Asia Society Texas works with high school and university interns each semester through our Regions Bank Young Leaders Internship program. Under this program, we have partnered with various high schools and universities in the Greater Houston area to provide opportunities for students to engage with the broad swath of programs offered by Asia Society and learn more about nonprofit operations. Interns have worked in program development, research and curriculum-writing, outreach efforts, accounting and finance, and more. Through their time with Asia Society Texas, interns learn more about Asian art, history, and culture while gaining direct experience in a professional environment.

We'd like to shine a spotlight on one of our summer interns, Jimena Escamilla, who works with our Culture Camps.

Learn a little more about Jimena and her internship experience below!

Quick Facts

Name: Jimena Escamilla
School: Wellesley College, incoming freshman
Date of Internship: Summer 2023
Favorite project you’ve worked on during your internship: My favorite project at Asia Society Texas was developing a lesson plan for others to learn more about the mythical creatures of Asia. 
Most interesting thing you’ve learned during your internship: I learned about different Asian cultures and how different locations of Asia can share similarities within their cultures and religions but be vastly different as well.

Reflection

I was assigned to Asia Society Texas through a matching process with SERJobs, a non-profit organization in the East End. Despite venturing into this unknown site without any knowledge of its solid values, gorgeous architecture, incredible staff, and amazing youth outreach, I was willing to challenge myself this summer to submerge my time and skills on the fossil-filled grounds of Asia Society Texas. Luckily, as a new incoming intern, I was welcomed with kindness and guidance.

Throughout the weeks at Asia Society Texas, I witnessed and learned how to perform within a team and amongst our youthful guests in Asia Society Texas' summer Culture Camps. Within the Culture Camps, I had the opportunity to explore different topics of Asian culture, along with our campers and their instructors. When I became more involved with our campers, I unexpectedly learned to develop my communication skills towards the most challenging audience known: children. It was a challenging phase of my internship but very rewarding, because I learned about different teaching methods and learning capabilities, based on different age groups. This allowed me to develop lesson plans that could be more catered for younger audiences who wish to learn more about Asia.

Through my internship at Asia Society Texas, I found a great blend of social unity and educational outreach that I was pleased to see within the Houston Museum District. Since I want to be an art director in the future, I hope to utilize the great social, educational factors, and skills that I've gained through my internship in order to cultivate greater ideas and actions to make an impact and encourage younger and older audiences to positively sustain our planet and our lives through biological, social, and cultural aspects.

Business and Policy programs are endowed by Huffington Foundation. We give special thanks to Bank of America, Muffet Blake, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and United Airlines, Presenting Sponsors of Business and Policy programs; Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher, Presenting Sponsors of Exhibitions; Wells Fargo, Presenting Sponsor of Education and Outreach; Syamal and Susmita Poddar, Presenting Sponsors of Performing Arts and Culture; and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Sponsor of the Japan Series; and Regions Bank, Title Sponsor for the internship program. General support of programs and exhibitions is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, and Vinson & Elkins LLP, as well as Friends of Asia Society.

Title Sponsor for Internship Program

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.