HSD Employee Spotlight—SYEP Interns

The Seattle Youth Employment Program’s 2026 summer internships are in full swing. There are 244 interns now working in paid positions with participating employers across Seattle, including many City departments. During the 6-8 week program, summer interns explore their career interests, build skills, and get real-world workplace experience.

The Human Services Department is pleased to welcome 12 interns this summer. For this month’s Employee Spotlight, we invited a few of them to introduce themselves and share a bit about their goals and professional interests.

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Sumaya Ali

I’m from West Seattle and I’m currently a student at South Seattle College. I’m excited to be part of the SYEP internship program because I’m looking forward to gaining hands-on experience, learning from professionals, and making a positive impact in my community.

My long-term career goal is to work in criminology, where I hope to help people and contribute to safer communities. That’s why I’m also very interested in learning about HSD’s community safety and victim support programs.

Outside of school and work, I enjoy photography, music, learning about psychology, and trying new creative projects.

Sharon Wu

Originally from California, I grew up in Seattle where I am now both a rising senior at Cleveland STEM High School and a Running Start student at Seattle Central College.

Community service is a big part of my life. Throughout high school, I have done outreach and design work for nonprofit organizations in the Chinatown-International District, connecting the community to cultural events and resources.

As an intern in the HSD Director’s Office, I’m looking forward to spending the summer building professional skills and learning how City departments operate. I hope to carry forward what I learn from this opportunity in my future career in business operations.

Outside of school, I enjoy making art, watching movies, and spending time with friends and family.

Felix Monge Gomez

I was born and raised in South Seattle and have four sisters – with me as the only boy. I am a Mexican American first-generation student. I graduated from Rainier Beach High School and am now a rising sophomore at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business studying accounting. I hope to become a Certified Public Accountant with career interests in audit, real estate, and entrepreneurship.

I’m excited to learn from my internship at HSD and hope to apply what I learn toward my future goal of supporting underrepresented communities through accounting or financial expertise.

Aside from work, my summer plans are to travel, watch soccer, and spend time with loved ones.

Zhanaya Wrenn-Marks

I developed a passion for hairstyling at a young age, which inspired me to start and successfully manage my own hair business. I also own and operate an event planning business and I really enjoy creating and coordinating memorable events.

As an entrepreneur, I have built strong skills in customer service, communication, organization, leadership, and project coordination.

In my internship working in HSD’s Youth and Family Empowerment Division, I hope to gain valuable hands-on experience and expand my knowledge in a new field.

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In addition to these four, HSD is also pleased to welcome SYEP interns Nassmat Almafrachi, Imani Davenport, Christian Davis, August Hotis, Lilyanna McDade, Askale Mehari, Feben Tessema, and Noah Turner.