On Wednesday, interns with the Cross Cultural Internship Program (CCIP, www.theccip.com) were guests of the 109th police precinct for the 109th Precinct Community Council’s annual BBQ. The 109th precinct covers a diverse area of Queens, including parts of Flushing where the CCIP interns are living in the Asiatic Hotel. At the BBQ, the interns met members of the community in which they are temporary residents.

Officers with the 109th precinct had previously given a Safety Talk to the interns upon their initial arrival in New York City. The BBQ on June 12 was an additional opportunity for the interns to get to know the people who are charged with watching over their neighborhood. Together, they enjoyed delicious food and shared stories about their respective cultures.

Helping to arrange the gathering for the CCIP interns were two activity coordinators, Ingrid and Sherry. Both are student leaders who are interning in New York for the summer, Ingrid who interns at NYS Assemblywoman Hyndman's District Office and Sherry who interns at SOVAS. They helped ensure that their fellow interns were able to get to the BBQ from their various internship locations.

"It was great to speak with the officers from the 109th precinct," stated Ingrid, who is studying at the University of Hong Kong. "Getting to know them and seeing that they are so active in the community makes me feel very comfortable here."

Sherry, a student at Nanyang Technological University, added, "I appreciate the additional responsibility that comes with being a student leader. There were a lot of internship programs I considered, but I wanted a program that would give me a fuller experience and really challenge me. Being a part of CCIP means being a leader."