Francisco Perozo

What organization did you work with?

Comunifilm Producciones in Caracas Miranda, Venezuela

What did you do at your internship?

I co-produced the 4th edition of the company’s main social impact project “¿Qué Significa Ser Caraqueño?” I designed and published gifs, stickers, and an Instagram and Facebook interactive filter on Spark AR as part of the project’s strategic media campaign. I optimized data collection, transfer, and analysis using WordPress, Microsoft Office, and Google Suites. Coordinated over 20 radio interviews with public and private channels to promote the event in traditional means of communication. Arranged meals, supplies, and equipment for the project inauguration and closure ceremonies, as well as informative panels hosted in the venue between June and July.

How did Lewis & Clark’s Career Center support you in finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?

Lewis & Clark’s Career Center made it possible for me to secure and fund my internship through the Hu/Hsieh Grant for internships in the private sector. I was able to fly to and live in Venezuela to work on a project that has a noticeable positive social impact on Caracas and its citizens.

What is your biggest takeaway from your internship?

Many of the partners and sponsors I met in the project planning stage and during the events themselves are committed to making Caracas a livable place for its citizens and tourists. My main takeaway is meeting those inspiring groups with social projects that work towards this goal. I leave the city inspired by their resilience and human-driven approaches to changing lives in a place where the political institutions have failed the people. I am hopeful that there is a bright future for Caracas and Venezuela.

How is this internship connected to your career goals and/or future aspirations?

As an environmental studies major, I am fascinated by the interactions of living beings with their surroundings. Particularly, the interaction between humans and their habitats. I want to pursue a career in urban planning, to prioritize the mitigation and adaptation of cities to climate change. I want to focus on cities of the global south that carry the burdens of economic development standards. Working with the project “¿Que Significa Ser Caraqueño?” (What does it mean to be from Caracas?) helped me understand how the city is interpreted by its citizens. The project started as a photography contest and exhibition where the public shares their view on the identity of the city. Looking at the submissions, I was able to see through someone else’s eyes the different faces of the city. The places portrayed varied according to demographics, but they helped me identify the aspects of the city should be maintained, improved, or replaced, and the considerations to make the physical space become a home for its inhabitants.