Making a Difference: Eastside College Prep Student Interns

Eastside Interns at BayLegal (L-R): Ruben Robles (2011), Corine Forward (2015), Alicia Ponce-Diaz (2011), Alma Gonzalez-Martinez (2014), Vanessa Meija (2014)

Since 2012, Bay Area Legal Aid has provided internships to 13 Eastside College Prep students who make a difference not only in the office, but out in the world.

Eastside College Prep grounds their students with a strong support system while connecting them to internships that make a difference. The career and alumni team ensure every student has the opportunity to explore career paths through internships both during and after high school.

For some Eastsiders, the ability to help serve the community in which they were raised is a dream come true. Alicia Ponce-Diaz knew she always wanted to become a translator after witnessing her parents struggles to obtain resources in Spanish. After talking with former Eastside career coach Kate Hiester about internships in this field, she found Bay Area Legal Aid. Alicia helps run Domestic Violence clinics throughout San Mateo County. Ruben Robles also talked with Kate about an internship focused on social justice and she suggested he intern with Bay Area Legal Aid. Two internships and three years later, Ruben works as a part-time clinic coordinator. He says, “BayLegal has reinforced my passion for social justice and now I’m even thinking about law school in the future.”

With internships at BayLegal, students are not only able to receive work experience and experiment with potential careers, but are also able to create real change in people’s lives. “It gave me chills to deliver the good news to a client that she would be receiving her permanent residency,” Alma Gonzalez-Martinez says about a recent client. “It just gets me excited to know that one day I will be able to do all the work behind it.”