Meet Backstory Intern Dahlia Cohan-Schiff & Read Her Backstory

Dahlia  Cohan-Schiff is a senior at Berkeley High School. Here, she answers a few questions. Read her own Backstory about how climbing Mt. Shasta made her stronger in her body and mind by clicking on the link below.

 Why did you decide to become an intern?
I’m part of a small learning community, CAS, which stands for Communications, Arts and sciences. It’s focused on hands-on learning, and is project based. Our teachers want us to learn by doing – that’s their motto. An internship is part of our curriculum and we get school credits.

Why did you choose Backstory?
I love hearing stories, and I’ve always been interested in history. I think it’s powerful to listen to elders — they know what has happened and their stories are the key to our future. They’ve lived a whole life of adventure, and that’s very inspiring! They can tell us their history and we can build off our lives from that. I think that is beautiful.

How has the internship changed your thought process?

When I was much younger, I never really thought of my grandparents as living before me. I just thought, I’m here and so are they! Obviously, as I get older, I understand that’s not true. Having this internship has opened a door to a new way of looking at people’s past. I’m much more curious and more eager to learn about people’s pasts because I understand the impact and how important it is. I’m super happy to be a part of something special!