From Paraguay to Robotics Mentor: Julio’s Teen Intern Story

For almost a year, Julio Torres has served as a teen intern at Redwood City Public Library. Starting last summer, he assisted with the Summer Learning Challenge. A junior at Sequoia High School, he applied because he wanted to step out of his comfort zone, improve his communication skills, and learn how to work with a team. “I used to come to the library all the time with my friends,” Julio said. “I wanted to help out the community because that’s my goal—to be able to help people.”

Originally from Paraguay, he spent much of his childhood in Peru, where he learned English. He moved to the United States in 2018.

Julio now helps with Robotics programs in the Makerspace and Schaberg Branch Library. He enjoys coding and technology, and the internship helped him explore his interest in computer science. On a typical day, Julio sets up kits, welcomes kids into the program, and supports them as they build and program robots. “We encourage them every time,” he said. Asher is one boy Julio has mentored. “We built this friendship,” Julio said. “He got more confident, and that’s really cool.”

The internship has changed Julio. “I’m mostly a shy person,” he said. “This internship helped me come out of my comfort zone and talk to more people.” Julio said he has learned that leadership is about teamwork and supporting others.

For Julio, the Teen Intern Program, funded by Redwood City Library Foundation, has been more than just a first job - it has been a chance to build confidence, learn new skills, and give back to the community.