Meet the 2018 CCDFI ‘B’ BOLD Interns:
Erika Charco & Aylinne Mendoza
About Erika:
- Grade: Senior
- High School: Godinez Fundamental High School – Santa Ana, CA
- Favorite Subjects: English and Science
- How She Heard about ‘B’ BOLD: Local community center
- College Plans: Attend UC Berkeley
About Aylinne:
- Grade: Senior
- High School: Santiago High School – Garden Grove, CA
- Favorite Subject(s): Science
- How She Heard about ‘B’ BOLD: OCCHC’s Stepping Up Program
- College Plans: Attend UCI or Cal State Fullerton
2018 ‘B’ BOLD Intern Q & A
Here’s what Erika and Aylinne had to say during week #1 of their ‘B’ BOLD internship experience with Clearinghouse CDFI:
Q: Please share one fun fact about yourself:
Erika: “I dislocated the bone in my pinky in elementary school when playing tether ball with my best friend. It is the only bone I have broken.”
Aylinne: “One fun fact about myself is that I don’t have my appendix. At only 10 years of age, my appendix burst and I had to endure two surgeries.”
Q: Any hobbies?
Erika: “During my spare time, I enjoy reading memoirs at Barnes and Noble while enjoying a hot cup of coffee. I also play basketball in the afternoons and walk around my local park.”
Aylinne: “I love to draw and sketch on my free time and I hope one day I’ll be able to pursue a career that incorporates the love for creativity.”
Q: What are your strengths? Any hidden talents?
Erika: “I am a diligent person who stays committed to my work and perseveres under difficult times to grow as a person. I adopt an open mind-set in order to be open to failure and be willing to learn from my mistakes as a human.”
Aylinne: “I am a fast learner and a diligent person. However, I don’t have hidden talents that I know of.”
Q: Are you outgoing or reserved?
Erika: “I have a reserved personality as a result of being an introverted person. However, when necessary I reach out to other people for support or advice. I am not afraid to make friends and share experiences.”
Aylinne: “I have a more reserved personality but I want to be more of an outgoing person through the ‘B’ BOLD Internship.”
Q: Who do you look up to?
Erika: “Although she is one year older than me, my cousin Julie is a role model to me. She has worked hard to gain admittance to the college of her choosing and is brave and bold to move on campus. She has actively stayed involved in extracurricular activities, balanced internship(s), and learned how to drive a car.”
Aylinne: “I look up to my mom because she’s a hard worker and a single mother of four. I hope that one day I capture her image of a conscientious and loving person.”
Q: Name one challenge you’ve faced and explain how you overcame it.
Erika: “With the arrival of a new [sibling], and gaining higher expectations and responsibilities, my grades suffered as a result of a lack of commitment and dedication. My grades gradually dropped because I was constantly tired and was not attaining enough sleep. Thus, I reached out to my AVID teacher about my situation and she helped me create tiny goals to accomplish and submit my late work and study for future tests.”
Aylinne: “At a young age I had to grow up without a father figure and to me it was really difficult. However, I learned to move forward and find happiness within myself and family.”
Q: Dream job:
Erika: “My dream job is to become an English High School Teacher or any other career that will help my community.”
Aylinne: “My dream job is any type of career that involves creativity. I really like to draw and I hope that someday I can use it in my working environment.”
Q: What does being selected as a CCDFI ‘B’ BOLD Internship Awardee mean to you?
Erika: “I am grateful and appreciative of being selected for the ‘B’ BOLD Internship Award Program. By working in a professional setting to acquire communication skills, empathy, learning how to code and many more, I can apply it to my life in college. This will allow me to set an example for my sisters and further guide them to apply to other similar companies or clubs that will help them along the way.”
Aylinne: “Being selected as part of the ‘B’ BOLD Internship Program means a lot and I find it as an opportunity to stay in touch with my community and learning experience. I think it’s really important in order to heighten my chances of learning about real life situations and being accepted into four-year universities.”
Q: What do you hope to learn about at CCDFI?
Erika: “I hope to learn more associated with loans and how money functions in a society, as well as savings accounts and many other life skills.”
Aylinne: “I hope to learn more background about CCDFI and what they do to help low-income communities. I would also like to know their history on the number of communities they have helped in the past.”
Q: What department or area sounds the most interesting to you?
Erika: “The marketing department.”
Aylinne: “I find the graphic designing area more interesting because anything to do with creativity is really enticing.”
Q: Anything else you’d like us to know—anything at all?
Erika: “I am human and make mistakes. Therefore, it is bound that I will get lost around the office or make a minor mistake in my work. All I ask for is patience!”
Aylinne: “I have severely bad eye sight and if I forget my glasses, please bear with me as I tend to get lost.”
2017 ‘B’ BOLD Interns, Salvador Leon and Victoria Esquivel, Welcome CCDFI’s New 2018 ‘B’ BOLD Interns, Aylinne Mendoza and Erika Charco
About the ‘B’ BOLD Internship Award Program
Inspired by the values of the B Corp community to “build bridges,” the ‘B’ BOLD initiative was created by Clearinghouse CDFI to empower and develop the next generation of leaders. Clearinghouse CDFI, with the support and generosity of its community partners, offers an annual summer internship program for college-bound high school juniors and seniors hailing from low-income families.
The program aims to expose internship awardees to a real-life professional setting, provide job experience, and provide access to positive role models. The Allen Peters Baldwin ‘B’ BOLD Internship Program will help empower youths from low-income areas that do not have access to the same resources and opportunities.
Clearinghouse CDFI believes it is important to build a bridge to the next generation so that tomorrow’s leaders will continue to build mission driven businesses.
‘B’ BOLD Program Dedication
Clearinghouse CDFI is proud to dedicate the B BOLD Internship Award Program to Allen Peters Baldwin for his commitment to helping low-income families through Orange County Community Housing Corporation – SteppingUP. Mr. Baldwin embodies the spirit of the ‘B’ BOLD program with his ongoing dedication to serving others.
