2022 Cohort

2022 Intern Headshots & Bios

Aaliyah Tarver (She/Her)

Kayla Nguyen ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Boston Latin School. In her spare time, she enjoys crocheting, making jewelry, drawing, and playing video games. She is usually found at her desk creating a new necklace or crocheting a bag. Kayla is an intern at Pao Arts Center where she creates social media graphics to promote upcoming events and connects with local artists. Kayla hopes to pursue a degree in communications and marketing. After completing the program, Kayla is looking forward to ending her high school years on a good note, as well as attending her dream college.

Abdi Ahmed (He/Him)

Khalihah Pritchard ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at New Mission High School. She consumes her free time by listening to music, playing sports like volleyball and basketball, and binging Hulu shows. She has previously worked as a Sales Photographer at Magic Memories at Fenway and later interned at Community Music Center of Boston through the Bloomberg Arts Internship, where she transferred information from sheet music to a Google Sheet. She has a strong passion for creating music and providing therapy, fueling her excitement to major in Music Therapy. She wants to create a way for adolescents to go through that teenage experience while staying strong and not letting things slow them down.

Alison Benavides ‘23 (she/her) is a rising senior at Boston Arts Academy. Alison, (who likes to be called Ali) enjoys watching films, especially sad films, and her favorite genre of music is old 50s-80s Spanish music. Ali is a shy and quiet person at first but once she feels comfortable she always speaks her mind. She is currently working at Bloomberg Arts Internship at Actors Shakespeare Project where she is gaining more experience in the theater industry and in costumes. One thing she is looking forward to after completing her internship is having that feeling that she gained experience in something she didn't know of before her internship began.

Laylah Arango ‘23 (She/Her) is 17 years old, going into her senior year at Boston Arts Academy. This summer she enjoyed her internship at BaletRox assisting them with marketing and communications. During her internship, she learned how to do press releases, design posts for Instagram, logos on Canva, create a marketing plan, and how to use a communication tool called Slack. She feels that she has gotten a lot better with her graphic design during her internship. Laylah enjoys learning and is interested in acting, photography (nature and people), writing, any type of design(fashion, graphic, interior, etc), and becoming a Veterinarian or a detective one day. Some of her hobbies are writing, reading, acting, singing, drawing, camping, traveling, driving at night and loves ice cream. She has a passion for animals and currently has three pets, one dog and two cats. After the program, she hopes to gain more knowledge in the marketing and communications world and continue her internship with BalletRox. Laylah is trying to finish her book and finish other stories she has created as well. In 2012, she wrote a story for a writing competition through 826 Boston and it was published in a book with other stories written by other authors. She won best story in her category. Laylah also wouldn’t mind going to Hawaii in the near future.

Ant'Juan Coleman (He/Him)

My name is Lucy Jura, I am 17 and I am also a rising senior at New Mission High School. There are a few things that I enjoy doing. Those things are reading, writing especially about myself, watching anime and documentary crime, buying perfumes, food, body scrub, and body lotion even to my bag is screaming for help because it's a little too much and the last thing is that I like analyzing people around me. Saying it out loud might sound a little crazy, however, analyzing people around me helps me have a certain balance by knowing that I'm still a part of this world. There's also a few words that could describe me: shy, proud, unique in her own way, outgoing, crazy, loyal. I cope and took away some of my emotions by spending time alone and reading. The three things I am looking forward to after completing this program are being more comfortable and confident about my work; being more open regardless physically or mentally to others and their opinions; and finally trying to create a lot of memories.

Antonio Torres (He/Him)

Mistchnache Prinston ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Boston Latin Academy. Mistchnache is a dedicated student who has recently completed her Bloomberg Arts Internship at the American Repertory Theater. She has interests in film and social justice and at times has attempted to connect the two. While working at the A.R.T as her worksite, she has learned to improve in her public speaking skills and at being intentional with the way that she directs herself. She will continue her internship at the A.R.T in the school year where she will be expanding on her proposed project called the Interbound Festival, specifically leading the interracial panel. She perceives these summer opportunities as a way of learning from her colleagues and is extremely appreciative to have learned such a variety of skills that she will use as begins her life at college.

Aslhey Troncoso Academy ´Margarita Muniz (She/They) is a student who is preparing for her last year. In her free time, she likes to go shopping with her friends or stay at home watching movies or listening to music. I always dreamed of being a stewardess but I have a hard time connecting with people because I'm shy. In order to connect with other people, my teacher convinced me to enter the BAI program to create a new experience and leave my shyness behind. This program has completely changed my way of thinking as the tutors at 826 Boston helped me a lot and when not could. I talked to them I understood and they gave me my space what I liked the most about the program are the different universities that we have visited since each one has had a different story despite the fact that I only talk about art after the program I hope to carry the customs that I learned and not be as shy as before and help me get through my senior year.

