by Claudia Martinez
On January 2012, Maria Bucio, Director of La Casa Student Housing, was handed a business plan and given the task of molding it into her work plan while simultaneously creating a great learning community for students at La Casa. This business plan included a pilot internship program that would become a major initiative of La Casa Student Housing.
From the beginning, Bucio has advocated for paid internships because “students come from low-income families and it’s important to provide them with a paid internship.” During the fall of 2013, TRP was ready to launch the pilot program and bring the first group of interns into the program. Maria selected candidates from a pool of students who had previously applied to La Casa. “I wanted to ensure students selected would stick with the program,” says Bucio, “and take advantage of this amazing opportunity.”
After going through an interview process, three La Casa students were selected to start paid internships and work 15 hours in exchange for free housing at La Casa. These interns have been at TRP for a year and continue to provide the organization with their skills, knowledge, and hard work. One of those interns is Matteo Diaz, who was assigned to work in TRP’s Real Estate Department.
“Before participating in the internship program, says Diaz, “I was struggling and wasn’t even sure I was going to continue going to school.”
Another student participating in the pilot internship program is Dulce Hernandez. She was assigned to work in TRP’s Education and Community Programs Department. Working in this department has impacted her communication and organizational skills. “These are skills I didn’t have before I started the internship,” she says. Dulce has been given the responsibility of planning dental van visits for Orozco Elementary and has to communicate with parents and students. “These experiences have taken me out of my comfort zone and made me grow,” Hernandez says.
Both students are not only gaining new skills they can add to their resume, but also expanding their networks. “Being part of the TRP internship is allowing me to network with professionals in my field,” says Diaz.
A year after the successful launch of this pilot internship program TRP hired Tony Mallerdino to create a plan to expand the internship program externally. The goal is to prove to businesses that the model created by TRP works. According to Mallerdino, businesses will be more “willing to invest in our students if they see it’s working.” The goal of this new plan is to pair as many La Casa students as possible with an internship in their field. The student will go through a rigorous application process and, once accepted, be paired up with a business.
Although the annual cost of living at La Casa is relatively lower than most residence halls on-campus, currently many La Casa residents receive scholarships which significantly reduce the amount of rent they pay. TRP is looking to connect students with on-the-job training experiences that provide insight into each student’s career aspirations and equips them with marketable skills before they graduate.  Organizations and employers will be engaged as internship providers that provide modest living stipends and sponsor student to live at La Casa while pursuing an undergraduate degree.
At the core of this effort is the understanding that internships are now a standard component of a college graduate’s resume.  But when unpaid internships require students to forego wages, internship opportunities are out of reach for many low-income students.
The internship program is scheduled to start January of 2015 with five interns. The program will expand to 25-50 students in the second year and grow to 65-70 students by the end of the third year. The first group of students will be the first to do external internships outside of TRP. They will undergo a preparation process before starting their internship.
“We want to make a great impression and set the standard for future interns,” says Mallerdino who plans to continue cultivating business relationships.
Participating students will have a competitive edge after graduation. “They will have a portfolio of projects they have worked on instead of coming out of college without any experience,” says Malladrino.
As the internship program takes off, more students will be able to have the same meaningful experience and change their lives just like Matteo and Dulce. This new internship program will bring added value to students living at La Casa. It’s definitely something all students living there should be excited about and looking forward to participating in.
For more information on La Casa, contact Maria Bucio, Director of La Casa Student Housing at [email protected].
For inquiries from businesses about the La Casa internship program, contact Tony Malladrino at [email protected].

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