Recent high-school graduate and United Way intern Alana isn’t just prepared for college, she is giving other young people like her a voice in how their community supports them. 

In Summer 2025, Alana joined the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County team as an intern working on United Way’s Public Policy team. She gained valuable insight and hands-on experience in research, advocacy and youth engagement.  

Alana’s experience with United Way is a shining example of the type of opportunities that the Future Ready Bexar County plan aims to give young students. By providing access to career development opportunities and voice with organizations who influence the resources provided to young people, she is better prepared to succeed in her personal, academic and professional journey as an adult.  

In her time at United Way, Alana worked on designing a new Youth Advocacy Council, taking inspiration from her experience as Northside Independent School District’s (NISD) ambassador for the Future Ready Bexar County plan. She helped to create a council aimed at empowering the voices of youth ages 14 to 24, especially for those who have experienced generational trauma. “We are not just creating a seat at the table,” Alana says. “We are creating a new table entirely, one where youth input actively shapes local and statewide policy.” 

When this council launches, United Way will use it to better serve young people in the community.  

Some of the lessons she has learned through this internship include how to operate a nonprofit at scale, how to maintain relationships with local government and nonprofit operations. “I always felt like my voice mattered,” she said. “There is a lot of give and take but the goal is always to meet the community’s needs,” Alana added.  

After developing United Way’s new Youth Advocacy Council, Alana’s next step will be attending Cornell University. She hopes to become a public attorney in Texas while specializing in criminal defense or international human rights law. 

Alana represents the success young people can have when students are given resources that better prepare them to succeed in college and life. The Future Ready Bexar County plan aims to increase postsecondary enrollment of high school graduates in Bexar County to 70% of all graduates by the year 2030. Internships experiences like this and resources like those in United Way’s Successful Students Impact Area give young people resource-rich environments that prepare them for their future.  

As she transitions to life as a full-time college student, Alana’s advice to young people like her is to never feel like you are too young or too small to make an impact for others. “Even if you make a difference in one person’s life, that is still a difference,” Alana said. “That’s still everything.”