Every summer, LACO welcomes a new high school intern from the Constitutional Rights Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to “assuring our country’s future by investing in our youth today.” I am happy to introduce you to this summer’s intern, Nicole Morales, who works with LACO through mid-July:

When you’re born and raised in K-Town (Korea Town) you get used to always being surrounded by music, whether it’s Spanish rock, K-Pop or J. Cole’s freshest album, your feet are always subconsciously walking to a familiar beat. Music is such an important part of not just my life but others across the globe as well; it’s a universal language in which we can communicate as we please, it’s what brings us all together. Ever since I can remember I have always been fascinated with music, so fascinated that at the age of seven I begged my father to buy me a guitar for my birthday instead of the latest Barbie and her accessories. I used to put on shows for my stuffed animals and rock out to Elvis or the Beatles as a kid and to me those memories are the ones I am most fond of because I was doing something I loved and I got to share it with others, even though they were just stuffed animals.

As a rising senior from School of the Visual Arts and Humanities at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools, this fall I will be applying to colleges and hope to pursue a career in kinesiology and hopefully in the future work with professional sports teams. Though I do not plan to make a career out of music I am deeply honored to be able to experience my ‘first real world’ job with such a respected and overall amazing organization and group of people. Though I’ve only been here for less than a week, working with them has been a complete delight and I’ve learned many things that will help continue to grow as a person. I’ve been a part of many teams in my short 17 years of life, yet this team of hardworking people never ceases to amaze me with their work. My days left with LACO are numbered but the experiences and skills that I am gaining are ones that will last a lifetime, and for that I am eternally grateful.