Meet the returning and new interns of the League of Women voters of Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville (LWVBAE)!

Row1 Tillie Margulies, Wendy Muratas, Sofia Andrusova, Victoria Burgess. Row2 Cate Menotti, Alex Li, Ethan Walz, Kesenia Goldstein.

LWVBAE inducted its 2022-23 high school interns on Saturday, August 27th. Through a Zoom meeting orientation, the new (and returning) interns learned more about the League, the youth-centered civic engagement program, and each other. Led by current LWVBAE President Kandea Mosley Gandhi with assistance from board members Adena Ishii and Jinky Gardner, the interns were introduced to crucial information about the organization and what their duties were for the semester and subsequent year.

After having great experiences being interns in the 2021-22 year, those who haven’t yet graduated from high school or decided to volunteer for LWVBAE in another capacity are interning for an additional semester. They include Alex Li, Kesenia Goldstein, and Tillie Margulies. Alex, Kesenia and Tillie will be working for the Voter Service Team, Criminal Justice Team, and Communications Team, respectively. Rounding out the rest of the interns for this school year were Health Care Team interns Ethan Walz and Wendy Muratas, Climate Change Team interns Sofia Andrusova and Victoria Burgess, as well as Communications Team intern Cate Menotti. All of the interns, returners and newcomers alike, currently attend Berkeley and Albany High schools.

The meeting began with introductions and an icebreaker via the League leaders which allowed the attendees to begin bonding over their similarities and differences. This preliminary conversation transitioned into a discussion about the League and expectations for the internship. The leaders discussed the history, mission, and importance of the League’s non-partisanship amongst other things throughout the presentation. Later, interns were informed about meeting times and upcoming events for the year – including the hosting and showing of the documentary “Not Going Quietly” in November as well as the “Each One Reach Five” campaign to increase voter participation through local outreach.

To close out the afternoon, the returning interns provided advice for incoming participants. Senior Tillie Margulies remarked to the new interns, “Don’t be afraid to reach out! … You (may) get to do research on your own, but there is a great support system (here)!” Alex Li and Kesenia Goldstein echoed Tillie’s sentiments while sharing that they learned a lot over the duration of the internship last year.

In the local League’s 111th year of establishment, these eight 2022-23 interns logged off from the meeting excited for what was to come!

–Cate Menotti