Jessica Rodriguez started as a Human Resources intern at Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) while she completed her B.S. in Business Administration with an option in Human Resources Management at California State Long Beach. During her internship, Jessica helped assemble employee personnel files, ensured CPR certificates were up to date and assisted with other H.R.-related tasks.  

Jessica first discovered the BCHD internship program at a job fair that she attended during her last semester.  “It seemed like a cool place to work.  The best part was that it let me take things I had learned in theory in school and gave me an opportunity to see these things in real life,” said Jessica.  She also valued the friendly culture at BCHD.

In addition to her internship, Jessica participated in four programs to prepare her for the work world: Leadership Academy – a series of workshops combined with community service; Ethics Program – where students visit various organizations to listen to leaders discuss ethical dilemmas and how they resolved them; Mentoring Program – an outreach program to help high school students prepare for college; and lastly the Student Center for Professional Development -  a curriculum of workshops for professional development.

Recently Jessica accepted a job at BCHD’s AdventurePlex - a fun place for families to play, learn and grow.  Jessica will be assisting with summer camps, helping with arts and crafts and other activities.

Jessica grew up in Hawthorne where she speaks Spanish at home.  She enjoys drawing and painting, reading, especially psychology books, and collecting vinyl records. Some of Jessica’s favorite records are Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, The Doors, Nat King Cole and The Beach Boys. Jessica’s internship supervisor, Simrit Dugal said “Jessica has been a positive and supportive influence on our HR team. She’s ever willing and always reliable. I wish her the very best for her future endeavors.”  

Written with thanks to Dina Cramer.