AMERICAN

supplementary income for families.

Lotty Abasaba, 17, interns Downtown with the Ohio Democratic Party. She applied for the program for the work experience.

Abasaba was born in Virginia, but her family moved her to Ethiopia when she was around a year old. She lived there until she was 11, and then returned stateside.

One of the biggest differences Abasaba sees between Ethiopia and the United States is how people treat one another on the street. In Ethiopia, everybody says hello, she said. But in the United States, she said, people stick to themselves and mind their own business.

Abasaba enjoys frequently getting tacos with co-workers and being in a professional environment, she said, and she learns a lot not just from the work but also from the people with whom she works.

One of Abasaba’s responsibilities is to summarize legislation. She said she likes how she’s always working with something new.

A rising senior at Pickerington North High School, she hopes to Tara Odari, 16, works at CalFit 10 gym on the Northeast Side. The Northland High School student wants to go into law, business or physical therapy.

double-major in physics and pre-medicine in college and become a surgeon. One day, she hopes to participate in Doctors Without Borders.

Tara Odari, 16, has gained confidence and shed some of her shyness thanks to her internship at CalFit 10, a gym on the Northeast Side. There, she works at the front desk, cleans, and supervises the children’s play area.

The native of Nepal came to the United States when she was 8, and she said she recently became a U.S. citizen.

Odari said she remembers the beautiful Himalayan mountains in Nepal the most. Her family moved to the United States to give Odari and her sister better opportunities.

“When I talk, they don’t make fun of me,” Odari said of her co-workers. The atmosphere is nonjudgmental, she added.

Odari, a student at Northland High School, wants to go into law, business or physical therapy.

Jodi Andes, deputy director of communication at the Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services, said the youth employment program is vital for the county.

“This program really helps youth to get a head start toward their futures so that they can have better opportunities,” she said.