Now several months into her USC Shoah Foundation Junior Internship, Mackenzie Westman, junior at Eagle Rock High School Highly Gifted Magnet, has come to understand how you can counter all of the elements that can fuel hate. The monthly meetings at the Institute, and concurrent viewings of testimony from USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive, have been paramount in shaping her perception.

Since October, Westman and other young students have spent time at USC Shoah Foundation’s home in USC’s Leavey Library learning about what attitudes breed hatred and intolerance, how they can spread positive moral authority and how to become an active participant in civil society with the weight of testimony on their side.

A second generation Southern Californian with Salvadorian, Mexican and Native American roots, Westman was initially interested in the program because of USC Shoah Foundation’s research in genocide and global hate – subjects she’s passionate in learning more about.

“During the meetings, we’ve been digging into the causes of hate and looking at different genocides,” Westman said. “We’ve been trying to decipher how and why these victims were targeted, and how we can counter hate. One important thing I’ve learned so far is how we look at someone different from us and automatically judge – we need to learn how to respect each other, not hate.”

The Junior Interns, all seventh grade and above, are expected to use Visual History Archive testimonies to take home lessons about the different types of memory – personal, collective and cultural – that lend themselves to remembering genocide events, and to become skills in navigating and cultivating digital and media literacy skills.

“Watching testimonies allows everyone to learn about hard things other people had to go through,” Westman said. “That means we are able to connect with them and keep their story going, so that future generations don’t forget about history.”

Although Westman doesn’t expect that she’ll study history in college – in fact, she hopes to study sports medicine – she believes the Junior Intern program, developed by the education department of USc Shoah Foundation, has made her acutely aware of the impact of history on the future.

“I believe this internship has opened my eyes to so many forms of hate, and it’s not my hands to counter hate, to step out of my comfort zone and to create a ripple effect that could benefit our society,” Westman.

The program will continue through June, giving interns the opportunity to visit, either physically or virtually, museums and authentic sites, and contribute to the work of the Institute through their own research. Interns like Westman will also continue to craft and deliver presentations on what they’ve learned so far, interact with Institute staff on their monthly visits and work with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures with the interpersonal communication skills they’ve been taught throughout the program.

Upon completion of the internship, Junior Interns will receive a certificate and community service hours, as well as the option to continue engaging with the Institute as program assistants or Student Ambassadors.