Born and raised in Los Angeles County, Lauren Campbell is no stranger to the South Bay. As a young girl, she and her mother moved out this way so Lauren could pursue training for figure skating, something she enjoyed starting at the age of 5. But by the time she graduated high school, Lauren swapped in her skates for a stack of books and headed off to Pepperdine University, graduating in 2017.
In July of 2017, Lauren began interning for Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) as a Blue Zones Project Policy Intern and has since helped on many important projects. Deciding to pursue a career in public health, Lauren saw a BCHD internship posting in her college’s job listings. “The internship description was everything that I was looking for, so I put my application together and kept my fingers crossed!” After a great interview, Lauren was accepted into the program and since then, “every experience has been just incredible!”
As a Blue Zones Project Policy Intern, Lauren researches and presents on community engagement strategies, assists in the Living Streets Education series, tracks legislation and projects on City Council agendas, writes fact sheets on livability topics and so much more. Her supervisor, Jacqueline Sun, Policy Analyst, describes Lauren as “enthusiastic to learn and help, a joy to be around and work with. We have been able to give her some high priority projects because we know that she can deliver thoughtful and quality work. In addition, she has such a warm personality that brings so much energy and fun to the office. She’s one of the best we’ve had!”
And the feeling is mutual. Lauren enjoys her time at BCHD, explaining, “I love how collaborative and passionate everyone is. Every single person I have had the pleasure of working with genuinely cares about the betterment of our community and is so willing to go out of their way to ensure that everyone on their team is well-supported in every project, all the time!” Lauren’s favorite experience thus far has been working on the Streets For All Community Workshop, where she mentioned she was “able to help the BCHD team turn the event from an idea into a full-blown reality. Seeing all of the planning and coordination come together as a successful community event was one of the most satisfying volunteer experiences I have ever had.”
Laruen’s advice to those thinking about volunteering at BCHD is to “DO IT! The volunteer staff and coordinators are incredible at putting together opportunities that allow you to connect to the community in very authentic and impactful ways.” It’s clear to see that is the case for Lauren. Her studies and work at BCHD has helped her decide to pursue a degree in public health and recently, she was accepted into Columbia University’s Masters in Population and Family Health program. Let’s wish her the best of luck as she starts the program this fall in New York!
Written by Christina Parisi
