Meet Our Summer Interns!

By Freidricka Camille, Community College and Internship Programs Coordinator
Photos Courtesy of AALEAD Staff

It’s that time of the year again! The sun is shining, the A/C is running, and new interns are diving in as part of our team for summer programs. We are delighted to welcome four new interns. In addition to their bios, we wanted to learn a few fun facts about them. So, we asked them questions such as:

• If you lived on any other planet in the solar system, which planet would it be and why?
• Which activities make you lose track of time and why?
• In your opinion, what invention has been the most meaningful and made the most impact to date and why?
• If you had a chance to go back in time for 24 hours, where and when would you go and why?
• Which superhero would you most like to be and why?

Tyler Thomas Lin is the Elementary Summer Program Intern for the DC office. He is a rising junior at American University, where he is studying Literature with a focus on Creative Writing. He first heard of the wonderful things that AALEAD does through friends who previously interned with AALEAD. While he is excited to gain an enriching experience, Tyler aims to provide the best experience for the students in the program. He also hopes to form friendly and professional relationships with the staff.

If you lived on any other planet in the solar system, which planet would it be and why?
Perhaps it’s lacking in imagination, but, probably, Mars. I think the weather conditions of other planets wouldn’t be as pleasant (assuming they were hospitable for humans). I like that Mars is closest to Earth in terms of atmosphere and potential for terraforming (maybe that’s an ethical concern for Martians, who knows?).

Which activities make you lose track of time and why?
I can easily lose a day reading books, playing video games, or watching shows.

Which superhero would you most like to be and why?
I like Spider-Man a lot. There are plenty of heroes who are powerful and invincible, but they don’t exhibit the traits I idealize in a hero. Spider-Man has a sense of justice and duty that isn’t dogmatic or rigid. He’s free thinking and, arguably, one of the purest heroes to date. The spider powers are cool, and they’ve got a lot of utility if you’re creative. I like Spider-Man’s sense of humor the most, and that is why I’d want to be him. Plus, he’s a New Yorker (like me).

Mecca McPherson is the Middle School and High School Summer Program Intern for the DC office. A native of Pensacola, Florida, she moved to Washington, D.C. four years ago. She studied maternal and child health education and biology at Howard University, graduating this past spring. Mecca is a Spring 2015 initiate of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and served as president of her chapter from 2016-2017. She is also a trained doula and birth mentor and has a great passion for the health and education of marginalized groups. She is very excited to experience the daily adventures that will take place with this year’s AALEAD Summer Programs! She is also looking forward to exploring new spaces and interacting with new identities this summer.

In your opinion, what invention has been the most meaningful and made the most impact to date and why?
The most meaningful and impactful invention to date is the internet. The internet has the power to connect individuals from across the world that even people who don’t regularly have access to the internet can pay to use internet cafés. Any person can speak to any other person who lives anywhere in the world. Conversely, the internet is so ingrained into our society on an economic and political level that when a company or a celebrity is hacked and doxxed, there are real consequences. The internet connects you to the world at large, but not without a price (that’s why it’s impossible to delete your Facebook account).

If you had a chance to go back in time for 24 hours, where and when would you go and why?
I would go to Harlem, New York in 1964, which was the year el-Hajj Malik el-Shabbazz (also known as Malcolm X) traveled to Makkah on hajj and began to change his opinions on the issues of race in America after seeing all colors and creeds praying together. This was also when el-Shabbazz broke ties with the Nation of Islam, began his own organization (the Organization for Afro-American Unity), and was frequently conducting advocacy speeches. I would want to go to one of his speeches and meet him, as well as other activists that were resisting during this time period. Finally, I would also try to experience the culture of Harlem before my 24 hours ended.

Which superhero would you most like to be and why?
I would most like to be Storm from the X-Men. Her power to control weather is really handy because of how open-ended it is. She can summon thunder and lightning to smite her enemies, but she can also make the air thick and humid to ruin someone’s good hair day. I like Storm because she’s a quiet leader. She’s always available to help other superheroes, and when Professor X is incapacitated, she takes charge. The fact that she never lets the power go to her head and is always there as a supportive and invaluable member is quite admirable to me.

Maryam Mustafa is the Summer Programs Intern for the Virginia office. She is a rising senior at Wellesley College, majoring in Women and Gender Studies with a focus on race, ethnicity, class and gender. A daughter of Pakistani immigrants, she was born and raised in Northern Virginia. AALEAD is important to her because it gives a chance for youth to recognize and reclaim identities that are usually erased. Until now, she never realized just how connected her Pakistani/South Asian identity is with other communities of color in Northern Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys playing soccer, jumping rope, cooking, watching movies, and reading about systems of visual representations of People of Color and political resistance from Pakistani/South Asian American women. She looks forward to learning and engaging with youth and seeing the impact of AALEAD.

If you lived on any other planet in the solar system, which planet would it be and why?
I would live on Jupiter because Jupiter is the sky god. The king of the ancient Roman gods. It is one of the biggest planets. Jupiter also has a giant storm that is bigger than Earth and has been raging on for hundreds of years.

Which activities make you lose track of time and why?
I would say dancing and listening to music makes me lose track of time because I feel as though I’m in another world. Other than that,  playing outside is one way I can divorce myself from constructs of time.

Which superhero would you most like to be and why?
I would be most likely be a jumper. I would be able to transport myself across times, regions, locations. I’d appreciate a borderless adventure.

Lisa Thach is the Summer Programs Intern for the Maryland office. She recently graduated with an Associate of Arts from Montgomery College and will be attending University of Maryland-College Park in the fall to study Art Education. She is excited to be part of AALEAD this summer to be able to connect with the staff and youth. She looks forward to meeting with AALEADers and being able to help assist them to have a great learning and fun experience this summer.

Which activities make you lose track of time and why?
Whenever I draw, I lose track of time. I would be very focused on my artwork to the point that I would not have any breaks to eat. I get very passionate in making my artwork and to make sure it looks perfect.

In your opinion, what invention has been the most meaningful and made the most impact to date and why?
I would say the camera is the invention that has been the most meaningful and made the most impact to date. I enjoy taking pictures a lot, especially when it comes to taking pictures with friends and family. I love being able to capture memories of when I had fun and of the people with whom I was spending my time. The best result from cameras is that I am able to print out photos and keep them!

Which superhero would you most like to be and why?
When I was a kid, I really loved Sailor Moon. I enjoyed the series a lot because Sailor Moon was a heroine with flaws. She struggled to accept her fate while accepting that she is a girl that also struggles in school, wanting romance and having fun with friends. She is a superhero that I can relate to because at the end of the day we both know our struggles and are willing to improve ourselves. I want to be able to acknowledge that I want to have fun and be a normal girl while knowing my responsibility as well! I don’t need to be a perfect superhero to save the world. I can be who I am while saving the world.