Darlene’s Story
It is a late afternoon when Darlene clicks the purple Teams link and waits to start her Equity & Sustainability Internship interview. “You’re early, so we’ll give it just a few minutes for the other staff interviewers to join,” says the program coordinator, who hops on quickly to greet her. Darlene waits quietly. The coordinator makes small talk, but this doesn’t seem to settle Darlene’s nerves. The other staff join, introduce themselves, and the interview starts. Minutes go by. Darlene answers questions softly. After 30 minutes, the interview wraps up, but not before Darlene asks a question: what is the culture like between interns and with the staff in the internship? “It’s very supportive,” the coordinator assures her.
Darlene was selected as an intern for the summer of 2024. With the personality of a quiet interrupter, she brought a nuanced understanding of young children and quickly zeroed in on a component she felt was missing within Paradise Parking Plots: a child friendly space specifically dedicated to the young children of gardeners. As part of her unique passion project for the internship, Darlene researched and proposed the creation of a kids’ zone. “I wanted the kids to have their own area to learn,” she said. “I know that would be something I would love if I were a kid coming here.”
On May 17th, almost a year later, volunteers with SEAPAX de-paved 2,500 square feet of asphalt in the southeast corner of Paradise Parking Plots and Darlene was there to see the first steps of her project becoming a reality. “I didn’t really believe it,” said Darlene at the event. “But I’m happy because it’s nice to know that I have an impact in my community. That’s really nice to know.”
The Equity & Sustainability (E&S) Internship started in 2017 as a way to prioritize the development of immigrant and refugee-background young adults in the community. More specifically, it is meant to expand awareness of green jobs among marginalized populations using Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden and its supporting Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) as a learning site.
Looking back, Darlene cited the importance of community as her biggest takeaway from the Equity and Sustainability Internship. From her perspective, the internship helped her branch out. “I’m…socially anxious. This was a good way for me to really push myself out there,” she said. “I believe every person has potential, but it’s up to us whether we unlock that potential and this [internship] was a great way for me to unlock it.”
The Equity & Sustainability Internship is currently underway for the Summer of 2025 with 6 new interns, representing 4 ethnicities and 5 high-school/college campuses within King County.
Jerusha English has been a part of the Resiliency Department at World Relief Western Washington for over two years. Originally from Oregon, she spent a decade as a science educator for underserved students in Fort Worth, Texas. Her experience ranges from sheltered ESL instruction to advanced Chemistry. She now overseas our Equity & Sustainability Internship Program and develops curriculum for Resiliency Programs, with a focus on our environmental education programming.