Intern Spotlight: Loryn Stephens

Loryn is a senior at Cal State Long Beach majoring in Human Development. Through her education, she’s learned how to work well with others from various backgrounds. Loryn learned about Casa Youth Shelter (CYS) through the CSULB’s Long Beach Community Internship Program. She discovered that her values align with CYS’s values of serving and nurturing youth in crisis for their continued growth and she developed a strong interest in wanting to work with CYS. Read on to learn more about Loryn and what she hopes to bring to CYS and the community we serve.

As a CYS intern, I hope to grow in my personable skills and understanding of the youth homelessness crisis in Los Angeles County. I specifically work in the Outreach department (and) my hope is that I am able to establish and maintain the relationships with the youth we serve.

I gravitated towards how CYS supports their residents and non-residents at multiple levels. For example, the organization houses youth and also offers them various classes and other support programs. I resonated with CYSs mission to give the youth the necessary tools and resources to carry out a successful life even after they move on from our services. I am honored to work with an organization that cares this much for its youth.

I admire my mom very much. My mom serves as an example of what it means to be a hard worker and a person who always has the heart to help others. I believe these qualities are especially important when it comes to serving the community. Serving the community’s needs is not always an easy process, but requires perseverance and patience.

I think the best skills I bring to my work with CYS are verbal and written communication skills, open-mindedness, and resourcefulness. As a CYS representative, I want to make sure that I am able to communicate effectively and in a clear manner. Additionally, I want to approach my tasks with open-mindedness and flexibility in seeing them to completion. Lastly, I will use my resources to find alternative solutions to any challenges faced.

Casa Youth Shelter is proud to partner with Cal State Long Beach in its Long Beach Internship Project, which connects Long Beach Promise senior college students with area nonprofits to provide them with working experience in a chosen field. Learn several ways you can get involved at CYS here.