Meet the New Readiness Cohort!
- Liza Sophia
- May 5
- 4 min read
You’re conflicted. You know you want to make a change or build out your resume, but there are a thousand organizations vying for your time and attention. You’re not sure which ones are the real deal, and the process of vetting every opportunity you come across can be far too time consuming. Don’t worry! I’m here to do that job for you. Today, we’ll meet the most recent participants of SAEN’s Readiness Program, as well as hear more about the interns stepping into new roles, and what they hope to get out of their experience and time with SAEN. Keep reading to see how, in stories from lived experience inside SAEN’s organization, the success of the Readiness Program seeps through.
Arlo Neuwirth was SAEN's first intern. Stepping into the position of Event Manager as a freshman in college, Arlo gained invaluable skills in leadership and organization, as well as an understanding of both the arts as a whole and the non-profit sector. He scoped out event spaces, planned fundraisers, and was given a space to explore his professionally creative capabilities. The time he spent with SAEN lives on in the logo, his original design, as well as in the caliber of work current and future interns strive to deliver.
Ismail Aziz is in his junior year at Hunter College, where he studies Accounting. As a first generation college student, his academic career has been all about push and pull; the security of STEM verses the creative draw of music. Ultimately, he chose accounting: “My heart was always in the arts, most particularly within music, but my parents always pushed me to study STEM as it would guarantee me living a life that they never had.” He strayed from his dreams of working in the music industry to honor the work his parents put into getting him a quality education, never considering that his accounting major could contribute to those very dreams. That is, until he joined SAEN. “Here I nurtured my accounting skills whilst simultaneously working in the arts. At SAEN I was able to gain first-hand accounting experience for the first time ever. Moreover, I was given the chance to work in the arts and music industry and for that I’m eternally grateful.” From interning as SAEN's Accountant to his current role as Accounting and Brand Management Support for Shhhh Corps, he continues to find new ways to combine his STEM-based expertise with his creative passion.
Kashfia Mahmud is a soon-to-be graduate of Hunter College, and considers herself an activist, artist, and scholar dedicated to exploring how white supremacy shapes the lives and voices of marginalized communities across the globe. Having spent her undergrad majoring in Women and Gender Studies, with minors in Africana, Puerto Rican, Latino, and Asian American Studies, she has a deep understanding of cross-community relationships and liberation movements. On top of all of this, she's also a dancer and a visual artist. Over her 22 week internship at SAEN, working as the Arts Management intern, she was able to take her work to the next level while receiving an education in non-profit work and the effective techniques of combining community engagement with creative passion. Now she works as SAEN's Program Operations and Administrative Coordinator, where she helps facilitate the programs and trainings that helped her get there.
Both Ismail and Kashfia, having completed the 22-week internship, remain active and enthusiastic members of SAEN, and have taken on more responsibility within the organization in order to further their education and professional prospects. In their place, a new cycle of 2026 interns are beginning their journeys!
Emely Moises is stepping into the position of External Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator. As a first generation college student studying Art History and Studio Art, it's been a priority of her academic career to pursue what she's passionate about. Her fascination with why artists respond in the ways they do to their environments, as well as her Dominican roots, led her specifically to her exploration of Latin American history. In her time with SAEN, she hopes to support artists like herself gain the recognition and representation they deserve in the industry. And with the responsibilities of her position, she'll have ample opportunity to explore the underlying motivations of artists as she conducts external outreach and works to maintain the professional relationships that help SAEN flourish.
As for the voice behind the curtain, my name is Liza Sophia. I’m a Sophomore at Hunter College, studying Art History and Comparative Literature. When I came across SAEN, I was in the midst of trying to find an answer to the age-old question, what are you going to do with that? Frankly, I didn’t know. I didn’t even know what my options were, only that I was doing what I loved. I’ve only been with SAEN for about a month, working as the Storytelling & Content Development Coordinator, but I can already say that my understanding of what the art world actually offers has deepened considerably. It’s been incredibly encouraging seeing such genuine, passionate people working so hard to uplift and increase the accessibility of the art scene. For the first time I feel like I actually have a shot at breaking into the creative side of business and entrepreneurship. I still, full disclosure, have no idea what I’m doing. But I trust that wherever I end up, SAEN will play a big part in how I get there.
If these stories have inspired you, and you want to learn more about the ins and outs of our organization, we welcome you to visit our News tab and read “A Look Inside the Readiness Program”. Then visit the programs tab for more information about how to apply, or circle back around to our home page to donate and help us stay up and running! Either way, we encourage you to let these stories be the inspiration you need to join the team and let SAEN change your life!
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