Ahh, the sweet smell of summer vacation. Or at least summer in this case. We work with a lot of teens, so we understand their yearning to be out on a break, focusing on things that make them happy, unloading the pressure that has been weaved into the everyday workings of their lives. Here at Hopelab, we like to celebrate summer too. The longer evenings, the shorter summer hours on Friday- heck ya we like leaving a little bit early to enjoy the sunshine!
Besides the summer hours and the warm San Francisco weather, we also have welcomed four wonderful interns to our team! We are excited to have Hannah, Elizabeth, Kristen, and Maria join us for a summer of design, innovation, and impact! Welcoming them with open arms, we have gotten to know them these past few weeks and because they are so great- really so great- we think that everyone should get to know them too.
Surprise! I, the author am actually an intern as well! My name is Maria Santana and I am local to the Bay Area and just recently graduated from Chapman University in Orange County. I recently earned my B.A. in Strategic and Corporate Communication and minored in Leadership and Organizational Studies. Specializing in marketing, communication, event design, and social media management, I am aiding the marketing and communications team and excited to spread the word about the important work Hopelab is doing. Specifically, I carry heavy knowledge in the social media sector and hope to increase the following within teens and young adults and they’re engagement in Hopelab. In my free time, I enjoy exploring San Francisco and Berkeley area, reading and writing, and spending time with loved ones. My favorite activities include thrift shopping and exploring the best in food in the Bay Area.
Elizabeth Ly is working with the NFP project team and Goal Mama project as a Research Intern, helping the team to train nurses on how to enroll moms into the NFP Goal Coaching Pilot Study, creating a qualitative data collection infrastructure, and providing general logistical support for the project. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health at her alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley. She has a passion for reproductive justice which is evident in her efforts to infuse social justice into her work and studies. Her current academic focus is exploring how research can be leveraged to reduce health inequities in sexual and reproductive health in the United States. She worked last semester to help UC Berkeley develop its first online, self-directed, open source course for practitioners and researchers to learn about and apply the life course theory lens in their work. In her free time, Elizabeth enjoys finding the best bites a neighborhood has to offer, playing tennis and gaming (board and video alike!) with her friends.
Hannah Park is the Vivibot Project Intern and will be working closely with the rest of the Cancer Mindshift team to help Vivibot grow and make an impact in the cancer survivor community. She will be assisting in driving strategy for the support bot and working to increase engagement. She’s only been at Hopelab for a few days, but she’s already thrilled about the projects, people, and environment here. The enthusiasm and passion of those who work here are contagious and everyone is always willing to lend a hand. While she’s an intern, she feels the intense impact that Hopelab has on communities and feels empowered to make a difference while she is here.
Kristen Chu is a Strategy and Design Intern at Hopelab, working on a project that relates to loneliness and mental well-being in college students. She is approaching her fourth year as an undergraduate at the University of California, Santa Barbara, majoring in Psychology and Communication and minoring in Applied Psychology. Extremely interested in the intersection between psychology and business and am particularly passionate about mental health and well-being. Originally, she hails from Torrance, California and loves watching movies, traveling, and trying new foods.
