The Elizabethtown College motto, “Educate for Service,” does not end with graduation. Many Blue Jays leave the nest and enter service-oriented professions. Melissa Plotkin, ’91 is one of those Etown alumni.
Plotkin works for the York Jewish Community Center (JCC), a nonprofit community center which serves all residents of York County.
Membership to the York JCC includes access to a relaxation center with a whirlpool, sauna and steam room, a fitness center and other resources, according to their website.
They also offer classes and programs, such as wellness and fitness, children’s education, youth/teen camps, Jewish culture and holiday programs, Holocaust education, diversity education and contemporary adult programming, according to their website.
Plotkin currently serves as Director of The Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Social Change (IDEAS), a new venture of the York JCC. This new building was donated for two years and will allow the York JCC to move to downtown York.
Previously, Plotkin held the position of Director of Community Engagement & Diversity at the York JCC. Some of her duties included fostering partnerships with other community centers, consulting with local businesses and schools, developing a list of community partners and conducting culture and climate assessments.
Plotkin said she chose to pursue a career in nonprofits because she enjoys volunteering.
“When I was looking for a job right out of college, I volunteered a lot, and I fell in love with working for a nonprofit,” she said. “It was one of those things where passion for helping others motivated me.”
While at Etown, Plotkin was a political science major with a sociology minor. She said her major helped prepare her for her positions with York JCC through an increased understanding of government processes.
“That’s one part of my job I really enjoy and felt prepared for, working with legislators and their staff,” she said.
Plotkin also said her minor has been helpful because she learned about society and how people interact with each other. She specifically remembered a class with former associate professor of sociology Dr. Caleb Rosado.
For current Etown students considering a career in nonprofits, Plotkin suggested volunteering at the organization first in the same way that someone might intern at a company before working there full-time.
“I would encourage [students] to volunteer and get a taste of what work that organization does,” Plotkin said. “Nonprofit work is more than people think. It’s a lot of time and work, but a lot of people balance that with their passion.”
Similarly, Plotkin encourages her daughter—who wants to be a teacher—to gain teaching experience while she is still in high school and learn hands-on whether that is a field she wants to pursue after high school. Plotkin’s advice is also tied to her own personal experience.
During the summer between her junior and senior years at Etown, Plotkin interned at her local congressman’s office in Washington, D.C. Through this internship, she discovered that she did not enjoy working in a congressional office and preferred nonprofit work.
Plotkin said another reason she would encourage current students to volunteer is because it can lead to networking and job opportunities in the future.
“[Volunteering is] also a great opportunity to get to know people because it’s not always what you know, but who you know,” she said.
To learn more about the York JCC, visit https://yorkjcc.org/.
