An initiative of CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC)
An initiative of CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC)
Harvard University Student, Economics and Psychology
Growing up in Santa Ana, Ashlie Benitez developed an early interest in economics. “I grew up in a low income household, so our family talked a lot about money,” Ashlie says. “It sparked an interest in me to better understand how money works and what drives the decisions people make around it.”
Today, Ashlie majors in economics and psychology at Harvard and is a Simon Scholar. She is interested in marketing, including how to create the public face of an organization, branding, social media, and website design.
In spring 2023 Ashlie was finding it hard to line up a summer internship. She was relieved to see in the Simon Scholars newsletter that CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County (CLAOC) was looking for students for its Career Exploration Experiences.
Matched with CLAOC, her summer 2023 experience was such a success that she returned to CLAOC as a 2024 intern.
Working with Franciska Castillo, Ashlie has applied her creativity and interests in digital illustration and graphic design to design flyers, social media posts, and materials for CLAOC’s student programs. She also enhanced CLAOC’s email newsletter for talent leaders.
“Ashlie’s enthusiasm, fresh perspective, and talent for ideating and applying her skills to projects have significantly enriched our team, especially in our work with college students,” says Franciska Castillo, Director, Talent Strategies and University Relations, CEO Leadership Alliance Orange County.
A favorite experience was going on site to the final project event for students working at Ware Malcomb. Ashlie acted as a photojournalist, capturing key moments of the students presenting their projects to the CEO and team.
Ashlie describes many practical skills that she’s learned:
Most important–and she gives credit to Franciska for this– is that she learned to take up space and be less afraid to speak up. Ashlie was encouraged to take her place “at the table,” ask questions, and offer feedback. She says this has helped her become much more comfortable in professional settings.
Ashlie urges students to apply to different types of internships, including some that may feel a little uncomfortable, for the chance to learn.
Ashlie looks forward to a career in marketing after graduation. She wants to work with a mission-driven organization focused on serving Orange County, so she can give back.
