A Southwest Washington internship program plans to double the number of participating students by next summer.
The Future Leaders Project — a collaboration among Workforce Southwest Washington, the Columbia River Economic Development Council and Washington State University Vancouver — connects first-generation and underrepresented college students with paid summer internships at businesses and nonprofits across Clark and Cowlitz counties.
Now, the Future Leaders Project is gearing up for its fifth year. By summer 2025, the program will have as many as 35 summer internships, said Nolan Yaws-Gonzalez, associate director of programs for Workforce.
“There’s an increasing number of students of color and first-generation students on the WSU Vancouver campus,” Yaws-Gonzalez said. “For so many of these students, it’s their first time working in a more professional context. It’s their first time having an opportunity to network and shadow leaders.”
Students also gain hands-on work experience, mentorships and begin building a professional resume. Since the program launched in 2020, it has served 57 students. The program is only available to students at WSU Vancouver.
Empowering the next generation
In summer 2024, the program paired 24 interns with 19 different organizations across both counties. Cali Newby, a recent WSU Vancouver graduate who majored in human development, was among last cohort of interns.
Newby, 27, completed her internship with Clark County Food Bank where she conducted research on the root causes of hunger in the region. She was officially hired as a full-time staff member three weeks ago. She now coordinates programs across the food bank’s facilities.
“I technically was considered a nontraditional student, and eventually I found my way at WSU Vancouver,” Newby said. “I always knew I wanted to do some type of food-services work. Throughout COVID, and seeing the need grow in all sorts of social services, I really felt like that was part of my why.”
As a first-generation student, she saw the Future Leaders Project as an opportunity to get out of her academic bubble and explore the nonprofit world, she said.
The project pairs interns with employers based on the student’s interests, but the team also gauges the best opportunity for professional development.
In her current role as program coordinator, Newby manages the Fruit Valley Community Kitchen and the Walnut Grove Community Kitchen in the Clark County Food Bank’s new Vision Center.
There, she serves clients, organizes food, manages deliveries and assists with overall flow of the food pantry.
“The role has definitely changed drastically, but I can just learn and absorb, and be in the nonprofit environment,” Newby said.
Around 25 percent of residents in Clark County experienced food insecurity in 2023, said Rachel Beck, Clark County Food Bank’s director of development. The nonprofit served 135,000 people in 2023, but the need is always growing.
At the Fruit Valley Community Kitchen, people come in and shop in the same way they would at a traditional grocery store. It’s an important, intentional aspect of the kitchen, Newby said.
“Our goal is for everyone to have a dignified shopping experience and have that autonomy to pick up items they want and need,” Newby said. “Also just having a safe opportunity to connect with the community and connect with food.
The Future Leaders Project recognizes that not all organizations that want to host interns can afford to do so, though some in the program pay for their interns.
“As a Future Leaders Project team, we have really been trying to think about how we expand the opportunity to participate in the project,” Yaws-Gonzalez said. “We’re really thinking about nonprofit organizations and smaller businesses, especially women-owned, LGBTQ-owned, BIPOC-owned and veteran-owned.”
With a grant from the JPMorganChase Foundation, small businesses and nonprofit organizations in Clark and Cowlitz counties can apply for assistance paying the salary of a summer intern.
Last year, the $100,000 grant funded 13 of the internships. In 2025, an additional $100,000 will fund 18 positions.
Online applications for nonprofits and diverse businesses in Southwest Washington are due by 5 p.m. Nov. 1 and can be accessed workforcesw.org/flp-business-application-2025 online.
Students can apply to be a part of the next Future Leaders Project cohort beginning in January.
“Hearing from them how many skills they’ve developed, how much confidence they’ve built, and how impactful it has been, has just been really reaffirming of why we’re so invested in the success of this program,” Yaws-Gonzalez said.