Natanael Barahona Guevara Esai ‘23 (He/Him) is a soon to be senior in Margarita Muniz Academy. Natanael enjoys hanging out with friends either online or in real life. He also enjoys just to chill and either play music, play video games, or sketch in his free time. He’s also involved with powerbuilding and MMA, throughout Natanel’s life he always struggled with what he wanted to do with his life, but all he knew is that art is what kept him the most interested and engaged compared to other things. It's also the reason why he joined Bloomberg Arts Program for the summer, so that he can surround himself with other artists and be in a spade where there are people that have the same interest that he did. He’s glad to have this opportunity with the program. Without it, he would have never met some of the wonderful people there that he has met. Now he is just anticipating and creating more of his art. Hoping that someday it would reach an audience out there that will enjoy it.

Carlos Mejia Soto ‘23 (He/Him) is a rising senior at New Mission High School. Carlos enjoys writing poetry, doing some songwriting as well as singing and rapping. Throughout his life, Carlos was always able to communicate with people with his charming charisma. He has performed in many poetry slams, and school performances throughout his life. Every week, he is going through many options of colleges as he tries to figure out which college is for him. Recently he has sign up for a writing program at Emerson College, called EmersonWrites. One or two things he’s looking forward to after completing the program is fully enjoying her last year as a high schooler and attending college.

Neveah Cepeda (She/Her)

Cush Depradine (He/Him)

Nhiyel Richemond (She/Her)

Daenisha Howard Oliver ‘24 (She/Her) is a rising junior at Boston Community Leadership Academy. Daenisha likes reading, writing and watching and critiquing movies. She’s never been comfortable expressing her feelings towards people so she makes up for that through writing. She completed her Bloomberg Arts Internship at NEMPAC where she learned about the behind the scenes of running a company along with marketing and advertising. She looked forward to in-person activities on Fridays and visiting universities and also getting the chance to socialize with her other peers. Every week, she looks forward to the Friday activities and having the opportunity to socialize with her other peers. Two things she’s looking forward to after the program is her junior year and staying in touch with the friends she made this summer.

Olive Keyes (They/Them)

Dawens Fortune '23 (He/Him) is a rising senior at Boston International newcomers Academy. He enjoys
watching TV shows and going to the movie theater with his friends. Dawens loves to work out at the gym and play soccer with his friends on weekends.Also, he really enjoys reading manga and watching anime. He really enjoys going on college visits with his internship (BAI). He learns from his worksite the different cultures of Boston Chinatown and the effects of art in a community. Dawens hopes to be a tremendously rich person in the future and he wants to go to college to learn how to create games and apps.

Rayne Corn ‘23 (She/Her/They/Them) is a rising senior at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, born in Boston, Massachusetts. She loves art and surrounds herself with creativity at all times. She dances, acts, draws, and edits in her free time but often prioritizes her responsibilities as a student. She finds herself more fascinated with creative endeavors than academics despite the immense effort she puts into that area of her life. She has performed in many plays and dancing performances in the past but is most passionate about activities involving theater and drama. She believes creative pursuits can help to change an environment and that spreading messages through performance can have a large impact on awareness. Being an Intern at Stage Source has helped her grow professionally and gives her an opportunity to help more people including coworkers. Her time at BAI has been great, as her favorite aspect of the program is the tours and exploring art culture. She is excited to continue work in a new environment at StageSource, bringing her creative and academic abilities to serve as a summer intern.

Dawn Nguyen ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Boston Latin Academy who enjoys playing video games, reading, listening to music and spending time with family. She decided to explore her interests in arts with Bloomberg Arts Internship. With the Actor's Shakespeare Project, she was a part of the production team who contributed in costume and set-making. Her highlight of the summer was watching the final production of the Youth Intensive play of MidSummer Night’s Dream. With BAI, she enjoyed the multiple college tours and museum visits. Two things she is looking forward to after completing her internship are attending college and finding herself. She is excited with her newly found relationships with the BAI community and is looking forward to using her new skills and knowledge.

Sheena Lafalaise ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior attending Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. Besides studying and playing video games, Sheena leads her volleyball team as captain. Despite having a leading role, strong communication to guide has always been an internal challenge for her. In search of new opportunities and guidance, she applied to the BAI internship to work for the summer of ‘22. Sheena was assigned to work with Company One Theater while working at the Josiah Quincy School as a teacher assistant in visual arts. There Sheena's eyes were open to the world of both art and performative art. After completing the program, she’s looking forward to increasing her world of networks.

