Interview with Danny Del Cid, Internship Alumnus (2019, 2022)

In November 2022, we interviewed Danny Castillo (he/him), 2-time Emerging Leaders intern and recent graduate at University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration and Cinema Studies. ELI: What attracted you to ELI, and how have you benefited from the experience? Danny: What attracted me about ELI is their initiatives towards changing how the […]

Interview with Janet Bedolla-Salinas, Internship Alumnus (2022)

In November 2022, we interviewed Janet Bedolla-Salinas (she/her), 2022 Emerging Leader who worked as People Experience (HR) Intern at Viewpoint, a Trimble Company. ELI: What attracted you to ELI? Janet: What attracted me to ELI was its mission of connecting diverse talent to top companies in Portland and empowering them as future professionals. It really […]

Interview with Diana Luis-Contreras, Internship Alumnus (2022)

In November 2022, we interviewed Diana Luis-Contreras (she/her), 2022 Emerging Leader who worked as an HR Intern at NW Natural, and a first-generation Latina student at Washington State University-Vancouver. ELI: What are you passionate about, professionally or personally? Diana: I am passionate about volunteering, helping people in need and leading projects and events. ELI: What […]

Interview with Koko Udomah, Internship Alumnus (2020)

I talked to Koko about the unprecedented challenges and rewards of being an ELI intern in 2020. Elise: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you come to be an intern? Koko: I found out about the internship from another fellow intern Sasheen—she posted a link to ELI on her LinkedIn earlier this year, right […]

Interview with Juanita Heyman, Internship Alumnus (2018)

I talked to Juanita about her journey through the Emerging Leaders internship and why it’s such an important program for so many young people of color. Elise: How did you find out about the EL internship? Juanita: I found out about it from an ELI alum who participated in the first round. She told me […]

Interview with Karla Graciano, Internship Alumnus (2019)

Karla talks about putting her all into the Emerging Leaders internship, which ultimately led to a full-time job after college Elise: How did you find out about the EL internship? Karla: In college, I was in this program called College Possible, which was a resource for low-income students to be able to get access to […]

Interview with Bao Phan, Internship Alumnus (2019)

Bao talks about the importance of internships to college students, his experience as a graphic design intern at Thesis, and knowing your own worth. Elise: What was your Emerging Leaders application process like? Bao: I applied twice in a row, actually. The first year, I didn’t get a final offer; the second year I did. […]

Voices of Emerging Leaders: Derik Holt, ELI ‘20-21

In November 2021, we interviewed Derik Holt, a current Human Resources Management student at Portland State University, and returning 2-time Emerging Leader, most recently interning in 2021 at Tillamook County Creamery Association. Emerging Leaders Team: We’ve been grateful to have you in ELI for the past two summers. What attracted you to the program, and […]

Voices of Emerging Leaders: Melissa Torres-Duran, ELI ’19-‘21

In November 2021, we interviewed Melissa Torres-Duran (she/her), a current advertising student at University of Oregon, and returning 3-time Emerging Leader, most recently as an ELI 2021 marketing intern at Salt & Straw. EL: We’ve been excited to have you as an Emerging Leader 3 for summer running. What has kept you coming back? How […]

Voices of Emerging Leaders: Ana Lozano, ELI ‘21

In August 2021, we interviewed Ana Lozano (she/her), a current Human Resources and Management & Leadership student at Portland State University, and 2021 Emerging Leader interning at Viewpoint, A Trimble Company. Emerging Leaders Team: Where are you interning this summer? Ana: I’m interning at Viewpoint, A Trimble Company as their HR intern. I love my […]