For the third summer in a row, the McCook Community Foundation Fund is working with a local college student as part of the Summer Hometown Internship program. Between graduating from McCook Community College in May and continuing her education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney this fall, Chasity Samaniego is in the middle of her internship with MCFF.
The Summer Hometown Internship is led by the Nebraska Community Foundation.
This summer, Chasity has taken on the large task of engaging and including the local hispanic community. This includes interviewing local hispanic business owners and hispanic community leaders.
Chasity is also bilingual, a tremendous asset for her goals this summer.
“I personally like to believe that I am bringing many different skills but I think that what sets me apart is being fluent in both English and Spanish,” she said, adding, “I can help break the language barrier that can be presented at times.”
Chasity hopes to come up with a project to help create inclusion of the hispanic community in the McCook area and surrounding areas.
“There is a language barrier and other barriers that tend to separate the community of McCook and the hispanic community gravitates to secluding themselves from the rest of the McCook community. My hope is that the project I work on can help dissipate these obstacles,” she said. “I hope to gain experience with learning how to organize projects and lead them. I also hope to be able to make some impact for McCook now and in the future.”
She also appreciates the internship because it is short term but provides a variety of learning opportunities within.
“There is never a point in life where you stop learning and this is a great opportunity for me to expand my horizons and open up a door in the future,” she said.
Chasity graduated from McCook High School in 2022 and from McCook Community College with an associates of science in May.
“It was great to get my associate degree from MCC,” Chasity said. “It was nerve racking at first, starting over with new people but as time passed, it was exciting and I got to learn about myself and study subjects I enjoyed.”
She is also looking forward to her next educational step at the University of Nebraska at Kearney this fall to earn her bachelors in social work.
“Because of UNK’s great psychology and social work program, I’m excited to take that on,” Chasity said.
She plans to continue her education with a masters and doctorates program, specializing in childhood development and trauma therapy/counseling, eventually opening her own practice some day - perhaps in her hometown.
What would it take to move back to McCook?
“If I am being honest, it wouldn’t take very much!,” Chasity admitted. “I want to be able to reach my desired degree and come home to put it to practice in the town I’ve grown up in.”
McCook Community Foundation Fund is an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation. Hometown Intern program partners include University of Nebraska Extension; Nebraska Honors; the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communication program; and the Center for Civic Engagement.
