The Los Angeles County Arts Commission Internship Program has placed two valued student workers at The Wallis: Ashley Busenlener in Marketing & Communications and Adrian Gomez in the Education Department. Ashley and Adrian sat down to chat about their experiences at The Wallis.
ASHLEY: So how did you hear about The Wallis internship?
ADRIAN: Through one of my teachers at East LA College. I just happened to go in and grab some shoes that I left in the costume shop, and she asked, “What are you planning to do for work this summer?” And I said, “Oh, I might just do Uber.” And she said, “No, just check this out.” So I looked up the program, and it was The Wallis that really stood out to me because the internship was education-related.
ASHLEY: That’s awesome! Yeah, I heard about it through USC, we have a person in the School of Dramatic Arts that sends us emails about internships. I wanted to do marketing and PR and The Wallis was at the top of my list, and I was lucky enough to get it!
ADRIAN: Yeah, that’s awesome!
ASHLEY: Has anything surprised you about the internship so far?
ADRIAN: So I came in thinking I was going to be working with students, like in my regular job at the elementary school. But I’m actually recruiting elementary and high schools to bring their students to The Wallis. So I am working for the students. And the GRoW department has allowed me to work on a number of exciting projects like the CRE veterans show, Broadway Dreams and tomorrow’s show with Holocaust survivors.
ASHLEY: So you teach during the year?
ADRIAN: Yes, I work as a teacher’s aide at an elementary school in South Gate during the fall and spring semesters.
ASHLEY: So after this summer, what’s next?
ADRIAN: Next week is my orientation at Cal State LA. I’ll be studying Theatre and History. This fall will be very busy.
ASHLEY: I bet. I actually just got offered an internship position in the fall at Universal Pictures Home Entertainment in their marketing department.ADRIAN: That’s impressive. Congratulations.
ASHLEY: Thank you! I’ve done a lot with theatre, and now music and dance with my internship at The Wallis. I’m excited to dive into film. It’s LA, after all. And it’s great that The Wallis is also expanding into cinema with the Film Independent partnership.
ADRIAN: Sounds fun. I want to come back for those screenings.
ASHLEY: Me, too! What’s been your favorite thing about working here?
ADRIAN: That it’s so family-oriented. Everyone has made me feel comfortable since Day 1.
ASHLEY: I totally agree. I especially like how much people support each other with all of the different projects.
ADRIAN: Yes, even though I’m in the GRoW department, on the other side of the campus, everyone has made me feel very welcome here.
ASHLEY: Definitely. Thanks so much, Adrian. This has been fun.
A special thanks to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and Debra Pasquerette, Wallis Manager of Community Engagement, who is serving as a peer group leader for the program for the third year in a row, hosting career development workshops and other artistic educational outings for the for interns throughout the summer.