Desert Christian Academy Senior Among Two Chosen for Unique Internship

Riverside County Supervisor John Benoit, who represents Palm Desert, has announced the selection of two youth who will have the chance of working with one of the most prestigious pollution control agencies in the area.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is the air pollution control agency for much of Southern California, including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.  

This summer, a total of 42 interns have been chosen to learn the inner-workings of the agency, in assignments like the chemistry laboratory, the planning department, the air quality office, the public relations department and engineering, according to the agency's spokesman, Sam Atwood.

"Students work side-by-side with air quality professionals involved in programs designed to clean the air and improve the quality of life for residents in Southern California," a press release announcing some of the recent intern appointments states.

Atwood tells Patch that the 13 governing board members each select a few of the interns, who are in both high school and college and get paid for their work studies. 

“Through this competitive and prestigious program, these students gain invaluable experience working in the largest and most advanced air quality district in the United States,” said Riverside County Supervisor John J. Benoit, who serves on the AQMD Governing Board. “Both interns [chosen by Benoit] participated in this program last summer, and we’re pleased to have them return and build on their experience.”

Benoit's choices for interns include a senior at Desert Christian Academy, William Nelson, and a Moreno Valley woman who just graduated from Oakwood University in Alabama, Kailah Byrd.

Here is a little information Benoit's office provided on the two local selections: 

• A senior at Desert Christian Academy, William Nelson will intern in the science and technology advancement office. During his internship last summer, he reprogrammed a compliance calculator for an incentive program that replaces older off-road diesel vehicle engines with new, cleaner engines. He audited contracts and evaluated malfunctioning filters on school district buses. A leader in his student class, Nelson has been involved in Supervisor Benoit’s Youth Advisory Council in each of his high school years and this past school year served as Fourth District Commissioner for the Riverside County Youth Commission.

• Kailah Byrd of Moreno Valley will intern again in the district’s legislative and public affairs division. She recently graduated from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala. with a bachelor’s degree in communication media. While learning about air quality and environmental justice issues, she was exposed to video production and broadcast in the government realm. A highlight of her past summer internship was writing, shooting, directing and producing an orientation video for future interns. Her career goals are to become an actress, writer and television talk show host.