Joey Lin ’23, a Chapman business administration major with an emphasis in marketing, discovered an array of opportunities for herself and other college students when she interned at the Orange Chamber of Commerce. For over a year now, she has held the position of media and marketing coordinator, a work-study placement through the university’s community service program. During the recent Orange May Parade she even designed parade banners and merchandise.

“Seeing the designs I’ve worked on used in such a beautiful celebration was truly an honor,” Lin states.

After a conversation with her supervisor Connie Chan (MLD ’18), Lin realized that she lacked knowledge relating to certain life skills, such as filing for taxes or starting a 401k. She was eager to create something that could help people master these valuable skills and help her learn from working at the Chamber. Thus, the Leaders & Entrepreneurs of Orange (LEO) Initiative was born with the help of James Gerrard from Chapman University and Christine Mantyla from South Coast College.

The LEO Initiative gives Chapman and other neighboring college students an opportunity to learn more skills for life after graduation. This past semester, Lin hosted three virtual workshops that focused on resume building and more. Students who attended all three workshops received a certificate of completion.

“In the future we want it to be a whole semester long, including more volunteer hours and mixers that include discussing topics such as diversity, equity, inclusion and more. We would also like to foster internships by pairing students with business leaders in the area,” says Lin.

“To be able to work on such amazing projects has been a credit to my professional and personal development. I could not be more grateful to work at the Orange Chamber of Commerce,” Lin says. In the future, she hopes to start a career in digital marketing that supports diversity and empowering women.