Denzel Wilson ‘22 (He/Him) is a recent graduate from Boston Day & Evening Academy (BDEA). Denzel is an aspiring and passionate dancer with an interest in writing, but would be seen on his days off playing video games on his PlayStation. He found it hard to fully express his thoughts and feelings until he became more immersed in his passion for dancing. Dance not only helped him cope with his depression and anxiety, but he was able to control his emotions more by taking those frustrations out on the dance floor/stage. This summer he is interning with Urbanity Dance through the Bloomberg Arts Internship, where he learned how to answer phone calls and emails for a company. He is also learning how to be a dance teacher from the internship since it has been a career path that he has been thinking about for a few months now. What he isn’t looking forward to from this internship is the utter ending of it, because it is an internship that he has grown to truly love since it gave him the opportunity to see his passion become a reality since having a career in the arts is not talked about much, or is looked down upon.

Senie Sunshayna Luma ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Fenway High School. Sunshayna was born and raised in Haiti and moved to the US at the age of 12. Upon moving to the US she struggled to find herself and a place where she fit in, in this new country. Throughout the years, she has had the opportunity to learn about herself and what she likes. Sunshayna loves expressing art through acting and photography, she loves watching all sorts of anime, and reading. After completing high school, she hopes to go to college and major in acting with the possibility of minoring in photography or business.

Eaton Montrond Veiga ‘23 (He/Him) is a rising Senior at Boston Arts Academy. Eaton enjoys collecting Funko Pops, sports like basketball and soccer, watching anime and shows, editing videos, as well visual arts. Throughout his life, Eaton has been drawing since the earliest stages of life, drawing sharks which is his favorite animal at heart. His love for drawing grew as he became older, it became a passion for him all the way up until high school. Eaton fell in love with graphic design at his job working for Artist for humanity at age 14 and majoring in graphic design at his time at BAA. He even had opportunities to take architecture programs at Harvard University GSD during the school year and summer. During his time at Boston Arts Academy, he accomplished great things like designing a large billboard that was hung up in downtown Boston. Two things he’s looking forward to the most is leaving behind a legacy at Boston Arts Academy, as well as closing one chapter in his life and opening a chapter going into his freshman year of college.

Trevell Brown '23 (He/They) will be a senior in the fall, and graduate from Boston Arts Academy as a fashion major. He’s deeply interested in fashion design, but all arts are intriguing to him in a unique and special way. He enjoys writing poetry, songs, acting, watching live dance performances, listening to music while analyzing the message, and is truly a versatile person in the arts and even in his style. He’s looking to go to Clark-Atlanta for college, and get a bachelor’s degree in business, and a master’s degree in law or social work. He enjoys controversial topics and is excited for the podcast he will be doing at his worksite, Beat The Odds. He cannot wait for what this year has in store for him and his upcoming clothing brand, Tonithreads.

Eli Mari Roman Lima ‘22 (They/He) is a rising college freshman at the University Of Massachusetts Boston. Eli Mari enjoys drawing, writing, listening to music, watching shows and movies, and bonding over their interests with people. He always found his sense of identity difficult to navigate, but he’s able to navigate through it with expressions of art such as writing and drawing. He completed his Bloomberg Arts Internship at Beat The Odds where he learned to voice his opinions and speak up for himself. Every week, he looked forward to the new places every Friday and writing his personal essay. One or two things he’s looking forward to after completing the program is fully enjoying his years as a college student and becoming part of another community.

Tyra Swaby ‘24 (She/Her) is a rising junior at Fenway High School. Tyra loves watching movies and tv shows, listening to music, and photography. She’s not interested in doing just one thing in the future, she wants to explore all the opportunities the world has to offer. She’s eager to meet new people, people that can hopefully push her toward the goals she has for herself. At the amount, Tyra is completing her Bloomberg Arts Internship at Huntington Company Theatre where she’s learning the fundamental skills it takes to put on a play, and how to build a network. Each week, she looked forward to visiting new places on Fridays and photographing what she saw. One or two things she’s looking forward to after completing this program is using the connections she’s made throughout the summer to get into directing films. Tyra also hopes to enjoy all the opportunities that come along with her junior year in high school.

Jackie Mirabella ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Boston Latin School. Jackie enjoys reading and writing, watching her favorite movies, early morning yoga, and painting. Jackie expresses herself through her writing, as she prefers to write personal narrative essays. She completed her Bloomberg Arts Internship at The Huntington where she got experience creating school curriculums and writing articles. Every week she got excited to learn about her college options and enjoyed doing activities with friends. After the program, she is most looking forward to the classes she is taking next year and the time that she gets to spend with friends before college.

Xing Yi Mei (She/Her)

Joi’Honor Perkins ‘23 (She/Her) is a rising senior at Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. Joi’Honor enjoys multiple forms of art; poetry, films, music, and much more. She is working with the Huntington Theatre Company this summer as a public affairs intern. At her worksite, she gets first-hand experience of working in an office and learns the steps it takes to a make collaboration project. Joi’Honor looks forward to visiting different colleges around Boston and exposing herself to the different areas and cultures. One thing she’s looking forward to after completing the program is the new relationships she has made and starting her last year of high school prepared.

Zamarita Escalante Perez (She/Her)