Imani Smith (left) and Adrian Anderson (right).

Even if we have moved into the age of post-recession, teenagers still face a staggering statistic: a 24.9% unemployment rate. And given that California has the third-highest unemployment rate in the nation, the odds piling against them increase further. Bank of America, however, is hoping to change that with a new nationwide initiative that offers actual summer work experience for more than 200 young students around the country. 

Imani Smith and Adrian Anderson are two local teens who scored local internships through this initiative. Both are at Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) and it’s easy to see why they stood out among the applicants.

Smith is an old-spirit. In fact, it is shocking to hear her speak. Having conversed with her over the phone, I was detached from a face and her vernacular and tone made me consistently have to remind myself that this is a woman who just graduated high school.

“I heard about the [internship] through a program called College Bound, which I’ve been involved with since the 4th Grade,” she said. “I had been to MOLAA on a field trip and while I loved it, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I am a logic-driven person, not an arts person–I am going to attend Washington University [in St. Louis] to major in chemical engineering. But it’s been amazing for me since I am experiencing everything behind the scenes besides the art itself.”

And despite her self-proclaimed “not an arts person” mantra, Smith is handling the internship with ease. Currently working in the museum’s education department, her strong drive–particularly with regards to education–is the main reason that she is able to engage so easily with the work. In fact, her school-related involvement before her internship is staggering.

“In my sophomore year, I founded the Random Acts of Kindness Club, which is pretty impressive for an underclassman,” she states matter-of-factly with a mix of certainty, confidence and down-to-earthness that makes her so amiable. “I also started a book drive when I was in the 8th Grade. Reading was always something I loved as a kid and I couldn’t imagine not being without my books.”

To date, Smith has collected and redistributed over 2,000 children’s books, most of which have gone to Long Beach’s Miller Children’s Hospital. The rest have gone to hostels as well as New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild their public libraries. This, of course, is besides her heading the Marketing Committee at her high school and a two-year science program at UCLA that focused on cancer research.

Anderson’s tale is different, but by no means any less impressive. A bit more soft spoken than Smith, Anderson understands that privilege exists, but that sometimes, you have to go out there and find your own opportunities.

“I don’t know how I got [this internship],” she says. “I have no personal projects I’m taking on other than I am always looking for scholarships. My family is really smart and they just go for the things given to them. But I am the only one that goes out and looks for those things out in the public.” 

With this specific program, Anderson felt like it stood out because of the lack of financial burden.

“A lot of the scholarships cost money,” she points out (a truth that many on the outside don’t realize), “and my family doesn’t have that much money. The Bank of America program for me is free and I thought, ‘Even if I don’t get it, it is worth it [to apply].’ After all, I’m still working on my essay writing skills and what I need to say to other organizations that I’m applying to–and this could be the best way to go about working on that.”

Each intern will continue their work for MOLAA throughout the summer, learning crucial job skills that they will take with them into college and beyond.

The Museum of Latin American Art is located at 628 Alamitos Avenue.