By Bella Richmond, Intern, Met Sacramento High School
September 2022
My childhood was not very typical. I was raised on a homestead in rural Mendocino County. Growing up, most of my socialization came from spending time with all the people who came into my mom’s cafe. My time being homeschooled prepared me for moving to Sacramento and starting high school because I had learned to manage my own time and set my own goals. In my freshman year of high school, I had a wonderful internship with Councilmember Jay Schenirer’s District Five Office. At the office, I drafted legislation, assisted constituents with their inquiries, and led meetings for an ad hoc committee on youth engagement. If you called into District Five anytime between early November 2019 and early June 2020, I might have picked up the phone!
Hello, my name is Bella Richmond, and I am interning at Tower of Youth! I’m also a student at the Met Sacramento High School, where I am off campus on Tuesdays and Thursdays at an internship. My work at Capsity is an extension of my education, and that’s pretty cool! Before high school, I was homeschooled. My background has made me very self-motivated and a little bit out of the loop on early 2000s references. While I’m at Tower of Youth, I hope to learn about digital arts and how to amplify more young voices. In the future, I want to go into communications and work with my community. I know this internship will involve a lot of learning curves, and I cannot wait to meet each one of them head-on!
I am so happy to join the team at Tower of Youth and help more youth receive access to digital media tools and training. While living in Boonville, I used to volunteer with my local public radio station, Mendocino County KZYX Broadcasting. The station is where I gained an appreciation for local news publications and broadcasting. Now I am taking time to explore my interest in all things production and journalism. This opportunity at Tower of Youth means a lot to me, and I want to be as accessible as possible to everyone at Capsity. I am always happy to meet new people and bring my perspective to an organization!
I have a lot of big goals, and luckily, I am enjoying the accomplishment process. During this internship, I hope to learn new production skills and gain an understanding of how my generation can establish themselves in the world. Looking forward to the next couple of years, I plan on going to college in California; although, I have not decided on a school yet. I want to major in Communications and build on the groundwork of interests and skills I am laying now. My biggest drive in life is to help shape my community, and I am glad to say this internship is the next step on my journey!