Dallas Mayor’s Intern Flourishes at Brighter Bites

Earlier this year, the Dallas Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program selected Brighter Bites to host a high school student for an eight-week paid summer internship that introduces local public high school students to careers and employment opportunities in industries and companies where they have expressed interest. Our team was fortunate to receive a sponsorship from Dallas Independent School District to hire a summer intern for the months of June and July. We chose Rebecca Nava, a junior at A. Maceo Smith New Tech High School. Rebecca excelled during her internship and made meaningful connections with Brighter Bites staff, parents, and campers at our sites. Read her first-person account of the summer below!

My experience as an intern at Brighter Bites has been incredible. Coming into this internship, I did not have job experience, and I did not know what to expect from the people I was going to work with for the summer. I was nervous about everything I did and said. I was intimidated by the fact that I would just be a high school student surrounded by professionals who are all actively impacting society. I felt as if I would be out of place in such an important work space.

Despite all of this, the women of Brighter Bites welcomed me with open arms, and I could not be more thankful. They invested their time to meet with me, work with me, and treat me as a part of their team. In the time that I have worked with them, I learned how they order produce for their partner sites, practiced my drawing skills by helping to create recipe illustrations, and even assisted in the development of social media posts. Along with learning about different aspects of the Brighter Bites process, I was exposed to aspects of health and wellness, especially in the community setting, that were new to me. Moreover, I had access to people who inspired me to strive to do my best and achieve great things.

I was so surprised to be in such a positive work environment where everyone was not only understating and respectful, but also responsible. The Brighter Bites team in Dallas knows the true meaning of teamwork. I feel as though this internship has prepared me for future jobs because it has provided me with work experience and insight into the expectations of a work environment. I can wholeheartedly say that I had one of the best internships a student could ever ask for.