Redwood City — When Laila Flores first learned that she was going to intern in the County Attorney’s office, she wasn’t exactly sure what the office did.
"When I applied for the internship, I put District Attorney and County Attorney because I didn’t know the difference but knew I was interested in law,” said Flores, a junior at Southern University in Baton Rouge, La., majoring in political science.
However, after nearly completing her summer internship and attending court every day to observe both civil and criminal cases, she now does.
Flores laughed about the common misconception between the two County offices. (The District Attorney handles criminal matters; the County Attorney provides legal services to County departments.)
“The funny thing is that a lot of other interns say the same thing when I tell them about my internship,” she said. “It’s not something you think about until you are actually here.”
And being “here” is what a County internship is all about, according to Chaten Berry, the County’s intern coordinator.
“The goal is to get them real-life experience and to give them an idea of what local government entails, especially in the field they are interested in,” Berry said.
This summer, the County of San Mateo is hosting more than five dozen students in paid internship programs, including the Live in Peace Hoover Fellows, Jobs for Youth and the Supported Training & Employment Program for Emancipated Foster Youth.
For many students like Flores and Malia Langi, a Hoover Fellow interning with the Sustainability Department, these programs have significantly impacted their lives.
“It was awesome because the program has helped me so much with pursuing higher education and real-life circumstances,” Langi said.
In 2022, the County partnered with Live in Peace, a nonprofit organization in East Palo Alto focused on supporting disadvantaged and underserved high school and college students, to create the Hoover Fellowship program. The program offers County internship opportunities to its top students.
Langi, a senior studying business administration and marketing at Louisiana State University of Alexandria, La., has been involved with Live in Peace since 2016. She wanted to intern at the County to grow her business and marketing skills.
"Originally, my first pick was Human Resources. But when I came to the Sustainability Department, it showed me that business administration and marketing doesn’t always have to be applied to what you think.”
“You can apply business administration and marketing to sustainability. You can learn all these different skill sets, even in a whole different field, and that has made me a lot more adaptable,” she said.
Similarly, the Jobs for Youth summer internship program places youth between the ages of 18 to 21 in different County departments. Interns can network with County workers and receive career mentoring and development throughout their employment. Interns can also apply to the JFY Al Teglia Scholarship program that provides 20 youth with $2,000 each towards their higher education journey each year.
Mariela Haro, an intern working for the Assessment Appeals Board and a sophomore at City College of San Francisco, has participated in the Jobs for Youth internship program for two summers.
"I’m very grateful for the program. If you want help to prepare for interviews or have your resume reviewed, they are there to help you. Just from the services they provide, you can tell they want to see you succeed," she said.
Haro says the program and her relationships with team members pushed her to return to the County this summer.
“They know so much, and they are great mentors. Especially this summer, I got to know about their background and their stories ... I think that’s why I returned because I wanted to learn more from my mentors,” Haro said.
The Supported Training & Employment Program (STEP) for Emancipated Foster Youth is tailored to introduce former foster youth in the county to the professional work field. Unlike other County internships that offer summer-only programs, STEP internships last six to 12 months and continuously recruit new interns. Each STEP intern is assigned a County employee coach, providing additional support and mentorship.
However, most County interns apply through the County Internship Program, which is open to anyone 18 years and older and can be offered year-round or during the summer, depending on the department.
Tyler Beer, an intern with the Cyber Security team in the Information Services Department, is a senior at the University of California at Davis studying computer science. Before starting his internship, he didn’t have much experience with cyber security or knowledge about “the industry.
“I feel like coming out of this internship, I am leaving with so much more than I imagined. There are so many different fields and avenues that you can pursue in the industry. My team has been super helpful by allowing me to dip my toes in different fields and see where I enjoy working the most,” he said.
Beer credits his internship and team with building his skills in researching, writing policies and presenting his ideas in an organized manner, as well as receiving valuable advice from co-workers about what certifications to get — “a big thing in cyber security.”
Other interns, like Lindsay Ryan, who interns for County Health and studies public health and media studies at the University of California at Berkeley, said her supervisor, Health Chief Louise Rogers, was her “guiding force” to intern at the County. “She is just such a brilliant and inspiring woman. I’ve learned so much from her,” she said.
In addition to learning about local government and gaining valuable experience, Berry says that the public service aspect of the County’s work remains the center of all the internship programs.
Raquel Henriquez, a bilingual community engagement intern working for the Parks Department, grew up in the county and wanted to serve her community while pursuing her interest in environmental studies.
“The interpretative division is correlated to my environmental studies and biology major, and I have always been passionate about working with the Hispanic community as I do speak Spanish,” she said.
Her internship also taught Henriquez that she loves working with children.
“We actually get to be in the parks and have hands-on experience with nature, animals and people. I’d love to continue working in a field like that,” she added.
Langi shares similar feelings.
“Living in a low-income community and also from my own hardships, I knew I wanted to bring more resources to communities like mine in East Palo Alto, which is why I want to start my own business. This internship has allowed me to set my career by adding to my portfolio and my resume,” she said.
Flores, who is now considering a career as a County attorney in Children and Family Services due to her internship, wants to utilize her bilingual skills to better serve her community.
“You can see the impact that your work has on the community. I think that is just so impressive. I want to be a part of that,” Flores said.
For more information about the County’s internship programs and how to apply, click here.
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org