AHSC Internship Program Check-In
The Santa Cruz Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) Workforce Development Grant—in partnership with Santa Cruz Works, Digital NEST, and the City of Santa Cruz—helped launch the AHSC 2025–2026 Internship Opportunity Program, a new initiative designed to expand workforce access for young adults and strengthen the local economy. The program specifically supports individuals living in disadvantaged census tracts, creating pathways into meaningful employment while supplying local businesses with fresh, motivated talent.
This six-month paid internship program matches interns with 10 Santa Cruz–area businesses, each receiving $10,000 to compensate their intern. By removing the financial barrier of unpaid internships for young adults—and reducing the cost burden for employers—the program clears a major hurdle that both sides of the workforce pipeline have historically faced.
To highlight the early success of the initiative, Santa Cruz Works profiled six of the interns participating in the 2025–2026 cohort:
Melanie Kate at Go Ask Alice and BizzNEST
Yuliana Morales-Galvan at Nurbli
Emily Ramirez at Clean Oceans International
Julian Cabadas at Mission Hill Coffee & Creamery
Elsa Tamayo at Siena House
Jared Esquivel at Innovation Within
Intern Impact & Employer Benefits
Early results from the AHSC Internship Opportunity Program show just how transformative paid internships can be for both interns and employers. Each participating business reported meaningful increases in productivity, creativity, and team bandwidth. Interns brought fresh insight to everyday challenges, took ownership of key tasks, and introduced new skills that many small organizations were previously unable to access.
For employers, having an intern often meant being able to tackle long-delayed projects, improve digital and operational systems, and dedicate more attention to high-level strategic work. By supporting compensated internships, the AHSC program enables businesses to grow without taking on additional financial strain—making professional development and mentorship both sustainable and mutually beneficial.
This collective impact demonstrates that when young adults are given the opportunity to contribute meaningfully, the entire local economy feels the effect.
Employer Testimonials
At Go Ask Alice, Melanie’s impact has already been significant. The business shared:
“It’s been going really well with Melanie. I really enjoyed having her on the team. She showed lots of growth and expansion and has helped the business’s social media platform grow. She started a new TikTok account at the beginning of her internship and has almost reached 900 followers. She’s been dedicated and creative. It has been a really big help to have her support our small business.”
Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery also shared powerful feedback about their intern, Edgar Robledo-Salgado, who has contributed his video editing talent and interpersonal strengths:
“We've been having such a good time working with a video editor. What a valuable resource Edgar has been for our organization. I wanted to share the most recent video he helped craft for us—it just made our founder cry. Edgar clearly has wonderful video editing skills and absolutely amazing people skills. I have never worked with anyone who is as good at approaching strangers and asking them if they'd like to be on camera. A REALLY valuable skill. The space we are doing the most coaching with him is on building the digital stories and narratives.”
Nurbli expressed equally positive praise for Yuliana Morales-Galvan, highlighting her technical contributions and her role in strengthening the team’s workflow:
“Yuliana significantly increased our team's capacity and boosted our overall productivity. By taking full ownership of her assigned tasks with a high degree of independence, she freed up our senior developers to focus on complex architectural challenges. She also made key UI/UX improvements and contributions that directly enhance our clients' experience with our services.”
Santa Cruz Works & Digital Nest Partnership
Santa Cruz Works managed employer outreach and application review, while Digital NEST led targeted outreach to local residents ages 18–24, conducted initial screening, and provided a strong pool of qualified candidates for employers to select from.
“This grant is a game-changer for our community,” said Bonnie Lipscomb, Director of Economic Development and Housing for the City of Santa Cruz. “It levels the playing field for residents who have faced systemic barriers to employment, while also eliminating cost concerns for businesses that want to mentor and grow local talent. It's a smart, sustainable investment in the future of our economy.”
Internships remain one of the most effective entry points into the job market for young adults, providing real-world experience, mentorship, and opportunities to develop professional confidence. However, many businesses simply cannot afford to host interns without financial support. Programs like the AHSC Internship Opportunity Program allow both interns and businesses to contribute to the local economy, reduce commute times, foster healthier communities, and build a stronger regional workforce—without the financial barriers that often stand in the way.
