Summer 2026 Internship Spotlight: Learning, Contributing and Leaving Something Behind
An internship can be more than a short-term learning experience.
At Leading Change Africa, it is an opportunity to learn by doing, take ownership, collaborate with a team, and contribute work that can continue creating value beyond the internship.
This summer, Carlen Arévalo Álvarez and Britney Khan joined the LCA team as interns, bringing their skills, creativity, and fresh perspectives to different areas of the organization. Working across communications, development, research, and resource creation, both interns took on meaningful responsibilities and contributed to projects that support LCA’s ongoing work.
As their Summer 2026 internships come to an end, we are celebrating more than their departure. We are highlighting their experience, contributions, growth, and the work they are leaving behind.
Carlen Arévalo Álvarez
Communications Aide | Leading Change Africa
For Carlen, the summer was an opportunity to explore the different dimensions of communications while contributing directly to LCA's visibility and engagement efforts.
Working across several projects, she supported the communications campaign for LCA's Annual Gala, contributing to the preparation and development of communication materials around the event. She also supported updates to the LCA website, helping ensure that program information and organizational content remained current and accessible.
Beyond individual assignments, Carlen collaborated with Britney on their joint impact initiative, worked alongside other team members, and received feedback along the way — building a broader understanding of how communications supports an organization's mission.
“[Insert Carlen’s 1–2 sentence reflection on her experience, what she learned, and the contribution she is most proud of.]”
Leaving Behind a Communications Foundation
Carlen's impact extends beyond the individual posts, articles, or campaigns she supported. Through her work on website and event page updates, written content, Mailchimp campaigns, social media, and visual materials, she also helped build the interns' collaborative project collecting valuable resources and opportunities that the LCA team can continue to build on for its scholars. Her internship reflects the value of giving emerging professionals space to explore, create, and take ownership of meaningful work.
Britney Khan
Development and Institutional Partnerships Aide | Leading Change Africa
During her internship, Britney supported the grant development and funding pipeline, contributing to research and resource development designed to strengthen LCA's future funding opportunities. Her work involved researching and updating existing and potential opportunities, organizing relevant information, and collaborating with the Operations Director to apply for grants and develop resources that support future grant applications and institutional partnership efforts. The recent Madison Community Foundation grant was one she helped bring to life — a strong example of what her work behind the scenes makes possible.
Britney and Carlen's collaborative research focused on scholarship opportunities, including institutional and foundation scholarship models, helping compile information that can contribute to LCA's future efforts in supporting young people's access to educational opportunities. The experience gave Britney the opportunity to see how research, relationship-building, strategic thinking, and clear documentation come together within institutional development work.
“[Insert Britney’s 1–2 sentence reflection on her experience, what she learned, and the contribution she is most proud of.]”
Learning Through Meaningful Work
For Carlen and Britney, the Summer 2026 internship was more than an opportunity to gain professional experience. Very quickly, they stepped into real responsibilities — to the extent that we almost forgot they were interns. They contributed to LCA's mission through their time and commitment, working across different areas of the organization. They took ownership of projects, collaborated with team members, and today, we can see their work becoming part of something bigger.
Because an internship should not only be about what you take away — it should also be about what you leave behind.
Beyond a Farewell
As Carlen and Britney complete their Summer 2026 internships, LCA celebrates not simply the end of their time with the organization, but the beginning of the next chapter in their academic and professional journeys.
At LCA, we believe that when emerging professionals are given the opportunity to take ownership of real projects, they can do more than gain experience. They can contribute to an organization's mission while bringing fresh creativity and new ideas to the work.
Thank you, Carlen and Britney, for your commitment, creativity, and contributions to Leading Change Africa this summer. We are grateful to have had you as part of the team and look forward to seeing you continue growing and achieving your goals — and to collaborating with you both again.
Interested in contributing your skills to LCA?
Follow our platforms for future internship opportunities and discover how you can learn, contribute, collaborate, and leave something meaningful behind.
Continue the journey
Read the Next Story Here: LCA's Rural Development Program Spotlight : Empowering the Next Generation of Agricultural Leaders Through Practical Training and Sustainable Development.
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