort regularly meet together and participate in activities coordinated by the Center for Career and Professional Development that connect the work they are doing with the city of Memphis. “Through RISE, I am happy to have connected with other Rhodes students as we shared the mutual call to serve the great city of Memphis. We did everything from exploring Memphis on the MATA bus system to listening to a panel of Memphis nonprofit CEOs to participating in a resume/elevator pitch-building workshop,” says Cass.
Together, Everly and Cass embody what RISE is designed to achieve—students applying their academic knowledge to strengthen Memphis through meaningful, community-centered work. Both left their internships with new skills, a deeper understanding of leadership, and a shared gratitude for the connections they built along the way.
By Jeb Mathis ’27