Interlake High School senior Charlene Kwon has a long-term plan to one day become a politician, and her first behind-the-scenes foray in local government started this school year when she was accepted as an intern with Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci.
“I was expecting a certain degree of complexity and detail, but I didn’t realize how much complexity and long hours go into certain things,” she said.
Those who complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program through Interlake in their junior year, like Kwon, have the option of taking elective courses or internships their senior year.
“I wanted to do something in politics, and I heard the previous mayor, Conrad Lee, had done internships, so I wanted to do one with the current mayor,” Kwon said.
Balducci said she was hesitant, at first, not wanting to take on another commitment, until she realized the benefits.
“I stopped thinking about it as work and started thinking about it as a real partnership,” she said.
Kwon has attended several City Council meetings, volunteered with the mayor working at public events, helped shore up the time Balducci spends filing documents and will soon become her affordable housing liaison, working with A Regional Coalition for Housing in King County.
“Hopefully, the idea is by the end of the year we’ll have developed a plan for Bellevue and take the next steps,” Balducci said of the city’s commitment to affordable housing. She added Kwon also can represent her at various events. “I can’t go to everything, but it’s really nice to send well-wishes to folks.”
Kwon plays the oboe and holds a black belt in taekwondo. Growing up near the Somerset neighborhood of Bellevue, Kwon said she’s interested in Puget Sound Energy’s Energize Eastside project and the redevelopment of the Lake Hills Shopping Center.
After school, she said she plans to study political science and economics before law school. She said once she becomes an attorney, she hopes to transition into politics.
“Sort of what Mayor Balducci is doing now,” Kwon said.
“You’re starting way earlier than I did,” Balducci said, “so that’s a good thing.”
