Welcome our summer interns!
United Way of Lake County relies heavily on the work of volunteers to help make an impact in local communities. This includes our interns who are ready to volunteer their time and effort to help make a difference. These interns are a valuable part of what we do and how we do it. Meet our summer interns!
Maribel Belen, Community Impact Intern
Why did you want to intern with United Way of Lake County?
This organization is similar to one I would like to work in upon graduating. I also want to help my local community Waukegan and this internship allows me to do that.
What will your internship entail?
I will be assisting in different programs under Community Impact, including Reading Success, Summer Learning Bootcamp, Find Help Lake County and Find Help Outreach.
Where do you go to school and what is your major?
I go to University of Illinois and am majoring in Political Science and Global Studies.
What are you plans after graduation?
I want to work for a nonprofit that aims to help women, children, and/or the immigrant population.
What are your hobbies and/or passions outside of school and work?
I love volunteering with children. I also enjoy reading and running.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I’ll be studying abroad in South Korea this coming spring. I’m also currently studying Korean.
Olivia Incardona, Community Impact Intern
Why did you want to intern with United Way of Lake County?
I was looking to gain experience with community outreach and social services in a hands-on way, and United Way is the perfect organization for me to gain this type of experience.
What will your internship entail?
I will be working with the community impact team to help plan and assist in the summer enrichment programs for students in Waukegan, while also working directly in the classroom to help develop literacy skills and activities.
Where do you go to school and what is your major?
I go to University of Illinois, and I am a Social Work major with a minor in Spanish.
What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan on attending grad school to get my masters in Social Work, then hopefully go on to join a service program such as the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps VISTA.
What are you hobbies and/or passions outside of school and work?
Outside of school and work, I love spending time with my family and friends. My other hobbies include music, traveling, and eating good food.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I had broken 5 bones by the time I was 20.
Luis Gonzalez, Community Impact Intern
What do you hope to learn with your internship at United Way of Lake County?
I hope to gain a lot of good qualities that all the other interns are gaining. I want to gain experience out in the work field by helping kids.
What will your internship entail?
I have been working with Ms. Rivera’s students to increase their skills in reading. I do this by encouraging competition among them to read more.
Where did you go to High School?
I went to Warren Township High School. My favorite subject was math since it has always been one of my strongest subjects.
What are your plans after graduation?
I want to go to college and study something that allows me to really give back to my community.
What are your hobbies/passions outside of school and work?
I love to play basketball, go to the park, sing, write, work on cars and eat.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
If I had unlimited energy, I would work for 24 hours a day.
Ashley Jones, Community Impact Intern
Why did you want to intern with United Way of Lake County?
I wanted to get involved with the youth in the community and I have a passion for education so I felt that the United Way of Lake County was a great avenue to pursue working with that demographic on something I find important.
What will your internship entail?
I will be working with the Community Impact programs to gain knowledge about the things they are doing within the community and learn valuable skills from the staff.
Where do you go to school and what is your major?
I go to school at Northeastern Illinois University and I am majoring in Social Justice.
What are you plans after graduation?
My plans after graduation are to secure full-time employment that I am passionate about and start making decisions about what to pursue in graduate school. I also plan on going on vacation to hike and camp in the Oregon mountains.
What are your hobbies and/or passions outside of school and work?
I enjoy running, kayaking and spending time with my sons Caden (5) and Cooper (4). I love nature and the outdoors so as long as I can be outside, I am happy.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I spent 15 months in Iraq with the United States Army serving as a member of the Female Search Team, responsible for women and children encountered during combat operations.
Jurelle Manalansan, Marketing Intern
Why did you want to intern with United Way of Lake County?
I feel like there are different aspects of marketing that I can grasp here and try to get more hands on experience that I can use for my future career. I believe this is a great opportunity for me to get a small glimpse of how the field of marketing operates.
What will your internship entail?
It will be focused on working alongside the marketing team with upcoming summer projects and help coordinate tasks that needs to be executed within different departments at United Way. A big portion of my internship will be involved in the communications side of marketing.
Where do you go to school and what is your major?
I will be attending University of Wisconsin-Parkside in this fall. My intended major will be towards Marketing with minors in Business Administration and Graphic Design.
What are you plans after graduation?
My plan would definitely get a job in my field! But what I would like to do before that is to go on a European adventure for a month as a graduation present to myself for hitting a milestone in my life!
What are your hobbies and/or passions outside of school and work?
Some of my hobbies are playing tennis with my friends, watching my favorite shows on Hulu, and playing video games when I can! When I have time during the day I like to go to workout at the gym.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
This is probably not a fun fact about me, but sometimes when I go somewhere with my friends I prefer to take the long way to get there because I just like to drive around. Also, so that I can sing to my jam on the radio a little longer!
Sally Snarski, Marketing Intern
Why did you want to intern with United Way of Lake County?
I wanted to intern with United Way of Lake County because of the opportunity it will give me to make a difference in the community that I live in. I was born and raised in Waukegan, so a large amount of United Way’s work directly affects my community, and being a part of that seemed like it would be very rewarding. I knew interning here would help me grow personally and professionally.
What will your internship entail?
I will be working in the Marketing Department for the summer. I’ll be working hand-in-hand with the marketing professionals at United Way of Lake County as well as working with the Resource Development Department and their team.
Where do you go to school and what is your major?
I will be a senior at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest. I am majoring in Business with minors in Communication and Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
What are your plans after graduation?
I would love to start off my professional career working for a sporting goods company of some sort working in either the sales department or the marketing department. My end goal would be to eventually own and manage my own restaurant.
What are your hobbies and/or passions outside of school and work?
Over the last 16 years, I played softball in college, but now that my 4 years are over I am going to shift gears and start playing slowpitch softball. This will be a difficult transition for me because of how competitive I am on the diamond.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I am a huge Chicago Cubs fan and I am a firm believer of there’s always next year! If I’m not playing softball, I’m most likely watching the Cubs game.
