When Samantha Leano started as ABE Greater Los Angeles Area’s (ABE LA) site coordinator in 2024, she soon realized her team was stretched thin. “When we were running our teacher workshops, it was just the four of us and that was tough,” she explained. “It was four [supporting] maybe 32 teachers.”
As part of her role, Leano helped run Saturday Workdays, a monthly opportunity for students to use biotech equipment alongside working scientists. The students were eager for more and kept asking her whether there was anything else they could do to help. “And then that just gave me the idea of, well, why not?” she recalled. “Why not give them the opportunity to help us out behind the scenes?”
After gauging students’ interest, she developed an action plan and presented it to the ABE LA team. With the team on board, they landed on a name—the Biotechnology Opportunities for Leadership and Talent (BOLT!) internship. “I was trying [to] figure out something that doesn’t sound boring, but . . . I could wear it on a shirt,” Leano explained.
How the BOLT! Internship Works
Now in its third year, the BOLT! internship is open to high school students, typically attracting sophomores and juniors (ages 14–17). Leano looks for students with a genuine interest in biotech and some background in chemistry or math, and gives priority to students from schools that participate in ABE. Those accepted commit to at least 80 hours across three main activities:
- Helping at monthly Saturday Workdays, where interns prepare materials for ABE labs and can eventually become backup mentors who teach other students
- Staffing outreach events, including helping plan them and teaching the public about biotech
- Supporting teacher trainings behind the scenes, from setting up labs to promoting workshops via social media
Through a partnership with The Intern Project (TIP), a fellow department within the LA Promise Fund (ABE LA’s host institution), interns now receive stipends. TIP also offers career development workshops twice a week, covering skills like résumé building, creating LinkedIn profiles, and mock interviews.
The internship’s popularity keeps growing. This year, more than 100 students applied for just 25 stipend-funded spots. “This is a win-win because not only are we engaging with students [but] the community as a whole,” Leano said. “These students get to interact with so many different people with different roles and scientists themselves too. … They get to meet them face to face and get that connection.”
Summer Research Opportunities
In addition to the BOLT! internship, Leano makes time and space for students who want to conduct research over the summer. “I've opened it up to those students who give me a pitch . . . and then I'll see what kind of research we can finagle.”
One student pitched a research project on plant-based alternatives for removing microplastics from water, drawing on research articles he had found. Working with Leano at her lab at the Pasadena Bioscience Collaborative Incubator, he studied how microplastics affect the development of brine shrimp. He then tested whether plant-based extracts could absorb the microplastics and help the shrimp develop normally. His project is now headed for publication.
How BOLT! Helps Students Grow
Leano has seen the BOLT! internship clarify—and even supercharge—her students’ future plans. One former student knew she wanted to study science in college but couldn’t decide between medical school and biotechnology. Leano encouraged her to try the BOLT! internship. “I said, ‘Look, sign up. I promise this will determine what you like to do,’” Leano recalled. The student stayed for the full academic year and then continued through the summer. “She helped me with everything you can think of,” Leano said.
During the summer before her junior year, the student began conducting research with Leano. She presented her findings to a panel of scientists. When it came time to apply for college, Leano wrote her a letter of recommendation highlighting this real-world research experience. It helped the student get into the University of California San Diego, one of her top choices, where she is now majoring in molecular biology. The two remain in touch. “Being able to . . . still interact with students who [have] gone on to college from my program is just so fulfilling for me,” Leano said.
What BOLT! Means for ABE LA
When asked about the effect the BOLT! internship has had on ABE LA, Leano said, “My team members aren't so stressed these days. It’s nice that I don't have to see one of my coworkers having to set up the lab, then set up the catering, and then go present.” Because students take on many routine tasks, like preparing buffer solutions, Leano can focus on critical details, such as checking the quality of the plasmids and making sure they will work when teachers use them in their classrooms.
Another benefit is seeing students serve and connect with the community at events and workshops. “I see all of these parents telling me these students are well-trained and well-behaved,” Leano said. “They’re high school students, but [they] are out here wanting to engage with the community and help out, and giving them that opportunity just makes it so worthwhile.”
What’s Next for BOLT!
Leano has many ideas for the program’s future, but her next priority is developing a work-study opportunity at Los Angeles Pierce College to extend the internship to college students. “Otherwise, [I just want to] make sure the students are happy and having fun,” she said.
Leano encourages other ABE sites considering a similar program to reach out to her. “I love talking about the BOLT! program,” she said. “It's my darling child, but it's also just a helpful program.”