Meet Lucy Vega, The Intern Project Alum!

The Intern Project (TIP) was launched by LAPF Co-Chair Megan Chernin in 2014 to connect high school students in Los Angeles with internships that would give them a window into the professional world and pay them in the process. We’ve had over 300 interns over the six years since we launched, and some amazing partners – like Kaiser Permanente, SpaceX, Gagosian Gallery, Fullscreen, and more.

Lucy Vega was one of our first TIPsters. She interned at Fullscreen and became the face of the program after being featured in our TIP video. We had the chance to catch up with her, six years later, and find out where she is now, and how TIP impacted her life.

What has happened over the last six years, since you interned at Fullscreen?

I graduated in the top 10% of my high school, Francisco Bravo Medical Magnet High School. I was then accepted to UC San Diego, and graduated with a degree in international business. I was a study bug in college. I also held various sales jobs: I tutored 4th graders and English learners, and I found long-term donors for Doctors Without Borders. On the side, I started cleaning apartments. It was an informal business, and I was really proud of myself. I was like, “I am making money on my own. I found these clients on my own.”

Take us back to summer 2014. What was your experience with TIP like?

That was the most eventful summer of my whole high school. I interned at Fullscreen. Everyone was just so welcoming. That was the first time I ever saw an office setting that wasn’t like The Office. I always imagined all companies were cubicles. TIP exposed me to a different way of thinking. Fullscreen just had a different culture that was so collaborative.

How did the Fullscreen internship influence your career path?

I shadowed every department at Fullscreen. I had to take notes, make presentations, and present to my mentors. The experience built my presentation skills and my confidence. I feel like that really helped me through high school and even into college.

Seeing how Fullscreen operated and how LAPF connected companies to this greater mission of giving back was really influential. My favorite classes were the Ethics of Climate Change, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Social Entrepreneurship. I want a job that allows me to make a difference.

What would you say to someone about to start an internship?

Be a sponge and ask any question that comes to mind. Stay open to the experience, push yourself. You’re going to experience a lot of growth, not just professionally, but also personally.

What’s next for you?

Can I apply for The Intern Project again?! I was looking up LAPF, and I saw everything you’re doing, and I was like “I want to be 14 again. I want to be in all the programs!” But also, I want to give back. That’s why I moved back to LA, so that I can give back to my community.

In this COVID-19, remote world, our young people continue to need career exposure and career fairs. At the LA Promise Fund, we’re working to reimagine career exposure and preparedness, adapting The Intern Project and more of our programming to fit in a remote world. Stay tuned!