Meet Leo, our April youth highlight!

Meet Leo, our April Youth Highlight! 

Leo (they/them) has been a Connected Lane County participant since the summer of 2023 when they were a Summer Intern! Leo was placed at Volunteers in Medicine and learned more about what a career in health care would look like. 

This internship gave them insight into the mental health field and allowed them to rule it out as a future career choice. Understanding that this path would require dealing with others’ hardships helped Leo know they wanted a career that allowed them to be hands-on and artistic. 

Leo enjoyed that the Summer Internships gave them a feel for working a full-time, 40-hour, 9-5 work week. In addition to the internship experience, Leo enjoyed the preparation Connected Lane County provided, especially the life skills lessons. They highlighted the lessons about “How to Save Money,” “How to do Taxes,” and other life skills as helpful beyond their internship experience. 

Leo hopes to be selected for another Summer internship, this time in the Theater field. Once they graduate high school, they plan to attend the University of Oregon, where they will major in Theater Arts. Post-grad Leo intends to get a Master’s in Education and explore a field where they can use their Theatre and Education skills. 

When asked if they have any advice for other youth participating in Summer Internships, they said, “Stay involved because you get a lot more out of it. If you’re active in the conversations and trying to participate, you will have a better experience. Always ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.”