As part of Ernst & Young’s Launch Internship Program, three local college students recently completed an immersive, project-oriented stint working with Orange County United Way’s Community Impact team.

Each “on loan” intern was assigned to work with program directors in one of our FACE 2024 focus areas (Education, Health, Housing and Financial Stability). Getting this rare, behind-the-scenes look at how United Way works to make a difference in the community gave each intern a much deeper insight about local issues.

“I definitely learned a lot from my experience supporting the “health” team. I never knew the numbers for childhood obesity and homelessness in OC were so staggering. To see all the work United Way is putting in to improve the situation was an eye-opener for me.”  — Adrian Nilsson-Redman of University of Redlands 

“Interning in the Read Aloud Campaign was an invaluable opportunity. I feel extremely happy in being able to serve my community by helping the campaign and promoting the importance of reading aloud to our children. This effort will make our world a better place.” — Jess Salgado of Chapman University:

“I had the opportunity to work on different projects developed by the Housing and Income team, including SparkPoint OC. I can honestly say that my perception about non-profit organizations changed a lot. Because of this opportunity at United Way, I now understand the complexity of managing a non-profit organization, how big of a challenge it is and the drive of the team there to make our community a better place.” — Igor Belineli of Chapman University

A special thanks to our board member Jacqueline A. Brya Kelley and to our corporate partner Ernst & Young for their leadership commitment to improving lives in our community by partnering with United Way. Loaning high impact interns to non-profit partners is a win-win for everyone. It increases the impact of organizations, develops the intern’s skills and brings to life Ernst & Young’s purpose of building a better working world.

To learn more:

United Way’s FACE 2024 Goals
How United Way engages with corporate partners
Ernst & Young Internship Programs